Women Earned 83% of What Men Earned in 2024: The BLS Gender Pay Data, by Age and Education
- Women working full time had median weekly earnings of $1,043 in 2024, versus $1,261 for men, a ratio of about 83%.
- The ratio was 62% in 1979 and has stayed between 81% and 84% since 2010.
- The gap is smaller for younger workers: women 25 to 34 earned 88% of what men did.
The BLS women’s earnings report is the government’s most detailed look at the pay gap. These are the 2024 figures (BLS Highlights of Women’s Earnings in 2024).
How the ratio has changed
| Year | Women’s earnings as % of men’s (full-time) |
|---|---|
| 1979 | 62.3% |
| 1990 | 71.9% |
| 2000 | 76.9% |
| 2005 | 81.0% |
| 2010 | 81.2% |
| 2020 | 82.3% |
| 2023 | 83.6% |
| 2024 | 82.7% |
Most of the gain happened in the 1980s and from 1990 to 2005. Since 2010, the ratio has moved in a narrow 81% to 84% range.
By age
| Age | Women (median weekly) | Men (median weekly) |
|---|---|---|
| 16–24 | $709 | $778 |
| 25–34 | $1,023 | $1,158 |
| 35–44 | $1,147 | $1,414 |
| 45–54 | $1,166 | $1,467 |
| 55–64 | $1,088 | $1,421 |
| 65+ | $1,005 | $1,300 |
Among workers 35 and older, women earned between 77% and 81% of what men earned.
Education and parenthood
Between 1979 and 2024, inflation-adjusted earnings rose more for women than men at every education level. For bachelor’s degree holders, women’s real earnings rose 38% versus 19% for men; among workers without a high school diploma, women’s rose 8% while men’s fell 23%. Mothers of children under 18 had median weekly earnings of $1,090, versus $1,022 for women without children; fathers earned $1,469, versus $1,179 for men without children.
BLS cautions that these comparisons don’t control for job skills, responsibilities, experience or specialization.
Use it
- Compare yourself with people in your occupation and age group, not the overall ratio.
- Use posted salary ranges and BLS occupational wages to check your offer before you accept.
- The gap widens after 35, so mid-career raise negotiations matter most.
Published October 27, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original graphic by JobPayRaise.com.
Comments (1)
Newer quarterly data show a similar picture: in the third quarter of 2026, women working full time had median weekly earnings of $1,127, 83.4% of the $1,352 median for men. Source: BLS Usual Weekly Earnings, third quarter 2026.