For Release: Tuesday, March 03, 2015
NEW ENGLAND INFORMATION OFFICE: Boston, Mass.
Technical information: (617) 565-2327 [email protected]
Media contact:
(617) 565-2326 [email protected]
15-319-BOS
www.bls.gov/regions/new-england
Women’s Earnings in Massachusetts - 2013
In 2013, Massachusetts women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median weekly earnings of
$900 or 81.2 percent of the $1,109 median weekly earnings of their male counterparts, the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Deborah A. Brown noted that the women’s to
men’s earnings ratio in Massachusetts for 2013 was the highest since state data first became available in
1997. Nationwide, women earned $706 per week or 82.1 percent of the $860 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 Massachusetts, the ratio of women’s to men’s earnings has increased in each of the last 6 years. These
increases come after the ratio reached a series low of 74.8 percent in 2007. (See chart 1.)
Among the 50 states, median weekly earnings of women in full-time wage and salary positions in 2013
ranged from $591 in Louisiana and Oklahoma to $900 in Massachusetts. States with the highest wages for
women were located along the Eastern Seaboard. In addition to Massachusetts, women’s earnings in
Connecticut, Maryland, and Virginia were above $800 per week. In the District of Columbia, women earned
a median weekly wage of $1,100. (See table 1 and chart 2 .)
Median weekly earnings for men were lowest in Arkansas at $705 and highest in Massachusetts at $1,109.
Three other states (Connecticut, Alaska, and Maryland) had weekly wages above $1,000 for full-time male
workers. In the District of Columbia, men earned a median weekly wage of $1,212.
Vermont had the highest female-to-male earnings ratio among the states, 91.3 percent, and Wyoming had
the lowest, 68.6 percent. The District of Columbia had a ratio of 90.8 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.
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. The differences among
data for the states reflect, in part, variation in the occupations and industries found in each state and
diversity in the age composition of each state’s labor force. In general, the sampling error for the state
estimates is considerably larger than it is for the national data; thus, comparisons of state estimates should
be made with caution.
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.
2
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 1051, Highlights of women’s earnings in 2013, available at www.bls.gov/opub/reports/cps/
highlights-of-womens-earnings-in-2013.pdf
Information in this release will be available to sensory impaired individuals upon request: 202-691-5200;
Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.
3
Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by state and sex, 2013 annual
averages
Both sexes
State
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 ............................
Women’s
earnings
Number of Median Standard Number of Median Standard Number of Median Standard
as
workers (in weekly
error of workers (in weekly
error of workers (in weekly
error of percentage
thousands) earnings median thousands) earnings median thousands) earnings median
of men’s
104,262
1,557
255
1,970
912
11,767
1,775
1,204
308
271
6,347
3,373
449
469
4,293
2,149
1,124
983
1,372
1,422
428
2,244
2,261
2,996
1,945
868
2,075
313
697
951
489
3,108
573
6,715
3,164
273
3,698
1,295
1,143
4,425
356
1,545
289
2,033
9,184
970
216
2,988
2,278
572
1,959
211
$776
733
888
764
660
821
875
995
790
1,152
740
742
783
707
816
733
757
743
682
692
751
942
1,001
811
878
660
743
687
738
702
884
905
746
839
705
791
744
677
781
782
856
703
679
687
721
754
777
897
882
740
784
847
Women
$2
13
17
13
14
9
18
19
19
22
6
11
18
14
13
12
13
13
15
12
14
20
19
14
17
18
14
10
13
11
19
18
20
11
12
14
9
12
21
10
24
15
12
20
7
11
15
18
18
15
15
20
46,268
715
112
869
400
5,007
765
539
142
138
3,032
1,533
204
180
1,945
936
509
430
618
627
202
1,067
1,002
1,290
850
411
948
141
311
421
215
1,400
243
3,061
1,428
118
1,662
565
494
1,957
165
719
132
886
3,904
366
99
1,357
945
253
871
83
Note: See footnotes at end of table.
4
$706
633
760
702
607
772
762
894
728
1,100
679
677
727
649
727
650
671
653
610
591
684
870
900
720
790
593
665
594
668
649
788
789
646
758
635
692
680
591
705
701
756
622
602
629
629
642
745
808
764
633
697
671
Men
$3
24
15
18
15
10
15
28
20
55
10
17
18
19
13
15
18
22
14
13
26
28
20
15
20
17
17
16
17
14
32
16
15
8
12
12
11
12
15
12
19
14
13
16
9
16
19
21
24
25
20
22
57,994
843
143
1,101
512
6,760
1,009
665
166
133
3,315
1,840
245
290
2,348
1,212
615
554
754
794
226
1,177
1,258
1,706
1,096
457
1,127
173
386
529
274
1,708
330
3,654
1,735
155
2,036
730
649
2,468
191
826
157
1,147
5,280
604
117
1,631
1,333
319
1,088
128
$860
820
1,027
848
705
864
978
1,106
884
1,212
816
830
863
741
891
830
861
826
749
808
802
1,012
1,109
883
956
739
852
778
801
745
956
993
827
910
768
903
822
756
873
879
954
785
754
745
800
864
816
971
963
847
851
978
$3
26
35
26
19
12
29
44
47
61
14
23
28
14
15
28
22
26
15
32
26
28
28
17
27
23
31
22
17
16
23
20
22
12
15
22
15
18
27
14
28
13
17
17
14
22
26
26
31
25
19
20
82.1
77.2
74.0
82.8
86.1
89.4
77.9
80.8
82.4
90.8
83.2
81.6
84.2
87.6
81.6
78.3
77.9
79.1
81.4
73.1
85.3
86.0
81.2
81.5
82.6
80.2
78.1
76.3
83.4
87.1
82.4
79.5
78.1
83.3
82.7
76.6
82.7
78.2
80.8
79.7
79.2
79.2
79.8
84.4
78.6
74.3
91.3
83.2
79.3
74.7
81.9
68.6
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.
5
6
7