Hawaii has second smallest gender pay gap

Among states, Hawaii ranks second for the narrowest earnings gaps between men and women workers, according to a study by AAUW, a women’s education and equity advocacy organization. AAUW found that in Hawaii full-time, college-educated, women workers make 83 percent as much as their male counterparts.

Full-time, year-round men workers in Hawaii with a college education ages 25 and older make an average of $58,700, compared to women, who earn an average of $49,000. For all workers, 16 or older, Hawaii ranks No. 12 nationally with men earning a median income of  $44,500 and women $35,400, only 80 percent as much.

Vermont was ranked No. 1 for the smallest gap between college-educated men and women workers, and No. 2 for all workers, second to Washington, D.C. Vermont men with college educations earn an average of $52,600, while women earn $45,500, or 87 percent as much.

Louisiana had the largest salary disparity in the nation, with women making only 65 cents for every dollar their male counterparts do. AAUW found that on average across the country women earn 78 percent of what men earn. Click here for state-by-state pay-gap data.

The AAUW compared women’s and men’s earnings in the United States for the college-educated population and the work force as a whole using the most recent data from the Census Bureau’s American Community. The group said the reason women earn less even when working in the same career field is likely due to sex discrimination.