Though women form about half of the U.S. labor force, they get paid significantly less than men do, it’s been well documented. On average, a woman worker earns about 77 cents for every dollar that a white man is paid for an equivalent amount of work.
But the gender wage gap is wider in some states than in others, according to a recent study by the American Center for Progress.
In Vermont and Nevada, women earn 85 cents for every dollar a white man makes, but in Wyoming, women earn only 64 cents, 25 percent less than in Vermont or Nevada.
The situation is a lot worse for women workers of color. On average, African American women earn 63 cents on the dollar, while Hispanic women earn just 54 cents for every dollar a man earns.
But even in the states where women's pay rate is relatively high, it still varies according to race. While Vermont is a great place to work for the "average" woman, it is also the worst place to work for African American women, who earn only 40 cents on the dollar -- the widest gender wage gap in the U.S.
The only outlier is Montana, where African American women actually earn more than white men -- $1.17 to a man's dollar.
California and New Jersey, both states in which the gender wage gap is narrower for the average woman, are not great places to work for Hispanic women. While women workers make 79 cents on the dollar in New Jersey and 84 cents on the dollar in California, Hispanic women earn only 44 cents on the dollar in both states.
Here’s a map that charts how much the average woman earns for every dollar a man earns in the United States. Click on any state for more info:
Here’s a map that charts how much the African American woman earns for every dollar that a man earns in the United States. Click on any state for more info:
Here’s a map that charts how much the Hispanic woman earns for every dollar that a man earns in the United States. Click on any state for more info:
Gender Wage Gap: Women Workers Earn Least In Wyoming, Louisiana [Interactive Map]
