For Release: Friday, January 29, 2016
MOUNTAIN-PLAINS INFORMATION OFFICE: Kansas City, Mo.
Technical information: (816) 285-7000 [email protected]
Media contact:
(816) 285-7000
16-126-KAN
www.bls.gov/regions/mountain-plains
Women’s Earnings in Missouri – 2014
In 2014, Missouri women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings
of $707 or 77.9 percent of the $908 median usual weekly earnings for their male counterparts, the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that the
women’s to men’s earnings ratio in Missouri decreased 0.6 percentage point from its recent peak of 78.5
percent in 2012. Nationwide, women earned $719 per week, or 82.5 percent of the $871 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 Missouri, the ratio of women’s to men’s earnings reached a low of 73.5 percent in 2000. The series high
of 80.8 percent was recorded in 1998. (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 2014
ranged from $597 in Montana to $878 in Massachusetts. In addition to Massachusetts, women’s earnings in
Maryland, Connecticut, and Virginia were above $820 per week. In the District of Columbia, women earned
a median weekly wage of $1,115. (See table 1 and chart 2.)
Median weekly earnings for men were lowest in Arkansas at $703 and highest in Connecticut at $1,089.
Five other states (Massachusetts, New Jersey, Alaska, Wyoming, 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
$1,161.
Hawaii had the highest female-to-male earnings ratio among the states, 92.8 percent, and Wyoming had the
lowest, 67.7 percent. The District of Columbia had a ratio of 96.0 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, earnings comparisons by
gender are on a broad level and do not control for factors that can be significant in explaining earnings
differences, such as job skills and responsibilities, work experience, and specialization.
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 1058, Highlights of women’s earnings in 2014, available at www.bls.gov/opub/reports/cps/
highlights-of-womens-earnings-in-2014.pdf.
Information in this release will be available to sensory impaired individuals upon request: 202-691-5200;
Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.
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Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by state, 2014 annual averages
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 ............................
Total
Women
Men
Women’s
earnings
Number of Median Standard Number of Median Standard Number of Median Standard
as a
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
106,526
1,550
255
2,112
932
12,071
1,864
1,211
324
287
6,682
3,297
463
497
4,418
2,240
1,171
1,011
1,396
1,547
437
2,206
2,311
3,131
1,977
867
2,042
313
710
964
494
3,099
602
6,660
3,229
286
3,910
1,263
1,215
4,423
356
1,563
294
1,983
9,471
982
224
3,036
2,324
566
2,048
211
$791
738
906
753
657
828
879
981
782
1,138
741
745
760
713
811
746
750
787
704
715
758
947
974
818
875
681
792
711
735
691
875
911
735
882
712
786
754
704
815
812
859
704
696
696
748
773
811
917
918
740
808
860
$2
17
15
11
14
9
15
25
17
15
5
10
13
13
11
12
12
14
17
11
15
18
16
13
17
15
16
15
13
11
21
15
16
10
10
13
9
11
23
10
22
16
10
12
7
12
16
20
21
13
12
16
47,076
680
113
928
428
5,152
789
556
154
143
3,131
1,488
214
197
1,983
976
531
427
633
683
204
1,021
1,030
1,349
883
403
926
140
317
412
220
1,354
261
3,067
1,472
121
1,766
552
526
1,982
166
725
135
858
3,971
360
103
1,362
957
246
900
82
Note: See footnotes at end of table.
4
$719
621
797
669
610
785
784
862
733
1,115
667
675
739
648
753
649
667
680
608
623
676
870
878
726
801
605
707
597
654
637
778
779
630
808
657
686
663
616
741
716
753
623
616
657
671
646
762
826
807
643
720
678
$3
15
21
15
13
11
21
24
18
37
9
23
14
15
9
18
18
19
15
14
24
34
26
15
16
13
21
10
19
13
26
17
19
13
12
17
9
14
17
14
21
13
11
18
11
18
18
33
23
29
24
15
59,450
870
142
1,184
504
6,919
1,075
655
170
144
3,551
1,810
249
300
2,435
1,264
640
584
763
864
233
1,185
1,281
1,782
1,094
463
1,116
173
393
552
275
1,744
341
3,594
1,758
165
2,144
711
689
2,441
189
838
159
1,124
5,500
622
121
1,674
1,367
319
1,148
129
$871
832
1,008
827
703
879
964
1,089
837
1,161
804
806
796
758
874
819
823
862
797
804
820
1,001
1,048
903
951
759
908
808
808
742
958
1,014
812
955
763
885
846
787
901
909
961
784
783
728
820
882
854
988
996
832
884
1,002
$3
20
24
23
20
13
23
41
26
24
14
27
26
15
16
20
25
21
24
30
23
39
27
15
24
20
27
21
23
13
28
17
37
14
12
18
12
18
23
19
29
24
18
19
13
17
21
21
20
22
19
25
82.5
74.6
79.1
80.9
86.8
89.3
81.3
79.2
87.6
96.0
83.0
83.7
92.8
85.5
86.2
79.2
81.0
78.9
76.3
77.5
82.4
86.9
83.8
80.4
84.2
79.7
77.9
73.9
80.9
85.8
81.2
76.8
77.6
84.6
86.1
77.5
78.4
78.3
82.2
78.8
78.4
79.5
78.7
90.2
81.8
73.2
89.2
83.6
81.0
77.3
81.4
67.7
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.
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