What Women Earn

How Well Is Your State Doing?

When it comes to equal pay, some parts of the U.S. are fairer than others. A recent study by the AFL-CIO and the Institute for Women's Policy Research looked at women's salaries across the country in many different industries. "In general, the more professional jobs there are in a state, the more high-earning opportunities there are for women," says Karen Nussbaum, assistant to the president of the AFL-CIO.

The best states, where women earn just over 80 cents for every $1 men do: Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island. Women of color fare worse in every state, but their earnings are especially low (less than 60 percent of what men earn) in Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Seven states turned up on the "Loser" list, where working women earn, on average, less than 70 percent of men's salaries: Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.