Here’s How Much Men vs. Women Earn at Every Age

While strides have been made toward equal pay across all genders and races, statistics reveal that even in 2021, Americans are still not paid equally. Women have made gains in their decades-long fight for pay equity, but disparities remain.

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According to recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, wages for the average full-time working woman are just 82% of what men earn. Furthermore, this pay gap didn't change at all between 2018 and 2019. And the disparities between pay are even greater for women of color -- with Native American women only earning between 60 and 63 cents for every dollar earned by white men. Black women and Latinas are earning 63 cents and 55 cents, respectively.

To see how much Americans make at every age, GOBankingRates analyzed the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) Current Population Survey for annual earnings among both men and women. Take a look at what the gender pay gap really looks like in 2021.

16 to 19 Years Old

• Annual salary for men: $26,676
• Annual salary for women: $24,960
• Percent women make less than men: 6.43%

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20 to 24 Years Old

• Annual salary for men: $34,268
• Annual salary for women: $31,148
• Percent women make less than men: 9.10%

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25 to 34 Years Old

• Annual salary for men: $49,764
• Annual salary for women: $46,176
• Percent women make less than men: 7.21%

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35 to 44 Years Old

• Annual salary for men: $64,324
• Annual salary for women: $51,428
• Percent women make less than men: 20.05%

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45 to 54 Years Old

• Annual salary for men: $68,016
• Annual salary for women: $52,104
• Percent women make less than men: 23.39%

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55 to 64 Years Old

• Annual salary for men: $65,104
• Annual salary for women: $49,868
• Percent women make less than men: 23.40%

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65 and Older

• Annual salary for men: $60,476
• Annual salary for women: $45,760
• Percent women make less than men: 24.33%

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Levi Leidy contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: To find out how much men and women earn at every age, GOBankingRates used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Current Population Survey on the median usual weekly earnings for full-time wage and salary workers across industries in the third quarter of 2020. GOBankingRates converted weekly earnings figures to annual and found for each age group 1) the median usual earnings for all workers, 2) the median usual earnings for men and 3) the median usual earnings for women. Then, GOBankingRates calculated 4) the annual difference between earnings for men and women and 5) the difference expressed as a percentage of men's earnings. All data was collected on and up to date as of Nov. 20, 2020.

About the Author

Jordan Rosenfeld

Jordan Rosenfeld is a freelance writer and author of nine books. She holds a B.A. from Sonoma State University and an MFA from Bennington College. Her articles and essays about finances and other topics has appeared in a wide range of publications and clients, including The Atlantic, The Billfold, Good Magazine, GoBanking Rates, Daily Worth, Quartz, Medical Economics, The New York Times, Ozy, Paypal, The Washington Post and for numerous business clients. As someone who had to learn many of her lessons about money the hard way, she enjoys writing about personal finance to empower and educate people on how to make the most of what they have and live a better quality of life.

 

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