9. West Virginia

24/7 Wall St.: The 10 Worst-Paying States for Women

Difference in full-time, year-round income: $13,237
Female full-time, year-round median income: $30,632 (2nd lowest)
Male full-time, year-round median income: $43,869 (14th lowest)
2011 unemployment rate: 8% (25th lowest)

At 12.3%, West Virginia had the sixth highest percentage of workers in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting and mining, with men representing more than 91% of those workers men, the second highest percentage of all states. West Virginia has long had a robust coal mining industry, with wages for coal miners averaging $85,051 in 2011 compared to $38,567 across all industries. Conversely, 12.6% of West Virginia workers were employed in the lower paying retail trade, the sixth highest rate of all states. About 55% of retail workers in 2011 were women — the third highest rate of all states.

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10. North Dakota By Michael B. Sauter and Samuel Weigley

Difference in full-time, year-round income: $12,955
Female full-time, year-round median income: $33,792 (11th lowest)
Male full-time, year-round median income: $46,747 (25th highest)
2011 unemployment rate: 3.5% (the lowest)

North Dakota’s unemployment rate was the lowest in the country in 2011 at 3.5%, but the jobs that pay larger salaries were primarily in male-dominated industries. The state is in the midst of an oil boom, an industry that is attracting predominantly young men to work in the oil fields for relatively high pay. More than 13% of state workers were employed in natural resources, construction and maintenance, while more than 9% were employed in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting and mining, both the second highest among all-states. Meanwhile, 12% of North Dakota workers were employed in retail, which has a larger proportion of women working in it and tends to have lower wages.

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9. West Virginia Difference in full-time, year-round income: $13,237
Female full-time, year-round median income: $30,632 (2nd lowest)
Male full-time, year-round median income: $43,869 (14th lowest)
2011 unemployment rate: 8% (25th lowest)

At 12.3%, West Virginia had the sixth highest percentage of workers in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting and mining, with men representing more than 91% of those workers men, the second highest percentage of all states. West Virginia has long had a robust coal mining industry, with wages for coal miners averaging $85,051 in 2011 compared to $38,567 across all industries. Conversely, 12.6% of West Virginia workers were employed in the lower paying retail trade, the sixth highest rate of all states. About 55% of retail workers in 2011 were women — the third highest rate of all states.

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8. New Hampshire Difference in full-time, year-round income: $13,263
Female full-time, year-round median income: $41,953 (8th highest)
Male full-time, year-round median income: $55,216 (8th highest)
2011 unemployment rate: 5.4% (4th lowest)

New Hampshire is by some measures one of the best states to be in as a female worker. The state had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country in 2011, and full-time, year-round females earned more than all but seven states in the country. However, they still earned $13,263 less than New Hampshire men in 2011. In the state’s Manchester-Nashua metropolitan area, the difference was nearly $16,000. More than 165,000 New Hampshire workers were employed in education, more than in any other major industry. New Hampshire women employed in that industry earned $34,007, while men employed in the industry earned $44,288.

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7. Virginia Difference in full-time, year-round income: $13,459
Female full-time, year-round median income: $41,797 (10th highest)
Male full-time, year-round median income: $55,256 (7th highest)
2011 unemployment rate: 6.2% (8th lowest)

Virginia had a comparatively high-skilled workforce — it had the second highest percentage of workers in professional, scientific and management, and administrative and waste management services. Those jobs comprised nearly 15% of Virginia’s workforce in 2011, and men filled more than 60% of those jobs, the sixth highest rate of all states. But the wage gap was present across a wide range of different industries. Women in full-time management, business and financial occupations earned 72 cents for every $1 men earned in 2011. It was even worse in sales occupations, where women earned just 64 cents for every dollar men earned.

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6. Massachusetts Difference in full-time, year-round income: $13,924
Female full-time, year-round median income: $47,302 (4th highest)
Male full-time, year-round median income: $61,226 (3rd highest)
2011 unemployment rate: 7.4% (18th lowest)

Massachusetts workers earned a median of $30,463 in 2011, more than all but three states. The state’s women earned nearly $14,000 less than men. In the Boston metropolitan area, the wage gap was more than $15,000. In the state, nearly 70% of all managers of corporate enterprises were women, but women in those positions earned a median of $46,635, which was less than half what men in those position earned — a median of $108,262. Massachusetts had one of the largest proportions of its working population employed in education. In that industry, median earning among men exceeded those of women by more than $6,000.

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5. Washington Difference in full-time, year-round income: $13,979
Female full-time, year-round median income: $41,817 (9th highest)
Male full-time, year-round median income: $55,796 (6th highest)
2011 unemployment rate: 9.2% (16th highest)

As of 2011, Washington state had one of the highest proportions of workers in professional, scientific and management positions. Women in those positions earned nearly $22,500 less than men did. In Washington’s Bremerton-Silverdale metropolitan area, women earned $18,650 less than men — the ninth biggest earnings gap among all U.S. metropolitan areas. In the state’s professional, scientific and management positions, which account for a high 11.9% of all positions in the state, median earning for men exceeded that for women by $22,487. This was nearly $10,000 higher than the national wage gap in this industry.

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4. Utah Difference in full-time, year-round income: $15,094
Female full-time, year-round median income: $34,052 (13th lowest)
Male full-time, year-round median income: $49,146 (19th highest)
2011 unemployment rate: 6.7% (11th lowest)

In 2011, Utah women with full-time, year-round jobs earned $15,094 less than men in those positions. But if part-time jobs are included, women earned $16,236 less than men in 2011, a higher pay gap than any state but Alaska. Two metropolitan areas in Utah earned a spot among the 20 metro areas with the highest pay gap between men and women. Women in the Provo-Orem metro area with full-time, year-round positions earned $20,446 less than men in 2011, the third highest gap in the country. Meanwhile, women in the Ogden-Clearfield metro area earned $17,587 less than men, the 13th largest gap.

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3. Louisiana Difference in full-time, year-round income: $15,130
Female full-time, year-round median income: $32,633 (9th lowest)
Male full-time, year-round median income: $47,763 (20th highest)
2011 unemployment rate: 7.3% (16th lowest)

More than 8% of jobs in Louisiana were in construction, more than any other state, with more than 90% of those construction jobs filled by men. Meanwhile, the 10.6% of jobs in arts, entertainment, recreation and food services, which generally offer lower pay, were the seventh highest of all states. Women filled more than 55% of those jobs. Two Louisiana metropolitan areas were among the 10 areas with the highest wage gap between men and women. Women in the Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux metro area with full-time, year-round jobs earned $20,315 less than men with similar positions, the fourth largest wage gap. Women in Lake Charles earned $18,462 less, the 10th largest gap.

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2. Alaska Difference in full-time, year-round income: $15,285
Female full-time, year-round median income: $41,529 (11th highest)
Male full-time, year-round median income: $56,814 (5th highest)
2011 unemployment rate: 7.6% (22nd lowest)

Alaska’s job market, similar to many other states on the list, has benefited from an oil and gas boom, which tends to pay solidly high wages but is a male-dominated field. Meanwhile, the finance, insurance, real estate and rental properties occupations, fields with a lower pay gap compared to others, comprised a national-low 4% of jobs in the state. Including part-time workers, the difference in median income between men and women was higher than any other state, with a $16,474 discrepancy. The National Women’s Law Center found that women made up roughly two out of every three minimum wage workers in Alaska. High educational attainment by women did not erase the pay gap. As a whole, Alaska women with a bachelor’s degree earned less than men with just some college completion or an associate degree.

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1. Wyoming Difference in full-time, year-round income: $17,838
Female full-time, year-round median income: $35,698 (24th lowest)
Male full-time, year-round median income: $53,536 (9th highest)
2011 unemployment rate: 6% (7th lowest)

Much of Wyoming’s pay gap can be attributed to the jobs available in the state. Wyoming had the highest percentage of people working in occupations involving both natural resources, construction and maintenance, as well as agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting and mining. While those jobs, notably in mining and oil production, tend to be male-dominated and higher paying, the Wyoming Women’s Foundation found pay gaps still persisted in other jobs that are not necessarily male dominated. The Casper metropolitan area had the largest gap of all 366 metropolitan areas in terms of pay between men and women. The median income for a man working full-time was $25,222 higher than for a woman working full-time.

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