New U.S. Census Bureau data shows the gender wage gap widened in 2024 for the second year in a row, marking a blow to women's pay equity efforts nationwide. The news follows recent reports that women, particularly mothers of young children, are leaving the workforce at an alarming rate.
The data, released Sept. 9, shows the female-to-male earnings ratio comparing the median earnings of women and men, both working full time, year-round. The ratio fell in 2024 to 80.9% from 82.7% in 2023. In 2022, the ratio was 84%.
In other words: For every dollar a man makes in America, a woman made 84 cents in 2022, 83 cents in 2023 and 81 cents in 2024.
The bureau noted the initial decrease from 2022 to 2023 as "the first statistically significant annual decrease" since 2003.
The backslide is worse for Black women, who in 2024 were paid 65 cents for every dollar paid to White men. That's down from 66 cents in 2023 and 69 cents in 2022, according to a release from the National Women's Law Center.
