For the first time ever, the gender pay gap in the United States has widened for the second year in a row. The U.S. Census Bureau says women working full-time last year earned just 80.9% of what men made, a decline from 82.7% in 2023. Median earnings increased 3.7% for men but did not change significantly for women and the median household income in 2024 was essentially the same as the year before ($83,730). The Institute for Women’s Policy Research says the drop was the largest in the earnings ratio since 1966 and the worst in eight years.
