KANSAS (KSNT) - On average, men in Kansas earn 30% more than women.
Between 2021 and 2022, the average full-time salary for men across the nation was $62,350 whereas women earned $52,460, representing around a 17% difference, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau figures.
Women were more likely to achieve wage parity in fields like community and social services, liberal arts and media, healthcare and social sciences. Meanwhile, wage disparity in some fields like sales saw gaps above 45%. Legal services had the largest wage gap in the nation at 85%, according to a report from MarketWatch.com.
Kansas ranked in the bottom five states for gender pay disparities with Utah taking the last spot at 36.75%, according to the MarketWatch report.
In Kansas, median male earners in management took home $81,515 whereas female earners only took home $56,188, representing a $25,327 difference, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The MarketWatch report found Kansas had a 30.13% difference between men and women's pay.
For men in Kansas, the largest occupations were driver/sales workers and truck drivers, managers and first-line retail supervisors. For women, the largest occupations were registered nurses, elementary and middle school teachers and nursing assistants, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
While the national gender wage gap shrank 38% between 1960 and 2022, women still earn 18% less than men, according to MarketWatch.
Four MarketWatch experts used the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data on social and economic supplements and median earnings from 2022 for their findings.
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