{"id":2791,"date":"2025-09-13T00:52:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T00:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/2025\/09\/13\/heres-where-gender-pay-gaps-are-the-widest-by-state-industry-and-more-bankrate\/"},"modified":"2025-09-13T00:52:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T00:52:17","slug":"heres-where-gender-pay-gaps-are-the-widest-by-state-industry-and-more-bankrate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ft365.org\/index.php\/2025\/09\/13\/heres-where-gender-pay-gaps-are-the-widest-by-state-industry-and-more-bankrate\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s Where Gender Pay Gaps Are The Widest, By State, Industry And More | Bankrate"},"content":{"rendered":"
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More than ever before, women in the U.S. are taking control of their finances, investing in their future selves and making smart money choices.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s still one obstacle in their way today: the gender pay gap.<\/p>\n

Census Bureau data for 2024 estimates women working full time, year-round earned 81 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earned, down from 83 cents a year ago and 84 cents in 2022. It\u2019s the first time since the late 1990s that the gap has widened for two consecutive years.<\/p>\n

Evidence of the gender pay gap is as well-documented as it is longstanding, but the extent to which it\u2019s even worse for women of color and women who work in finance and insurance shows how stubborn and entrenched the problem is, according to a new Bankrate analysis of Census Bureau data.<\/p>\n

The gender pay gap impacts all women, but not in the same way. It\u2019s even more pronounced for certain racial and ethnic groups, industries and jobs. Where a woman lives can influence how much she earns compared to her male counterpart, and even education has yet to close the pay gap between women and men, despite more than half of women in the workforce having a college degree and prime-age women (ages 25-54) participating in the workforce at record rates.<\/p>\n

Unequal pay leaves women working with less, ultimately impacting their ability to save money, pay down debt and achieve financial security. Women on average stand to lose more than $450,000 over a 40-year career because of the gender pay gap, according to Bankrate\u2019s calculations. The losses are even greater for Black and Hispanic women over a 40-year career: roughly $1 million and $1.3 million, respectively.<\/p>\n

To shine a brighter spotlight on the gender pay gap, Bankrate analyzed Census Bureau data to determine where the widest gender pay gaps exist across industries, jobs and states \u2014 and who they\u2019re impacting the most.<\/p>\n

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At the core, there are institutional failings. It\u2019s not something that women should shame themselves over. Make sure you talk to other women about the successes and the hurdles you\u2019ve had. When you share key learnings about finances, you\u2019re spreading the wealth.<\/q> \u2014 Cady North | Founder and CEO of North Financial Advisors <\/cite> <\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n

Explore the best high-yield savings accounts.<\/p>\n

Key takeaways on the gender pay gap<\/h2>\n
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Money Bag Icon<\/title> <\/svg> <\/p>\n
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  • The gender pay gap is widest for Black and Hispanic women. Those groups of women earned 67 cents and 58 cents, respectively, for every dollar a white, non-Hispanic man earned in 2023. White women earned 80 percent as much as their white male counterparts, and Asian women have almost reached pay parity with white, non-Hispanic men, earning 94 percent as much as them in 2023.<\/li>\n
  • Heavily male-dominated industries \u2014 such as finance, insurance, science and tech \u2014 have the widest gender pay gaps.<\/li>\n
  • Legal and sales occupations have the biggest differences in earnings between women and men.<\/li>\n
  • States with the widest gender pay gaps are Utah and Louisiana. Meanwhile, women and men who live in Rhode Island have the smallest differences in earnings.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

    The gender pay gap is widest for Black and Hispanic women<\/h2>\n

    Women of color are hit the hardest by the gender pay gap. On average, Black women working full time, year-round earned 67 percent as much as white, non-Hispanic men in 2023. Hispanic women earned only 58 percent as much, according to Bankrate\u2019s analysis of Census Bureau data.<\/p>\n

    Asian women are the closest to reaching pay equality as of 2023, making 94 cents for every dollar a white, non-Hispanic man earned. White women working full time, year-round earned 80 percent as much as their male counterparts in 2023, similar to the overall gender pay gap.<\/p>\n

    The pay gap has narrowed for all groups of women over the last three decades, but more so for white and Asian women than for Black and Hispanic women. Here\u2019s how much the earnings gap narrowed for each group between 1988 and 2023:<\/p>\n

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    • Asian women: 26 percentage points<\/li>\n
    • White women: 16 percentage points<\/li>\n
    • Black women: 8 percentage points<\/li>\n
    • Hispanic women: 5 percentage points<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Economists and financial experts say the gender pay gap is fueled by gender discrimination, the increased likelihood of women ending up in lower-paying jobs, lack of family-friendly policies and the motherhood penalty. For Black and Hispanic women, racial discrimination is also part of the equation.<\/p>\n

      Dr. Nicole Smith, chief economist at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, says Black and Hispanic women are more likely to experience employment and promotion discrimination than other groups, making it even more difficult for them to move up in their careers or achieve higher pay.<\/p>\n

      About a quarter of employed women (23 percent) said they have experienced discrimination because of their gender, while only 1 in 10 employed men say the same, a 2023 Pew Research poll found. The same poll found roughly 40 percent of Black workers and 20 percent of Hispanic workers said they have experienced discrimination or been treated unfairly by an employer in hiring, pay or promotions because of their race or ethnicity, compared to eight percent of white workers.<\/p>\n

      The wider wage gap between Black and Hispanic women and white, non-Hispanic men can be attributed to the fact that fewer Black and Hispanic Americans are college-educated compared to white or Asian Americans, according to Pew Research. But even when looking at Black and Hispanic women with a bachelor\u2019s degree or higher, Census Bureau data shows the pay gap persists.<\/p>\n

      \u201cThere\u2019s still the glass ceiling, whereby it\u2019s difficult for women to move upwards in certain types of education or certain types of occupations,\u201d Smith says. \u201cAs much as we\u2019re in a post-racial\u00a0 America, racial and ethnic discrimination is still there.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Finance, insurance, science and tech industries have the widest gender pay gaps<\/h2>\n

      Every industry has a gender pay gap, but the gap is wider in certain sectors. Bankrate looked at the gender pay gap across more than 25 industries and found that the pay gap was largest in the finance and insurance industry. Women made up over half of workers (54 percent) in the finance and insurance industry in 2023, but they earned 63 cents on the dollar, on average, compared to men, Census Bureau data shows.<\/p>\n

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      In the \u201980s in the financial industry, there were no women. If you were a woman, it was like you were an alien with three heads. It just didn\u2019t exist, so it\u2019s still a young profession in terms of even allowing women in.<\/p>\n

      \u2014 Cady North<\/cite>Founder and CEO of North Financial Advisors<\/span> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      Even though there are more women in the financial services sector today, North says it\u2019s still a challenging industry to navigate as a woman and negatively affects women\u2019s desire to stay.<\/p>\n

      \u201cThere\u2019s still a lot of bias and microaggressions,\u201d North says. \u201cThey\u2019re less likely to stick it out because they know they have to sort of play a man\u2019s game, and that\u2019s really frustrating. I see it a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Other industries with the widest gender pay gaps are:<\/p>\n

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      • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (65.9 percent)<\/li>\n
      • Management of companies and enterprises (71.3 percent)<\/li>\n
      • Health care and social assistance (73 percent)<\/li>\n
      • Professional, scientific, and technical services (73.8 percent)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Within industries, there\u2019s occupational segregation between men and women. Smith says women are more likely to move into lower-paying jobs within an industry even when they have similar education backgrounds as men, leading to broader wage differences between men and women in the same industry. Smith points to STEM as an example.<\/p>\n

        \u201cEven when you talk about the percentage of women in STEM, women tend to self-segregate,\u201d Smith says. \u201cPharmaceuticals and biological sciences are examples of this. In the biological sciences, it\u2019s one of the STEM categories that has the lowest compensation and it\u2019s dominated by women.\u201d<\/p>\n

        Education is another example of an industry where occupational segregation impacts women\u2019s earnings. Dr. Carolyn Sloane, a labor economist, found in her research that men in the education field are twice as likely to move into higher-paying management roles and women in the same field are twice as likely to go into lower-paying administrative support roles, although women are twice as likely to major in education.<\/p>\n

        There are several industries where the gender pay gap is narrower. The construction industry has the smallest pay gap, at about 95 cents for every dollar a man earns. Other industries with the smallest gender pay gaps are:<\/p>\n

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        • Arts, entertainment, and recreation (89.2 percent)<\/li>\n
        • Real estate and rental and leasing (88.7 percent)<\/li>\n
        • Administrative and support and waste management services (88.3 percent)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Legal and sales occupations have the widest gender pay gap<\/h2>\n

          After analyzing pay disparities across more than 30 occupations, Bankrate found the pay gap is largest for legal occupations \u2014 with women earning nearly 55 percent as much as their male counterparts as of 2023.<\/p>\n

          Sales and related occupations have the second-biggest pay gap between men and women, with women in those occupations earning 56 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earn. Other occupations with the widest pay gaps are:<\/p>\n

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          • Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (64.2 percent)<\/li>\n
          • Transportation occupations (64.6 percent)<\/li>\n
          • Firefighting and prevention, and other protective service workers including supervisors (66.8 percent)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Many jobs with smaller or non-existent gender pay gaps tend to be dominated by women. These occupations have the smallest gender pay gaps:<\/p>\n

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            • Community and social service occupations (97.7 percent)<\/li>\n
            • Health care support occupations (94 percent)<\/li>\n
            • Office and administrative support occupations (89.9 percent)<\/li>\n
            • Life, physical, and social science occupations (89.5 percent)<\/li>\n
            • Architecture and engineering occupations (85.5 percent)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Utah and Louisiana are the states with the widest gender pay gaps<\/h2>\n

              Where you live affects your job, overall well-being and lifestyle. If you\u2019re a woman, it can also affect your earnings. The pay gaps across states partly reflect the differences in the jobs and industries within each state and the demographic differences in each state\u2019s workforce.<\/p>\n

              These are the top five states with the smallest gender pay gaps:<\/p>\n

              \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
              State<\/th>\nMen\u2019s median annual earnings<\/th>\nWomen\u2019s median annual earnings<\/th>\nFemale-to-male earnings ratio<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
              Rhode Island<\/td>\n$70,274<\/td>\n$62,763<\/td>\n89.3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Vermont<\/td>\n$63,691<\/td>\n$55,832<\/td>\n87.7%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              New York<\/td>\n$71,168<\/td>\n$62,111<\/td>\n87.3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              California<\/td>\n$70,692<\/td>\n$61,544<\/td>\n87.1%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Hawaii<\/td>\n$62,489<\/td>\n$54,348<\/td>\n87.0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

              These are the bottom five states with the largest gender pay gaps:<\/p>\n

              \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
              State<\/th>\nMen\u2019s median annual earnings<\/th>\nWomen\u2019s median annual earnings<\/th>\nFemale-to-male earnings ratio<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
              Louisiana<\/td>\n$60,294<\/td>\n$42,954<\/td>\n71.2%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Utah<\/td>\n$70,008<\/td>\n$50,852<\/td>\n72.6%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Alabama<\/td>\n$58,319<\/td>\n$43,074<\/td>\n73.9%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Wyoming<\/td>\n$62,142<\/td>\n$45,971<\/td>\n74.0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              North Dakota<\/td>\n$67,128<\/td>\n$50,587<\/td>\n75.4%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

              What\u2019s next for the gender pay gap?<\/h2>\n

              There are two ways to look at the progress of the gender pay gap \u2014 it depends on how far you zoom out. In 1988, women earned roughly 66 percent as much as men, and by 2023, women earned 83 percent as much as men, Census Bureau data shows.<\/p>\n

              However, over the last two decades, the gender pay gap has remained in somewhat of a holding pattern. From 2000 to 2010, it increased by three percentage points and by almost six percentage points between 2011 and 2023.<\/p>\n

              Smith says there isn\u2019t a single explanation for why the gender gap has barely budged in the last two decades, but that it\u2019s likely due to a combination of factors: limited progress in policies that benefit women in the workplace, such as paid family leave or childcare benefits; the types of college degrees and jobs women pursue; discrimination; and broader economic factors. Caregiving responsibilities also continue to fall largely on the shoulders of women, leaving many feeling like they have to take on a lower-paying job with more flexibility or leave the workforce altogether to balance family responsibilities.<\/p>\n

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              A lot of women are being forced to make tough decisions, which plays out in terms of where they end up in their job and how much they get paid. The work environment itself just doesn\u2019t lend itself to women staying for a significant length of time.<\/p>\n

              \u2014 Dr. Nicole Smith<\/cite>Chief economist at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce<\/span> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

              3 ways women can financially empower themselves<\/h3>\n

              The responsibility isn\u2019t on individual women to fix the gender pay gap, but there are steps women can actively take to ensure they\u2019re advocating for themselves and becoming more confident with their finances, even if they\u2019re working with less. Consider doing the following to grow your financial wealth:<\/p>\n

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              • Build an emergency fund:<\/strong> Start contributing a few dollars a week to a high-yield savings account and gradually build your savings to cover three to six months\u2019 worth of expenses. The more savings you have, the better equipped you\u2019ll be to withstand a sudden job loss or unexpected expense.<\/li>\n
              • Invest in your future self<\/strong>: If you have access to a 401(k) plan through an employer, take advantage of it. If your employer doesn\u2019t offer a 401(k) plan, consider opening a traditional IRA or Roth IRA. Financial experts often recommend putting 10 percent of your annual income toward your retirement, but if that\u2019s not realistic, start small by contributing three to five percent of your paycheck to your retirement account. Consider investing the money in your retirement account in low-cost index funds. Index funds are a great option if you want to diversify your investment portfolio, minimize the time and money you spend investing and reduce your risk over time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n