For Release: Friday, February 07, 2014
MIDWEST INFORMATION OFFICE: Chicago, Ill.
Technical information: (312) 353-1880 [email protected]
Media contact:
(312) 353-1138
13-2483-CHI
www.bls.gov/regions/midwest
Women’s Earnings In Minnesota – 2012
In 2012, Minnesota women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median weekly earnings of
$779 or 82.2 percent of the $948 median weekly earnings of their male counterparts, the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that the Minnesota women’s
to men’s earnings ratio in 2012 was the third-highest in the history of the series. Nationwide, women earned
$691 per week or 80.9 percent of the $854 median for men. (See table 1. Earnings in this report do not
control for many factors that can be significant in explaining earnings differences.)
In Minnesota, the ratio of women’s to men’s earnings has ranged from a low of 73.7 percent in 2003 to a
high of 83.6 percent in 2009. In 2012, the ratio had remained above 80 percent for the fifth year in a row.
(See chart 1.)
Among the 50 states, median weekly earnings of women in full-time wage and salary positions in 2012
ranged from $566 in Montana to $868 in Connecticut. States with the highest wages for women were
located along the Eastern Seaboard. In addition to Connecticut, women’s earnings in Maryland,
Massachusetts, and New Jersey were also above $800 per week. (See table 1 and chart 2.)
Across the nation, median weekly earnings for men were lowest in Arkansas at $717 and highest in
Connecticut at $1,127. Four of the five highest-paying states for full-time male workers (Connecticut,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Maryland) were also located along the Eastern Seaboard. The sole
exception was on the West Coast – Alaska. (See table 1.)
The ratio of female-to-male earnings in 2012 varied across the nation, ranging from 65.5 percent in
Wyoming to 86.8 percent in Arizona. (See table 1.) Two other states recorded ratios above 85.0 percent –
California at 86.0 percent and Maryland at 85.2 percent. (See chart 3.) The differences among the states
reflect, in part, variation in the occupations and industries found in each state and in the age composition of
each state’s labor force. In addition, comparisons by gender are on a broad level and do not control for
factors such as educational attainment which can be significant in explaining earnings differences.
2
For more information on the median weekly earnings of women and men, see Bureau of Labor Statistics
Report 1045, Highlights of Women’s Earnings in 2012, issued in October 2013; copies are available on the
Internet at www.bls.gov/cps/cpswom2012.pdf. Information in this release will be available to sensory
impaired individuals. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.
Technical Note
The estimates in this report were obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides a
wide range of information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment. This survey is conducted
monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau, using a national sample of about
60,000 households, with coverage in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The earnings data are
collected from one-fourth of the CPS monthly sample.
Statistics based on the CPS data are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. The differences among
data for the states reflect, in part, variations in the occupation, industry, and age composition of each state’s
labor force. In addition, sampling error for the state estimates is considerably larger than it is for the national
data.
The principal definitions used in connection with the earnings series in this release are described below.
Usual weekly earnings. 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.)
Median weekly earnings. The median is the amount which divides a given earnings distribution into two
equal groups, one having earnings above the median and the other having earnings below the median.
Wage and salary workers. Workers who receive wages, salaries, commissions, tips, payment in kind, or
piece rates. The group includes employees in both the private and public sectors but, for the purposes of the
earnings series, excludes all self-employed persons, regardless of whether or not their businesses are
incorporated.
Full-time worker. Workers who usually work 35 hours or more per week at their sole or principal job.
3
Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by state and sex, 2012 annual
averages
Both sexes
State
Women's
earnings
Number of Median Standard Number of Median Standard Number of Median Standard
as
workers
weekly
error of
workers
weekly
error of
workers
weekly
error of
percent
(thousands) earnings median (thousands) earnings median (thousands) earnings median of men's
United States.....................
Alabama ............................
Alaska................................
Arizona ..............................
Arkansas ...........................
California ...........................
Colorado............................
Connecticut .......................
Delaware ...........................
District of Columbia ...........
Florida ...............................
Georgia..............................
Hawaii................................
Idaho .................................
Illinois ................................
Indiana...............................
Iowa ...................................
Kansas ..............................
Kentucky............................
Louisiana ...........................
Maine.................................
Maryland............................
Massachusetts ..................
Michigan ............................
Minnesota..........................
Mississippi .........................
Missouri .............................
Montana ............................
Nebraska ...........................
Nevada ..............................
New Hampshire.................
New Jersey........................
New Mexico.......................
New York ...........................
North Carolina ...................
North Dakota .....................
Ohio ...................................
Oklahoma ..........................
Oregon ..............................
Pennsylvania .....................
Rhode Island .....................
South Carolina...................
South Dakota.....................
Tennessee .........................
Texas .................................
Utah ...................................
Vermont .............................
Virginia...............................
Washington........................
West Virginia .....................
Wisconsin ..........................
Wyoming ...........................
102,749
1,522
248
1,969
971
11,570
1,714
1,178
309
276
6,299
3,287
430
478
4,368
2,158
1,096
988
1,414
1,449
423
2,198
2,167
2,876
1,897
922
2,013
293
680
897
478
3,142
614
6,513
3,124
266
3,662
1,299
1,144
4,320
342
1,462
282
2,125
8,904
879
216
2,974
2,204
574
1,929
207
$768
724
888
732
651
820
850
988
807
1,102
735
737
753
706
809
716
744
738
663
676
741
921
935
783
865
677
750
658
728
690
883
935
737
819
727
735
739
695
823
774
796
669
664
675
718
760
767
846
870
740
783
808
Women
$2
14
16
9
15
10
18
22
20
37
6
13
14
13
11
14
14
14
12
18
13
20
12
14
15
14
18
21
14
11
21
13
17
10
10
12
9
11
19
8
21
15
10
12
7
14
16
17
21
14
16
17
45,462
683
110
878
438
4,890
725
519
146
138
2,992
1,503
192
187
1,958
936
491
428
644
637
191
1,056
980
1,237
816
413
913
137
312
399
214
1,425
274
2,951
1,392
116
1,589
570
480
1,898
158
677
129
922
3,852
326
96
1,335
935
257
833
81
Note: See footnotes at end of table.
4
$691
620
757
670
603
754
750
868
737
1,072
676
640
689
614
708
632
654
649
596
573
654
842
840
687
779
582
660
566
663
620
772
818
645
746
641
651
664
631
756
694
733
603
604
611
633
661
692
756
746
614
696
645
Men
$3
15
14
14
10
9
15
29
20
43
9
17
16
11
13
16
17
14
13
17
25
23
19
18
23
19
19
18
17
10
24
26
25
9
13
12
10
15
17
11
23
17
9
12
9
18
19
21
20
14
25
22
57,286
839
138
1,090
534
6,680
989
659
163
138
3,307
1,784
238
291
2,411
1,221
605
560
770
812
232
1,141
1,187
1,639
1,081
509
1,099
156
369
497
264
1,717
340
3,562
1,732
149
2,073
729
664
2,423
184
785
153
1,203
5,051
552
120
1,640
1,269
317
1,095
126
$854
812
1,025
772
717
877
958
1,127
888
1,131
796
838
839
785
895
809
823
825
733
796
823
988
1,040
889
948
776
841
733
787
768
975
1,030
802
900
792
834
802
760
901
849
886
724
737
740
795
870
859
951
982
846
863
984
$4
27
27
18
21
12
24
40
36
38
13
26
35
15
16
19
20
22
18
20
25
27
28
20
24
23
30
23
21
19
29
25
22
14
13
23
15
16
28
13
42
18
16
15
15
25
29
24
28
28
20
19
80.9
76.4
73.9
86.8
84.1
86.0
78.3
77.0
83.0
94.8
84.9
76.4
82.1
78.2
79.1
78.1
79.5
78.7
81.3
72.0
79.5
85.2
80.8
77.3
82.2
75.0
78.5
77.2
84.2
80.7
79.2
79.4
80.4
82.9
80.9
78.1
82.8
83.0
83.9
81.7
82.7
83.3
82.0
82.6
79.6
76.0
80.6
79.5
76.0
72.6
80.6
65.5
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.
5
6
7