Gender pay gap shrinks in 2025, but racial disparities persist

The wage gap between U.S. women and men narrowed in 2025, but the gains were not shared equally, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR). The gender wage gap for all workers with earnings decreased, with a typical woman worker earning 77.5 cents per dollar earned by a typical man, up from 75.3 cents per dollar in 2024. Among all workers, average annual earnings for women were 2.2 percent higher than in 2024, while average earnings for men were 0.7 percent lower. Black and Hispanic women continue to face the largest wage gaps when compared with white, non-Hispanic men.