Gender Pay Gap

The difference between the earnings of men and women has barely closed in the United States in the past two decades. This gap persists even as women today are more likely than men to have graduated from college, suggesting other factors are at play such as parenthood and other family needs.

In 2022, women earned an average of 82% of what men earned, according to a new analysis of median hourly earnings of full- and part-time workers.

In 2019 women in the United States earned 82% of what men earned, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of median annual earnings of full-time, year-round workers. The gender wage gap varies by age and metropolitan area, and in most places, has narrowed since 2000. See how women’s wages compare with men’s in your metro area.

Among adults 25 and older who have no education beyond high school, more women have left the labor force than men.

Earnings overall have held steady through the pandemic in part because lower-wage workers experienced steeper job losses.

There is a growing need for high-skill workers in the U.S., and this has helped to narrow gender disparities in the labor market.

The gender wage gap narrows as women move into high-skill jobs and acquire more education. Women are now in the majority in jobs that draw most heavily on either social or fundamental skills.

Read key findings about gender gains and gaps in America.

Looking at gender, race and ethnicity combined, all groups, with the exception of Asian men, lag behind white men in terms of median hourly earnings.

The number of businesses owned by women and minorities has grown considerably in recent years, particularly in certain industries, but based on revenue they remain on average considerably smaller than white- or male-owned firms.