May 19, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Women's earnings ratio highest in D.C., California

The ratio of female-to-male weekly earnings varies widely from State to State. In 1998, the highest earnings ratios were reported in the District of Columbia (92.1 percent) and California (85.7 percent).

[Chart data—TXT]

There were four other states with female-to-male earnings ratios over 80 percent: New York (82.3), Missouri (80.8), Florida (80.6), and Minnesota (80.2).

Five States recorded female-to-male earnings less than 70 percent: Wyoming, Utah, Indiana, Connecticut, and North Dakota. The remaining 40 States had ratios that ranged from 70.0 (Louisiana) to 79.6 (Arizona). The national average ratio of women’s median weekly earnings to men’s was 76.3 percent.

The earnings data here are a product of the Current Population Survey. The differences among the States reflect, in part, variations in the industry, occupation, and age composition of State labor forces. In addition, sampling error in the State estimates is considerably larger than it is for the national data. See "Highlights of Women’s Earnings in 1998," BLS Report 928.