What states have the worst gender pay gap?

Asked by: Dr. Jennie Jaskolski  |  Last update: August 10, 2025
Score: 4.8/5 (29 votes)

In 2023, the Rhode Island had the highest earnings ratio for women, as female workers earned 89.05 percent of their male counterparts on average. The state of Louisiana had the lowest earnings ratio for female workers, who earned 71.03 percent of what their male counterparts earn.

What state has the highest gender pay gap?

Women were paid less than men in every single state, but some states were worse than others. In 2022, the worst state for women was Utah, where women who worked full-time year-round on average were paid just 70.3 cents per dollar paid to men (a gender wage gap of 29.7 percent).

What states don't have equal pay?

Women Earn Less Than Men in Every State

In 2022, women working full-time made 82 cents for every dollar a man made, on average. Data shows the median earnings for year-round, civilian workers aged 16 and over with earnings. Utah, Louisiana and Alabama were among the worst states for gender pay parity.

What state has the largest income gap?

Gini index values by state

New York (Gini index = 0.5208), Connecticut (0.5008), Massachusetts (0.4975), California (0.4953), and Louisiana (0.4915) were the states with the highest Gini coefficients in 2022; Washington, D.C. (0.5111) had the second largest value, behind only New York.

Who has the highest wage gap?

  • Latina women faced the largest gender racial wage gap, being paid just 59.2 cents on the dollar paid to White men, an amount slightly worse than in 2022 when the ratio was 61.4 cents.
  • Black women earned 65.8 cents on the dollar compared to White men, down from 67.4 percent in 2022.

Fast Facts About the Gender Pay Gap

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What state pays the less?

Five states have not adopted a state minimum wage: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. Three states, Georgia, Oklahoma and Wyoming, have a minimum wage below $7.25 per hour. In all eight of these states, the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour generally applies.

Which states have salary bans?

Salary History Bans by State and Locality

These include: Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

Is Texas a pay equity state?

The Texas Equal Pay Act was enacted with the specific purpose of prohibiting wage discrimination on the basis of sex. It mandates that employers provide equal pay to employees who perform jobs that require substantially equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and that are performed under similar working conditions.

What jobs pay men more?

Notably, the male-dominated finance sectors saw some of the widest pay gaps, with securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents topping the list at a 56.84% difference in earnings. On average, men make $1,891 per week, compared to a woman's pay of $1,054, their data revealed.

What industry has the lowest gender pay gap?

The gender pay gap is larger for employees aged 40 years and over than those aged under 40 years. The gender pay gap is larger among high earners than among lower-paid employees. In April 2024, the gender pay gap was highest in skilled trades occupations and lowest in the caring, leisure and other service occupations.

Who is most affected by the gender pay gap?

In 2020-21: • the highest average full-time total remuneration gender pay gap was for key management personnel (KMP) at 23.1%. This means that, on average, female KMPs earn $86,851 less than men. WGEA data for non-manager occupations shows a gender pay gap in favour of men across all occupational categories.

Why is there a pink tax?

There are many reasons why the pink tax exists, including tariffs, product discrimination, and product differentiation. There are many suggested causes of this discrepancy, including price elasticity and the belief that women are more prepared than men to pay higher prices for their purchases.

Which country has no gender pay gap?

As of 2022, Belgium is the country with the most equal pay between the genders of OECD countries. The gender pay gap was at 1.1 percent. South Korea, on the other hand, is the country with the highest gender pay gap of the OECD countries, with a 31.2 percent difference between the genders.

Is gender pay gap illegal in US?

The EPA prohibits sex-based wage discrimination between men and women in the same establishment who perform jobs that require substantially equal skill, effort, and responsibility under similar working conditions.

What is the lowest legal salary in the US?

Employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the current Federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

What states has the highest salary?

The state of salaries in the U.S.

Massachusetts tops the lists of states with the highest salaries, but its cost of living is 46% higher than the national average.

Where is it illegal to ask about salary?

California has one of the strongest laws. Private and public employers cannot ask for your salary history information; even if they have it, they cannot use it to set your pay.

What is the highest taxed state?

In fact, the states with the highest tax in the U.S. in 2021 are:
  • California (13.3%)
  • Hawaii (11%)
  • New Jersey (10.75%)
  • Oregon (9.9%)
  • Minnesota (9.85%)
  • District of Columbia (8.95%)
  • New York (8.82%)
  • Vermont (8.75%)

What is the best state to live in financially?

  • Arkansas. #1 in Cost of Living. #47 in Best States Overall. ...
  • Mississippi. #2 in Cost of Living. #48 in Best States Overall. ...
  • Alabama. #3 in Cost of Living. ...
  • South Dakota. #4 in Cost of Living. ...
  • Iowa. #5 in Cost of Living. ...
  • North Dakota. #6 in Cost of Living. ...
  • Oklahoma. #7 in Cost of Living. ...
  • West Virginia. #8 in Cost of Living.

What state has the best labor laws?

The 5 best U.S. states for workers: 'In one of those states, you're going to be better off'
  • Washington, D.C. Overall: 85.67. Wages: 90.22. Worker protections: 70.24. ...
  • California. Overall: 85.11. Wages: 75.27. ...
  • Oregon. Overall: 83.53. Wages: 65.07. ...
  • New York. Overall: 83.08. Wages: 70.19. ...
  • Washington. Overall: 75.75. Wages: 76.88.

Who has the highest income inequality?

More than half of the countries in sub-Saharan are affected, while the greatest inequalities exist in southern Africa, with South Africa (Gini index of 63) and Namibia (59) the most unequal countries in the world. The Gini coefficient is lowest in countries in Northern, Eastern and Central Europe.

Do male nurses make more than female nurses?

Male nurses earn $250 more per week than female peers: Report. In 2023, men earned higher wages than women in 20 of the most prevalent occupations for women, including nursing, where they earned nearly $250 more per week, according to a March 7 report from the Institute for Women's Policy Research.