Virginia women earn nearly $15K less than men
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Virginia has one of the highest gender pay gaps in the South, according to 2023 census data.
Why it matters: Gender pay differences reflect in part "a lack of workplace policies that support family caregiving, which is still most often performed by women," according to the National Partnership for Women and Families.
- Women, meanwhile, continue to be overrepresented in lower-paying professions.
By the numbers: The median pay for Virginia women who worked full-time in 2023 was $57,991, according to census data.
- For men in the state, it was $71,646 — or almost 24% more.
The intrigue: Women's earnings compared to men's actually dropped.
- In 2023, women in Virginia made 78.8% of men's median pay; in 2022, it was 79.6%, per the Labor Department.
Stunning stat: Virginia's $14,918 gender pay gap is one of the widest in the south.
- With the exception of Alabama and Louisiana, every other southern state had a smaller gap.
Zoom out: Utah had the highest overall gender wage gap in 2023 ($21,400), while Vermont had the lowest (about $8,500), according to census data.