Women in Wyoming earn 73 cents for every dollar men earn. That gap has been shrinking over the last few decades, but it’s still wider than the current national average of 81 cents per dollar.
That’s according to a recent press release from the Wyoming Women’s Foundation (WYWF), which draws its data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey five-year average earnings estimates. Those numbers compare men and women who work full-time and year-round.
Wage gaps make it proportionally harder to pay bills or afford healthcare, and impact more long-term financial goals like saving for retirement.
“ Having one of the largest wage gaps in the country as the state of Wyoming is certainly a little disappointing and can be kind of frustrating for us as women and our reputation across the country,” said WYWF Director Bekah Hazelton.
WYWF is a priority fund of the Wyoming Community Foundation that helps women achieve economic self-sufficiency and provide opportunities for girls through grants, advocacy and fundraising.
However, Hazelton said she’s also seen gendered pay inequality decrease over the last 15 years, since she started working with the foundation. The gap was more like 65 cents per dollar back in 2012.
But why that gap has changed isn’t so easy to pin down. Hazelton said that’s a question WYWF wants to explore in its next round of research on the topic.
“ Is it because women's wages are rising? Or is it because men's wages are getting lower? Or is it because of an increase in education that women are experiencing, which we know can close the gap?” she said. “ Or does it have to do with some other factor that I haven't considered?”
For Hazelton, the recent improvements in closing the wage gap came as a bit of a surprise, given the organization’s 2024 Self-Sufficiency Standard, which calculates how much income families of various sizes need to make ends meet without assistance, and its deep-dive into the costs of living across the state.
“ What we found was that the expenses are really outpacing people's ability to earn enough to make that living, to make their ends meet, without any public or private assistance,” she said.
Equal Pay Day is an annual observance that recognizes how far into the year women have to work in order to earn what a man made the previous year, on average. That was March 26 this year, for all women across the country.
A national nonprofit called the American Association of University Women broke that date down even further: Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is July 21, Moms’ Equal Pay Day is August 6, Latina Equal Pay Day is October 8, Disabled Women’s Equal Pay Day is October 20 and Native Women’s Equal Pay Day is November 19.
In the Equality State, Equal Pay Day was April 8 this year. Earlier this month, Gov. Mark Gordon signed a proclamation recognizing April as Equal Pay Month in the state.
“Leaving half of our workforce behind is harmful to our communities and our economy,” Gordon wrote in a Facebook post about the signing.
Gordon has recognized April as Equal Pay Month over the last few years, and former Govs. Matt Mead and Dave Freudenthal also signed similar proclamations during their times in office.
“Wyoming took initial steps for gender equality by recognizing women's inherent right to vote, hold office and serve on juries at statehood," said Equality State Policy Center Executive Director Jenny DeSarro in a press release. “Closing the wage gap for women is not only past due, it is the bold next step for Wyoming's hardworking families and communities."
When it comes to closing the gap, WYWF is advocating for making tuition for higher education more affordable for women. Hazelton said access to healthcare and health insurance are another big part of helping women stay employed, especially for new moms.
She also pointed to a bill that popped up during the 2021 Wyoming legislative session, which would have increased wage transparency by ensuring that employers would not be able to prohibit their employees from discussing wages with each other. The bill failed to move out of committee and onto the House floor by one vote.
“That's something that's been tried and hasn't gone through, but it's a piece of legislation that could help the problem,” said Hazelton.
