Equal Pay Day was officially marked on Tuesday, April 2nd. We took a look at how pay between men and women differs based on industry type and geography for the most vulnerable — service workers. The gender pay gap is wide, but varies by industry and region.
The “good” news is that the wage gap for hourly workers appears to be lower for hourly workers than overall, but one of the largest employment sectors — food and beverage — has one of the largest wage gaps.
Interestingly, cities with a higher minimum wage appear to have a lower wage gap. Most likely, this is because a greater percentage of employees are paid the (higher) minimum wage.
For all hourly workers, the equal pay date for women was 2/13/19. For food and beverage sector employees, the equal pay date for women was 3/21/19.
For all hourly workers, women earn $0.90 on the dollar compared to men. For food and beverage sector employees, women earned $0.82 on the dollar compared to men.
By metro, for every dollar men earn, women earn:
| Metro | |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA | $0.86 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX MSA | $0.85 |
| Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC MSA | $0.93 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI MSA | $0.94 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA | $0.93 |
| Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX MSA | $0.92 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA | $0.98 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA | $0.97 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI MSA | $0.98 |
| New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA MSA | $0.97 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee, FL MSA | $0.96 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA | $0.94 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ MSA | $0.95 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA MSA | $0.98 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA | $0.95 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA MSA | $0.98 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA MSA | $1.02 |
| San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo, PR MSA | $0.92 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA MSA | $0.95 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $0.87 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA | $0.99 |
In foodservice businesses, by metro, for every dollar men earn, women earn:
| Metro | |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA | $0.77 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX MSA | $0.79 |
| Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC MSA | $0.84 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI MSA | $0.83 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA | $0.83 |
| Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX MSA | $0.94 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA | $0.93 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL MSA | $0.90 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI MSA | $0.93 |
| New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA MSA | $0.92 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee, FL MSA | $0.90 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA | $0.90 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ MSA | $0.90 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA MSA | $0.95 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA | $0.94 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA MSA | $0.96 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA MSA | $0.94 |
| San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo, PR MSA | $0.89 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA MSA | $0.96 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $0.82 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA | $0.96 |
Remember: This is not legal advice. If you have questions about your particular situation, please consult a lawyer, CPA, or other appropriate professional advisor or agency.
