The Gender Wage Gap Through the Years

As of 2019, the median income for men was $60,876 while the median income for women was $50,129 — a $10,747 difference, or 82.35%, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. That means that in 2019, a woman working full-time, year-round earned 82 cents to a man’s dollar. That’s actually a huge improvement from a few decades ago — in 1973, a woman earning the median salary earned just 57 cents to a man’s dollar.

The median women’s income as a percentage of men’s has gone up and down through the years, though it’s currently at its highest in history. Take a look at the gender wage gap from 1955 to the present day.

Women’s income as a percentage of men’s in…

• 1955: 64.49%
• 1956: 63.33%
  
• 1957: 63.68%
  
• 1958: 62.66%
  
• 1959: 61.17%
  

Women’s income as a percentage of men’s in…

• 1960: 60.66%
• 1961: 59.00%
  
• 1962: 59.34%
  
• 1963: 58.58%
  
• 1964: 59.04%
  

Women’s income as a percentage of men’s in…

• 1965: 57.84%
• 1966: 57.89%
  
• 1967: 57.59%
  
• 1968: 58.46%
  
• 1969: 58.57%
  

Women’s income as a percentage of men’s in…

• 1970: 59.23%
• 1971: 59.19%
  
• 1972: 57.44%
  
• 1973: 56.57%
  
• 1974: 58.99%
  

Women’s income as a percentage of men’s in…

• 1975: 59.68%
• 1976: 59.98%
  
• 1977: 58.49%
  
• 1978: 60.02%
  
• 1979: 60.25%
  

Women’s income as a percentage of men’s in…

• 1980: 60.45%
• 1981: 60.20%
  
• 1982: 63.09%
  
• 1983: 64.33%
  
• 1984: 64.25%
  

Women’s income as a percentage of men’s in…

• 1985: 65.01%
• 1986: 65.05%
  
• 1987: 65.83%
  
• 1988: 67.83%
  
• 1989: 69.10%
  

Vote:

Women’s income as a percentage of men’s in…

• 1990: 71.05%
• 1991: 70.04%
  
• 1992: 71.66%
  
• 1993: 72.30%
  
• 1994: 73.60%
  

Women’s income as a percentage of men’s in…

• 1995: 73.84%
• 1996: 74.35%
  
• 1997: 73.85%
  
• 1998: 74.08%
  
• 1999: 73.07%
  

Women’s income as a percentage of men’s in…

• 2000: 74.88%
• 2001: 75.79%
  
• 2002: 76.46%
  
• 2003: 76.27%
  
• 2004: 77.08%
  

Women’s income as a percentage of men’s in…

• 2005: 78.83%
• 2006: 77.83%
  
• 2007: 78.24%
  
• 2008: 76.79%
  
• 2009: 75.73%
  

Job Options:

Women’s income as a percentage of men’s in…

• 2010: 76.65%
• 2011: 76.88%
  
• 2012: 78.96%
  
• 2013: 79.15%
  
• 2014: 79.29%
  

See:

Women’s income as a percentage of men’s in…

• 2015: 79.92%
• 2016: 80.79%
  
• 2017: 79.48%
  
• 2018: 81.32%
  
• 2019: 82.35%

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Methodology: For this piece, GOBankingRates used the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey “Full-Time, Year-Round Workers by Median Income and Sex” data to find the gender wage gap through the years. For each year since 1955 GOBankingRates found (1) the median income for men; (2) the median income for women; (3) the difference in dollars between the two; and (4) women’s income as a percentage of men’s. All data was collected on and up to date as of March 9, 2021.