NYS Office of the Comptroller - DiNapoli: Despite Progress, Pay Gap for Women Persists

Median earnings for full-time working women in New York were 86 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2019, an annual wage gap of $8,821, according to a new analysis by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The analysis, based on the most recent state-level data available, finds the gap in New York was smaller than the national wage gap of $10,150, with women earning 81 cents for every dollar paid to men on average. New York ranked 11th best among the states (including Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia) in terms of the dollar value of the gap and 7th best in terms of share, meaning New York’s women take home more dollars relative to men than in most other states. While the national gender pay gap has improved from 60 cents in the 1960’s, it has remained around 80 cents since 2015. In New York, the gap has widened since 2015, with the ratio of women’s earnings compared to men’s earnings dropping from almost 89 percent in 2015 to 86 percent in 2019.  “March is Women’s History Month and there is no better time to highlight this unfair pay disparity in the workforce,” DiNapoli said. “My analysis shows our country still has a long way to go in closing the gap between full-time working men and women. While New York has done better than most states, more can and should be done. Policies to expand childcare and improve pay transparency should be part of any multi-faceted approach to achieve equal pay.” DiNapoli’s analysis, includes: Women’s median earnings as a percentage of men’s median earnings; Median earnings gender pay gap, U.S. and New York, 2015-2019; New York’s gender gap by occupation and educational attainment; and New York’s gender gap by race and ethnicity and age. Analysis Economic and Policy Insights