American Association of University Women (AAUW) used recently released Census Data to calculate the gender pay gap for all 50 states (including D.C.) as well as congressional districts in each state. The analysis also looks at the strength of each state’s current equal pay laws as well as current federal laws and what needs to happen for the state to truly have strong equal pay protections for its residents. Policy guides for each state can also be found under the drop down bar on the page. How’s your state doing in terms of equal pay for its residents?
As voters head to the ballot box to vote in November’s midterm elections, this data is a useful accountability tool when advocating for stronger equal pay protections at the local, state, and federal levels. Consider the following options in analyzing the data outlined in these guides:
– What is the gender pay gap in Congressional Districts with the hottest midterm races;
– How do districts represented by women fare when it comes to pay equity;
– Which Congressional Districts have the biggest and smallest pay gaps;
– Is the pay gap bigger or smaller in Congressional Districts represented by Democrats or Republicans;
– What are the pay gaps in districts where Members of Congress are sponsors of the Paycheck Fairness Act?
PAY GAP BY STATE
2017 state median annual earnings ratio for full-time, year-round workers, by state and gender ranked from smallest to largest pay gap. State pay gaps are displayed rounded to the nearest whole percentage, but are ranked by unrounded percentage.
| Rank | State | Earnings Ratio | Pay Gap |
| 1. | California | 89% | 11% |
| 2. | District of Columbia | 89% | 11% |
| 3. | New York | 88% | 12% |
| 4. | Florida | 87% | 13% |
| 5. | Delaware | 86% | 14% |
| 6. | Vermont | 86% | 14% |
| 7. | Maryland | 86% | 14% |
| 8. | Arizona | 85% | 15% |
| 9. | North Carolina | 84% | 16% |
| 10. | Rhode Island | 84% | 16% |
| 11. | Nevada | 83% | 17% |
| 12. | New Mexico | 83% | 17% |
| 13. | Massachusetts | 83% | 17% |
| 14. | Connecticut | 83% | 17% |
| 15. | Georgia | 83% | 17% |
| 16. | Maine | 82% | 18% |
| 17. | Minnesota | 82% | 18% |
| 18. | Alaska | 82% | 18% |
| 19. | Tennessee | 82% | 18% |
| 20. | Oregon | 82% | 18% |
| 21. | Colorado | 82% | 18% |
| 22. | Texas | 81% | 19% |
| 23. | Hawaii | 81% | 19% |
| United States | 80% | ||
| 24. | Pennsylvania | 80% | 20% |
| 25. | New Jersey | 80% | 20% |
| 26. | Wisconsin | 80% | 20% |
| 27. | North Dakota | 79% | 21% |
| 28. | New Hampshire | 79% | 21% |
| 29. | Virginia | 79% | 21% |
| 30. | Arkansas | 79% | 21% |
| 31. | Iowa | 79% | 21% |
| 32. | Montana | 79% | 21% |
| 33. | Kentucky | 79% | 21% |
| 34. | Missouri | 79% | 21% |
| 35. | Washington | 78% | 22% |
| 36. | Michigan | 78% | 22% |
| 37. | Ohio | 78% | 22% |
| 38. | Illinois | 78% | 22% |
| 39. | Wyoming | 77% | 23% |
| 40. | South Carolina | 77% | 23% |
| 41. | Nebraska | 77% | 23% |
| 42. | Kansas | 77% | 23% |
| 43. | Oklahoma | 77% | 23% |
| 44. | South Dakota | 77% | 23% |
| 45. | Mississippi | 77% | 23% |
| 46. | Idaho | 75% | 25% |
| 47. | West Virginia | 74% | 26% |
| 48. | Alabama | 73% | 27% |
| 49. | Indiana | 73% | 27% |
| 50. | Utah | 71% | 29% |
| 51. | Louisiana | 69% | 31% |
STRENGTH OF STATE EQUAL PAY LAWS
*An indepth breakdown of types of equal pay state policies can be found here.
Strong: California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington
Moderate: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Weak: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia
None: Alabama, Mississippi
