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News Release Information

18-1467-BOS
Friday, October 05, 2018

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (617) 565-4141

Women’s Earnings in Massachusetts — 2017

In 2017, Massachusetts women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings of $971 or 80.6 percent of the $1,204 median usual weekly earnings of their male counterparts, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Deborah A. Brown noted that the 2017 women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio in Massachusetts decreased from 2016, down 3.7 percentage points. Nationwide, women earned $770 per week or 81.8 percent of the $941 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.)

The women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio in Massachusetts ranged from a low of 74.8 percent in 2007 to a high of 84.3 percent in 2016. The ratio has remained above 80 percent since 2010.  (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 2017 ranged from $643 in Mississippi to $971 in Massachusetts. In addition to Massachusetts, women’s earnings in Alaska, Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey were above $875 per week. In the District of Columbia, women earned a median weekly wage of $1,191. (See table 1 and chart 2 .)

Median weekly earnings for men were lowest in New Mexico at $771 and highest in Massachusetts at $1,204. Three other states (Connecticut, Maryland, 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 $1,385.

New Mexico had the highest women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio among the states, 90.9 percent, and Wyoming had the lowest, 71.6 percent. The District of Columbia had a ratio of 86.0 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 1075, Highlights of women’s earnings in 2017, available at https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/womens-earnings/2017/home.htm.

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, 2017 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

113,272$860$250,291$770$362,980$941$481.8

Alabama

1,59375314712656178818452577.6

Alaska

25397918117883271361,0904381.0

Arizona

2,28383017970749171,3129162681.8

Arkansas

1,02372213496665155277992383.2

California

13,14591385,620827117,5259921183.4

Colorado

2,04991814854838201,1959862085.0

Connecticut

1,2901,01119577938407131,1024785.1

Delaware

34984022160785191899052686.7

District of Columbia

3111,273301581,191451531,3855086.0

Florida

7,09276873,31272693,7808261487.9

Georgia

3,717775121,736720171,9818662983.1

Hawaii

49782118234734232639182880.0

Idaho

56879416230695133388931777.8

Illinois

4,426918121,965791162,4601,0171777.8

Indiana

2,425805141,075708191,3509032878.4

Iowa

1,16782515522738176459072081.4

Kansas

1,04082318459749205819162181.8

Kentucky

1,47777415676673208018343080.7

Louisiana

1,49877315673686208258862677.4

Maine

44584524201760232449112283.4

Maryland

2,2951,036281,041959371,2541,1314184.8

Massachusetts

2,5971,078211,157971181,4401,2043280.6

Michigan

3,405853161,455765121,9509281782.4

Minnesota

2,12895520937844261,1911,0262482.3

Mississippi

94472313454643184907942581.0

Missouri

2,166826171,006733201,1609252779.2

Montana

32180019135713151858832280.7

Nebraska

69681416311760233858712887.3

Nevada

1,07174612451675146218081683.5

New Hampshire

51291820225838212871,0032583.5

New Jersey

3,2411,016131,486929171,7551,1382381.6

New Mexico

62273713268701163547712290.9

New York

7,12091893,303850153,8179841386.4

North Carolina

3,574810101,655754131,9198741986.3

North Dakota

29185718128740181649521877.7

Ohio

4,021832121,801743132,2209081581.8

Oklahoma

1,30876611554685167548592579.7

Oregon

1,41387323604770248109452281.5

Pennsylvania

4,448869131,985768112,4639711779.1

Rhode Island

39189714178833242139563287.1

South Carolina

1,67379914753696169208982077.5

South Dakota

30876913141679151688581979.1

Tennessee

2,291780151,034704171,2578742380.5

Texas

9,91881394,24373495,6758941182.1

Utah

1,04482715394692146509521872.7

Vermont

22787419103816241249182188.9

Virginia

3,134937181,414844201,7201,0433380.9

Washington

2,538961201,066825221,4721,0932775.5

West Virginia

56974712253670203168302280.7

Wisconsin

2,15986013926777181,2339362183.0

Wyoming

1978752182720171151,0062171.6

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.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

 

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, October 05, 2018