By Mark Palmer
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, at the end of the first three months of 2025, income disparities between men and women continue to exist, albeit at different levels depending on race. The table below informs us of what the median weekly income is of a US worker, separated by gender and race. The percentage column is the percentage of pay a woman gets versus what a man gets in the same racial category.
It appears that the pay gap is widest amongst Asians and smallest amongst Blacks. There are all of the age old arguments that try to explain the disparities between the genders (e.g. occupational concentrations, career continuity, negotiating skills) and races (educational attainment, occupational concentrations, industry concentrations, home structure, urban vs. non-urban, etc.).
Median Income in the US 1-Q-25
| Total | Men | Women | % | |
| Total | $1.194 | $1.307 | $1.096 | 83,86 |
| White | 1.219 | 1.342 | 1.103 | 82,19 |
| Black | 1.000 | 1.017 | 984 | 96,76 |
| Hispanic | 929 | 991 | 879 | 88,70 |
| Asian | 1.585 | 1.822 | 1.455 | 79,86 |
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025)
However, over the past fifty years there has been considerable movement in pay equity between genders. In 1980, the median pay of women was only about 69% of a man’s pay. Much of the advancement in closing the gap is attributed to the increase in educational achievement in women, greater enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, and women entering more senior and professional ranks of employment levels. Unfortunately, there still remains significant resistance to pay equality in various regions of the country, with the southeastern US showing the greatest gender and racial pay disparity.