Women in New York earned 87 cents on the dollar compared to men in 2023, according to a report on the gender pay gap released Monday by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Women would have to work an extra 53 days to make what men in New York earned in 2023.
Median earnings in 2023 for women working full-time, year-round in New York were $62,111 compared to $71,168 for men. Women’s median earnings as a share of men’s earnings in New York declined from 2021 and remained lower than in 2015.
“A pay disparity for women in the workforce persists in New York and across the nation,” DiNapoli said. “March is Women’s History Month and, unfortunately, the recent history shows that while a slight increase has been made in closing the gender pay gap, it’s not happening fast enough. Policies to improve access to affordable childcare and paid leave can help narrow this gap, boost labor force participation, and improve the state’s economic health.”
The gender pay gap in New York was smaller than the national average of 81 cents on the dollar in 2023, as reported in the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data. In 2023, New York ranked 4th best among the states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The national gap has been 6.7 percentage points wider than the state’s, on average, since 2015.
DiNapoli’s report also found:
- Women continue to make considerably less than men with the same level of education, but the pay gap narrows as education increases. In 2023, median earnings for New York women with a bachelor’s, graduate or professional degree were 78 cents on the dollar to what men earned, compared to 67 cents for women with less than a high school diploma.
- Among occupational groups, New York’s wage gap is highest in the legal field, which also has the highest median earnings. In 2023, women had median earnings of $113,699 compared to $166,678 for men in legal jobs, or 68 cents on the dollar.
- In 2024, 56% of New York women participated in the labor force compared to 66% of men, lower than the national averages of 58% of women and 68% of men. Family and caretaking responsibilities can lead women to reduce or forgo participation in the workforce.
