In 2016, Virginia women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings of $809, or 79.9 percent of the $1,013 median usual weekly earnings for their male counterparts, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that the women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio in Virginia 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. Earnings in this release do not control for many factors that can be significant in explaining earnings differences.)

In Virginia, the women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio has ranged from a low of 72.4 percent in 2000 to a high of 83.6 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 Maryland, New Jersey, and Connecticut 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 U.S. 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 2015, available at 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: 1-800-877-8339.

 

Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by state, 2016 annual averages

State	Total			Women			Men			Women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s
	Number of workers (in thousands)	Median weekly earnings	Standard error of median	Number of workers (in thousands)	Median weekly earnings	Standard error of median	Number of workers (in thousands)	Median weekly earnings	Standard error of median
United States	111,091	$832	$2	49,161	$749	$2	61,930	$915	$3	81.9
Alabama	1,580	743	15	715	651	16	865	856	33	76.1
Alaska	245	932	19	113	841	27	133	1,014	27	82.9
Arizona	2,213	829	16	947	768	14	1,266	890	17	86.3
Arkansas	1,014	716	13	459	638	16	555	769	17	83.0
California	12,862	879	8	5,383	814	11	7,479	925	13	88.0
Colorado	1,995	894	20	841	812	18	1,154	967	20	84.0
Connecticut	1,232	1,014	27	555	876	33	677	1,164	35	75.3
Delaware	357	831	22	166	775	21	191	902	27	85.9
District of Columbia	306	1,198	33	152	1,117	28	154	1,274	38	87.7
Florida	6,799	750	6	3,158	701	10	3,641	805	13	87.1
Georgia	3,581	771	13	1,654	721	16	1,927	839	25	85.9
Hawaii	494	794	16	218	718	21	276	869	29	82.6
Idaho	540	759	14	220	645	18	320	843	19	76.5
Illinois	4,513	887	12	1,979	775	13	2,534	978	19	79.2
Indiana	2,402	762	16	1,079	702	22	1,322	829	22	84.7
Iowa	1,143	763	13	528	684	17	614	895	23	76.4
Kansas	1,026	762	13	460	692	19	566	851	33	81.3
Kentucky	1,413	761	11	650	711	19	763	828	29	85.9
Louisiana	1,517	757	15	704	659	21	813	863	28	76.4
Maine	438	820	18	194	754	17	244	900	28	83.8
Maryland	2,386	987	23	1,120	915	30	1,266	1,048	50	87.3
Massachusetts	2,504	1,019	17	1,114	932	17	1,390	1,105	21	84.3
Michigan	3,260	841	15	1,438	742	12	1,822	932	16	79.6
Minnesota	2,035	946	16	901	849	25	1,134	1,020	28	83.2
Mississippi	941	702	15	452	624	18	490	778	26	80.2
Missouri	2,199	793	16	1,021	703	23	1,178	885	29	79.4
Montana	314	781	17	138	705	19	176	866	23	81.4
Nebraska	706	766	11	318	697	18	388	855	23	81.5
Nevada	996	754	12	414	681	15	582	828	23	82.2
New Hampshire	524	904	25	230	762	16	294	1,013	24	75.2
New Jersey	3,324	998	13	1,448	894	25	1,877	1,113	27	80.3
New Mexico	621	730	16	280	679	22	341	772	24	88.0
New York	6,837	916	10	3,145	840	13	3,692	975	12	86.2
North Carolina	3,533	761	10	1,598	704	11	1,935	836	19	84.2
North Dakota	299	805	12	131	713	12	168	930	19	76.7
Ohio	3,927	806	10	1,717	713	10	2,210	899	17	79.3
Oklahoma	1,248	724	16	534	651	12	714	824	22	79.0
Oregon	1,327	857	18	554	791	24	772	904	23	87.5
Pennsylvania	4,453	857	12	1,984	741	11	2,468	956	12	77.5
Rhode Island	385	839	19	179	765	30	206	907	21	84.3
South Carolina	1,623	779	16	773	687	18	851	884	20	77.7
South Dakota	309	778	14	137	670	12	172	876	16	76.5
Tennessee	2,252	747	14	983	666	17	1,269	821	19	81.1
Texas	9,801	780	8	4,197	707	10	5,603	860	12	82.2
Utah	997	833	18	358	668	16	640	955	20	69.9
Vermont	228	850	14	104	801	27	124	888	27	90.2
Virginia	3,025	902	15	1,376	809	22	1,649	1,013	30	79.9
Washington	2,506	929	21	1,065	814	18	1,441	1,056	33	77.1
West Virginia	565	762	14	248	688	17	316	846	30	81.3
Wisconsin	2,098	843	16	947	737	14	1,152	940	20	78.4
Wyoming	199	848	17	82	699	22	117	970	28	72.1
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.