The 2025 Wage Gap Numbers
On September 15, 2026, the U.S. Census Bureau released 2025 wage data showing that all women working full time, year round were paid 84 cents for every dollar paid to men, narrowing from 81 cents in 2024. All women earners, including part-time and part-year women workers were paid 78 cents for every dollar paid to all male earners, increasing by 2 percentage points. But the gap worsened a full percentage point for Black women working full time, who earn earned 64 cents compared to white non-Hispanic men, and for Latina earners overall, now at 53 cents. While the overall wage gap for women narrowed slightly, the progress is marginal compared to the significant gaps that persist—particularly for women of color—especially as we anticipate longer-term impacts of the rising cost of living and the anticipated impacts of the federal adminsitration’s assaults on working women.
What are the new wage gap numbers for 2025?
| Group | Full time, year round | All earners (including part time and seasonal) |
| All women vs. all men | 84 cents (81 in 2024) | 78 cents (76 in 2024) |
| Black women vs. white men | 64 cents (65 in 2024) ↓ worse | 64 cents (63 in 2024) |
| Latinas vs. white men | 60 cents (58 in 2024) | 53 cents (54 in 2024) ↓ worse |
| Asian American women vs. white men | 99 cents (96 in 2024) | 90 cents (85 in 2024) |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 income data, released September 15, 2026. Gap calculations by our partners at AAUW, CAP, IWPR, NPWF, and NWLC.
Is the wage gap actually getting better?
No. Marginal increases by the cent, accompanied by similar decreases, tell us that we are not achieving the wage growth that women need. On paper, the overall wage gap narrowed three cents in 2025 after widening for two consecutive years. At the same time, Black women working full time and Latina earners overall both lost ground. Despite a marginal catch-up, significant income inequality persists and continues to widen for populations that already experience the largest disparities. When progress shows up in the average but not for the women furthest from equal pay, that is not progress.
These incremental earnings improvements do not account for the cumulative losses that women face annually due to a wage gap that leaves then with significantly less income to cover basic necessities in the face of rising costs. A cents figure does not match up to current inflation rates. Prices for rent, groceries, and childcare continue to climb while protections for working women face ongoing federal rollbacks including the banning and targeting public and private diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, gutting of federal labor and anti-discrimination agencies, stripping of public benefits, rescission of landmark guidance on harassment and affirmative action, and ongoing attacks on demographic data collection.
A woman can read that the gap “narrowed” and still be choosing between the electric bill and her kid’s school supplies. Both things are true at once.
Why does the average hide the story?
Because the wage gap is not one gap. It is many.
When we say “women earn 84 cents,” we are averaging together millions of very different paychecks. That average often obscures the fact that a Black woman working full time earns 20 cents less on the dollar than the topline suggests, and that the average Latina worker is paid almost half of what a white non-Hispanic man earns.
While the wage gap narrowed for Asian American women this year from 96 cents to 99 cents for full time works, this figure represents an average that improperly treats dozens of distinct and diverse racial and ethnic groups as an aggregated population. When the data is disaggregated, it shows that many subgroups face some of the highest gaps. Notably, the integrity and availability of disaggregated data is now at risk as publication of data has been delayed by proposed changes by the Trump administration. As a result, it’s unclear when we will have data for American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women
The overall wage gap figure also hides how the gap compounds. Each year the pay gap adds up for women, meaning less overall income, wealth, retirement savings, and money to fall back on in every emergency. Over a career, the gap adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for the average woman, and far more for women of color. (Insert partner lifetime loss calculations here once NWLC publishes updated figures for the 2025 data.)
What is Equal Pay Today doing about it?
Wage gaps do not close on their own, and we cannot tolerate a narrowing of the gap by a few percentage points each year. At Equal Pay Today, we advocate for a Policy Agenda that reflects the bold reforms necessary to reduce costs while raising wages so that women are not relegated to cycles of economic insecurity In coalition with over 50 federal, regional, and state partners, Equal Pay Today is advocating for federal and state legislation to increase pay transparency, fight for higher wages, establish caregiver protections, and strengthen anti-discrimination laws and enforcement.
From our team at Equal Rights Advocates:
“We cannot let incremental earnings improvements for some women keep us from taking bold action to address the affordability issues all women and families are facing. The persistent wage gap is what is making it harder for families to afford the necessities of daily life today.”
What you can do right now: read the Policy Agenda, share these numbers with your community, and join us for the Equal Pay Days ahead, where each community’s gap gets the spotlight it deserves.
When will data for Native women, moms, and women with disabilities be released?
The data needed to calculate pay gaps for Native American women, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women, mothers, and women with disabilities is expected in subsequent Census releases and is delayed this year. When it lands, we will break it down the same way: in plain English, with the full picture.
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