The Wage Gap
The wage gap is a statistical calculation of the percent that women earn in comparison to men. In 2004, women, on average, earned 76% of men's earnings. That's almost a quarter less on every dollar men earn! The gap between women's and men's wages in 2004 (the most recent year with available data) showed a decrease of about 1% from the previous year. However, part of this change is due to a decrease in men's real wages. Below are figures for 2004 comparing the earnings of various demographic groups with the earnings of white men.
The 2004 Wage Gap
| Demographic Group |
Earnings ** |
Percentage of White Men's Earnings |
| Women | ||
| All |
$31,223 |
68% |
| White |
$32,486 |
71% |
| Hispanic |
$23,444 |
51% |
| Black |
$27,730 |
60% |
| Asian & Pacific Islander* |
$35,975 |
78% |
| Men | ||
| All |
$40,798 |
89% |
| White |
$45,542 |
100% |
| Hispanic |
$26,679 |
58% |
| Black |
$31,305 |
68% |
| Asian & Pacific Islander* |
$45,870 |
100% |
** Earnings are expressed as median annual earnings of full-time wage and salary workers.
* Data on Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander women not available.
** Data on Asian/Pacific Islander women not available.
Sources: National Committee on Pay Equity and the Department of Labor Current Population Survey, Annual Demographic Survey
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Last updated 6/2006