Industries Where The Wage Gap Is Smallest

Even though women have made huge strides in the workplace and have been narrowing the gender wage gap, women as a whole still only earn 82% of what their male counterparts make. To put that in terms of dollars and cents, women earn 82 cents on a man's dollar.

However, in some industries, that gap is smaller. GOBankingRates looked at the median men's and women's earnings across occupational groups and found nine industries where women earn more than 82% of men's median salaries. Here they are, ranked from largest to smallest gender wage gap.

9. Life, Physical and Social Science

• Examples of jobs: Biologists, physicists, economists, sociologists, urban planners
  
• Median yearly earnings for men: $75,400
  
• Median yearly earnings for women: $62,504
  
• Women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s: 83%

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8. Architecture and Engineering

• Examples of jobs: Architects, surveyors, engineers
  
• Median yearly earnings for men: $84,552
  
• Median yearly earnings for women: $71,864
  
• Women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s: 85%

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7. Farming, Fishing and Forestry

• Examples of jobs: Agricultural inspectors, forest and conservation workers, logging workers
  
• Median yearly earnings for men: $31,616
  
• Median yearly earnings for women: $27,456
  
• Women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s: 87%

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6. Office Administration and Support

• Examples of jobs: Payroll clerks, bank tellers, meter readers, receptionists, mail carriers
  
• Median yearly earnings for men: $45,136
  
• Median yearly earnings for women: $39,312
  
• Women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s: 87%

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5. Construction and Extraction

• Examples of jobs: Carpenters, electricians, construction workers, roofers
  
• Median yearly earnings for men: $47,320
  
• Median yearly earnings for women: $41,392
  
• Women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s: 87%

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4. Community and Social Service

• Examples of jobs: Counselors, social workers, clergy
  
• Median yearly earnings for men: $57,356
  
• Median yearly earnings for women: $50,752
  
• Women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s: 88%

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3. Food Preparation and Serving

• Examples of jobs: Cooks, waiters and waitresses, dishwashers, bartenders
  
• Median yearly earnings for men: $29,640
  
• Median yearly earnings for women: $26,312
  
• Women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s: 89%

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2. Art, Design, Entertainment, Sports and Media

• Examples of jobs: Graphic designers, producers and directors, dancers, editors, coaches and scouts
  
• Median yearly earnings for men: $65,104
  
• Median yearly earnings for women: $58,656
  
• Women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s: 90%

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1. Healthcare Support

• Examples of jobs: Home health aides, dental assistants, phlebotomists
  
• Median yearly earnings for men: $33,280
  
• Median yearly earnings for women: $31,200
  
• Women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s: 94%

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Methodology: GOBankingRates began by identifying the 2020 median weekly earnings for (1) men and (2) women employed full-time in each of the major occupational groups tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Current Population Survey. Then, GOBankingRates calculated the estimated annual earnings for (3) men and (4) women in each group. Dividing women's median earnings by men's, GOBankingRates was able to calculate (5) the percent of men's earnings that women in each industry earn. This allowed GOBankingRates to rank all industries against each other, from those with the smallest gender wage gap to those with the largest, and highlight the nine industries where women earn more than 82% of men's earnings. 82% is the national average for all full-time wage and salary workers. GOBankingRates also provided examples of jobs that fall under each industry as supplemental data. All data was collected on and up to date as of March 11, 2021.

About the Author

Gabrielle Olya

Gabrielle joined GOBankingRates in 2017 and brings with her a decade of experience in the journalism industry. Before joining the team, she was a staff writer-reporter for People Magazine and People.com. Her work has also appeared on E! Online, Us Weekly, Patch, Sweety High and Discover Los Angeles, and she has been featured on “Good Morning America” as a celebrity news expert. 

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