For release: Wednesday, September 22, 2010
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WOMEN'S EARNINGS IN KENTUCKY – 2009


In 2009, women who were full-time wage and salary workers in Kentucky had median weekly earnings of $567, or about 78 percent of the $728 median for their male counterparts, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the ratio reported in Kentucky in 2009 was below the peak ratio of 81 percent in 2005 but above the ratios reported in 2007 and 2008.

Nationwide, women earned $657, or approximately 80 percent of the $819 median for men in 2009. At the national level, the ratio of women’s to men’s earnings has narrowed from 62 percent in 1979, the first year for which comparable earnings data are available. After a gradual rise in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, the ratio peaked at 81 percent in 2005 and 2006. With the exception of 2000 and 2001, the women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio in Kentucky remained below that of the nation from 1997 to 2009. (See chart 1. Readers should note that the comparisons of earnings in this report are on a broad level and do not control for many factors that can be significant in explaining earnings differences.)

Chart 1. Women's earnings as a percent of men's, full-time wage and salary workers, United States and Kentucky, 1997-2009 annual averages

Chart 1. Women's earnings as a percent of men's, full-time wage and salary workers, United States and Kentucky, 1997-2009 annual averages

Nationally, the median weekly earnings of women in full-time wage and salary positions ranged from $518 in Louisiana to $938 in the District of Columbia. Within the South(1) region of the country, of which Kentucky is 1 of 17 states, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and Georgia reported wages above the national median wage for women. The District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, with median wages above $700, had the highest wages for women in the South. (See chart 2.)

Across the nation, median weekly earnings for men were lowest in Arkansas at $620, while men in Connecticut received the highest wage at $1,099. In the South, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware reported earnings above the national median wage for men. With median wages above $900, the District of Columbia and Maryland had the highest wages for men in the South. (See chart 3.)

The ratio of female-to-male earnings in 2009 varied across the nation, ranging from 65 percent in Louisiana to 97 percent in the District of Columbia. Within the South region, 10 states exceeded the national ratio of 80 percent, while 6 other states fell below, and 1 had a ratio equal to that for the nation. 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, 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. (See table 1.)

For more information on the median weekly earnings of women and men, see Bureau of Labor Statistics Report 1025, “Highlights of Women’s Earnings in 2009,” issued June 2010; copies are available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cps/cpswom2009.pdf or by calling the Southeast Information Office at (404) 893-4222. Information in this release is also 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. Statistics based on the CPS data are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. 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.

Footnotes

(1) The United States is composed of four geographic regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. The South region includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.


Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers, by State and sex, 2009 annual averages
State Both sexes Women Men Women's earnings as percent of men's
Number of workers (thousands) Median weekly earnings Standard error of median Number of workers (thousands) Median weekly earnings Standard error of median Number of workers (thousands) Median weekly earnings Standard error of median

United States

 99,820 $739 $2 44,712 $657 $2 55,108 $819 $3 80.2

Alabama

 1,462 683 16 654 596 12 808 800 22 74.5

Alaska

 236 879 21 102 729 19 134 1,009 21 72.2

Arizona

 1,999 735 14 894 654 23 1,105 860 28 76.0

Arkansas

 912 596 8 408 547 24 504 620 10 88.2

California

 11,233 803 7 4,743 753 8 6,490 849 14 88.7

Colorado

 1,762 797 16 749 723 18 1,013 873 21 82.8

Connecticut

 1,200 965 23 536 824 30 664 1,099 36 75.0

Delaware

 305 754 15 147 699 19 158 825 26 84.7

District of Columbia

 245 952 14 123 938 17 122 972 37 96.5

Florida

 5,775 704 8 2,760 626 7 3,014 772 11 81.1

Georgia

 3,267 732 10 1,494 664 18 1,773 789 28 84.2

Hawaii

 423 696 13 192 620 12 231 761 19 81.5

Idaho

 444 653 13 185 578 16 259 724 16 79.8

Illinois

 4,307 746 8 1,918 636 13 2,388 851 18 74.7

Indiana

 2,048 714 15 928 627 14 1,120 796 21 78.8

Iowa

 1,066 713 15 479 625 17 587 777 19 80.4

Kansas

 979 685 16 434 591 15 546 786 25 75.2

Kentucky

 1,305 654 13 571 567 19 734 728 19 77.9

Louisiana

 1,491 650 15 695 518 13 796 797 30 65.0

Maine

 411 712 15 185 623 16 226 798 21 78.1

Maryland

 2,158 857 17 1,036 797 28 1,122 913 22 87.3

Massachusetts

 2,190 945 12 985 797 24 1,205 1,044 22 76.3

Michigan

 2,841 771 13 1,256 658 11 1,585 895 14 73.5

Minnesota

 1,823 801 16 823 733 14 1,000 877 23 83.6

Mississippi

 854 595 11 411 521 12 444 655 20 79.5

Missouri

 2,038 681 15 974 596 12 1,064 773 18 77.1

Montana

 290 626 12 135 549 16 155 710 14 77.3

Nebraska

 650 688 13 296 607 15 355 752 15 80.7

Nevada

 912 706 13 394 635 12 518 787 23 80.7

New Hampshire

 483 839 20 215 716 20 268 966 20 74.1

New Jersey

 3,076 886 13 1,375 761 11 1,701 994 22 76.6

New Mexico

 603 694 16 275 618 14 329 793 27 77.9

New York

 6,579 782 9 3,010 720 11 3,568 858 12 83.9

North Carolina

 3,056 661 11 1,408 617 9 1,648 698 14 88.4

North Dakota

 239 676 14 107 570 14 132 757 12 75.3

Ohio

 3,656 707 8 1,622 623 10 2,034 784 13 79.5

Oklahoma

 1,216 625 10 563 591 9 653 678 19 87.2

Oregon

 1,098 740 17 485 652 18 614 849 30 76.8

Pennsylvania

 4,098 740 8 1,862 654 9 2,235 825 13 79.3

Rhode Island

 326 789 19 149 701 20 177 901 34 77.8

South Carolina

 1,354 648 10 652 581 16 702 724 19 80.2

South Dakota

 276 628 10 130 567 12 146 698 13 81.2

Tennessee

 1,945 637 16 949 580 11 996 735 21 78.9

Texas

 8,274 661 8 3,453 596 7 4,821 732 10 81.4

Utah

 891 714 10 351 608 12 541 809 16 75.2

Vermont

 219 745 16 101 668 21 118 816 22 81.9

Virginia

 2,913 775 15 1,347 705 18 1,566 877 30 80.4

Washington

 2,249 844 16 975 726 19 1,274 959 33 75.7

West Virginia

 577 684 14 243 603 13 334 753 20 80.1

Wisconsin

 1,877 744 9 858 660 16 1,019 831 19 79.4

Wyoming

 191 785 14 78 616 14 113 917 22 67.2

Note: Data refer to persons 16 years and older.

Chart 2. Women's median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers, by State, 2009 annual averages

Chart 2. Women's median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers, by State, 2009 annual averages

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey


Chart 3. Men's median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers, by State, 2009 annual averages

Chart 3. Men's median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers, by State, 2009 annual averages

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey

 

Last Modified Date: September 22, 2010