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News Release Information

17-1341-SAN
Thursday, September 28, 2017

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (415) 625-2270

Women’s Earnings in Washington – 2016

In 2016, Washington women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings of $814 or 77.1 percent of the $1,056 median usual weekly earnings of their male counterparts, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the 2016 women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio in Washington was little changed from the previous year. Nationwide, women earned $749 per week or 81.9 percent of the $915 median for men. (See table 1. The earnings comparisons in this release are on a broad level and do not control for many factors that can be significant in explaining earnings differences, such as job skills and responsibilities, work experience, and specialization.)

In Washington, the women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio has ranged from a low of 71.9 percent in 2000 to a high of 81.0 percent in 2014. (See chart 1. Data for the states began in 1997.)

Among the 50 states, median weekly earnings of women in full-time wage and salary positions in 2016 ranged from $624 in Mississippi to $932 in Massachusetts. In addition to Massachusetts, women’s earnings in Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey were above $875 per week. In the District of Columbia, women earned a median weekly wage of $1,117. (See table 1 and chart 2.)

Median weekly earnings for men were lowest in Arkansas at $769 and highest in Connecticut at $1,164. Two other states (Massachusetts and New Jersey) had weekly wages above $1,100 for full-time male workers. In the District of Columbia, men earned a median weekly wage of $1,274.

Vermont had the highest women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio among the states, 90.2 percent, and Utah had the lowest, 69.9 percent. The District of Columbia had a ratio of 87.7 percent. (See chart 3.) The differences among the states reflect, in part, variation in the occupations and industries found in each state and differences in the demographic composition of each state’s labor force. In addition, sampling error for state estimates is considerably larger than it is for the national estimates. Thus, earnings comparisons between states should be made with caution.


Technical Note

The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment. This survey is conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the U.S. Census Bureau, using a scientifically selected national sample of about 60,000 eligible households, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The earnings data are collected from one-fourth of the CPS monthly sample and are limited to wage and salary workers. All self-employed workers, both incorporated and unincorporated, are excluded from the data presented in this report.

Statistics based on the CPS data are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. Further information about the reliability of data from the CPS is available on the CPS Technical Documentation page of the BLS website.

The principal concepts and definitions used in connection with the earnings data in this release are described briefly below.

Usual weekly earnings. The data represent earnings before taxes and other deductions and include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips usually received (at the main job in the case of multiple jobholders). Respondents are asked to identify the easiest way for them to report earnings (hourly, weekly, biweekly, twice monthly, monthly, annually, or other) and how much they usually earn in the reported time period. Earnings reported on a basis other than weekly are converted to a weekly equivalent. The term “usual” is determined by each respondent’s own understanding of the term.

Medians of usual weekly earnings. The earnings estimates shown in this release are medians. The median is the midpoint in a given earnings distribution, with half of workers having earnings above the median and the other half having earnings below the median.

Wage and salary workers. These are workers age 16 and older who receive wages, salaries, commissions, tips, payments in kind, or piece rates on their sole or principal job. This group includes employees in both the public and private sectors. All self-employed workers are excluded whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

Full-time worker. People who usually work 35 hours or more per week at their sole or principal job are defined as working full time for the purpose of these estimates.

For more information on the median weekly earnings of women and men, see Bureau of Labor Statistics Report 1069, Highlights of women’s earnings in 2016, available at https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/womens-earnings/2016/pdf/home.pdf.

Information in this release will be available to sensory impaired individuals upon request: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by state, 2016 annual averages
StateTotalWomenMenWomen’s
earnings as a
percentage
of men’s
Number of
workers
(in thou-
sands)
Median
weekly
earnings
Standard
error of
median
Number of
workers
(in thou-
sands)
Median
weekly
earnings
Standard
error of
median
Number of
workers
(in thou-
sands)
Median
weekly
earnings
Standard
error of
median

United States

111,091$832$249,161$749$261,930$915$381.9

Alabama

1,58074315715651168658563376.1

Alaska

24593219113841271331,0142782.9

Arizona

2,21382916947768141,2668901786.3

Arkansas

1,01471613459638165557691783.0

California

12,86287985,383814117,4799251388.0

Colorado

1,99589420841812181,1549672084.0

Connecticut

1,2321,01427555876336771,1643575.3

Delaware

35783122166775211919022785.9

District of Columbia

3061,198331521,117281541,2743887.7

Florida

6,79975063,158701103,6418051387.1

Georgia

3,581771131,654721161,9278392585.9

Hawaii

49479416218718212768692982.6

Idaho

54075914220645183208431976.5

Illinois

4,513887121,979775132,5349781979.2

Indiana

2,402762161,079702221,3228292284.7

Iowa

1,14376313528684176148952376.4

Kansas

1,02676213460692195668513381.3

Kentucky

1,41376111650711197638282985.9

Louisiana

1,51775715704659218138632876.4

Maine

43882018194754172449002883.8

Maryland

2,386987231,120915301,2661,0485087.3

Massachusetts

2,5041,019171,114932171,3901,1052184.3

Michigan

3,260841151,438742121,8229321679.6

Minnesota

2,03594616901849251,1341,0202883.2

Mississippi

94170215452624184907782680.2

Missouri

2,199793161,021703231,1788852979.4

Montana

31478117138705191768662381.4

Nebraska

70676611318697183888552381.5

Nevada

99675412414681155828282382.2

New Hampshire

52490425230762162941,0132475.2

New Jersey

3,324998131,448894251,8771,1132780.3

New Mexico

62173016280679223417722488.0

New York

6,837916103,145840133,6929751286.2

North Carolina

3,533761101,598704111,9358361984.2

North Dakota

29980512131713121689301976.7

Ohio

3,927806101,717713102,2108991779.3

Oklahoma

1,24872416534651127148242279.0

Oregon

1,32785718554791247729042387.5

Pennsylvania

4,453857121,984741112,4689561277.5

Rhode Island

38583919179765302069072184.3

South Carolina

1,62377916773687188518842077.7

South Dakota

30977814137670121728761676.5

Tennessee

2,25274714983666171,2698211981.1

Texas

9,80178084,197707105,6038601282.2

Utah

99783318358668166409552069.9

Vermont

22885014104801271248882790.2

Virginia

3,025902151,376809221,6491,0133079.9

Washington

2,506929211,065814181,4411,0563377.1

West Virginia

56576214248688173168463081.3

Wisconsin

2,09884316947737141,1529402078.4

Wyoming

1998481782699221179702872.1

Note: In general, the sampling error for the state estimates is considerably larger than it is for the national estimates; thus, comparisons of state estimates should be made with caution. Data shown are based on workers’ state of residence; workers’ reported earnings, however, may or may not be from a job located in the same state.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, September 28, 2017