Wage-Gap Data Table
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Women's Work
This table was prepared using data from the Department of Labor's Women's Bureau report 20 Leading Occupations of Employed Women published in May of 2000.
Median wage is the amount that divides a category's earning distribution into two equal groups: half of the workers in that category make more than that amount, and half of the workers make less than that amount. The median wage is calculated on "usual weekly earnings" - wages and salaries before taxes and other deductions, and include any overtime pay, commissions or tips usually received. Self-employed workers are excluded. The term "usual" is defined to mean more than half the weeks worked during the past 4 or 5 months.
This chart presents the occupations according to the median wage for each occupation, from highest to lowest (as highlighted in the heading). This chart is also available sorted in descending order by percentage of female workers and number of female workers.
20 Leading Occupations of Employed Women
1999 Annual Averages
|
Occupations |
Percent
Female |
No. of Female Workers (1,000s) |
Median Weekly Wage1 |
Female Wage as % of Male's |
|
Registered nurses |
92.9 |
1,978 |
$747 |
94.4 |
Secondary school teachers |
57.5 |
772 |
$722 |
89.9 |
Elementary school teachers |
83.8 |
1,736 |
$697 |
88.8 |
Managers and administrators,
n.e.c.2 |
30.5 |
2,349 |
$692 |
64.6 |
Accountants and auditors |
58.6 |
972 |
$651 |
73.1 |
Sales supervisors and proprietors |
40.9 |
2,005 |
$454 |
65.7 |
Adminstrative support occupations,
n.e.c.2 |
79.2 |
725 |
$453 |
74.0 |
Secretaries |
98.6 |
2,741 |
$443 |
* |
Bookkeepers, accounting and auditing clerks |
91.4 |
1,545 |
$440 |
92.1 |
Investigators and adjusters, excluding
insurance |
77.3 |
815 |
$435 |
85.1 |
Receptionists |
95.5 |
1,041 |
$373 |
* |
Machine operators, assorted materials |
32.6 |
899 |
$350 |
71.9 |
Hairdressers and cosmetologists |
90.8 |
712 |
$323 |
* |
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants |
89.9 |
1,772 |
$318 |
86.6 |
Sales workers, commodities4 |
67.8 |
940 |
$315 |
80.4 |
Sales workers, retail and personal services |
63.9 |
1,849 |
$296 |
70.0 |
Waiters and Waitresses |
77.4 |
1,108 |
$294 |
90.5 |
Janitors and cleaners |
35.8 |
759 |
$293 |
83.5 |
Cooks |
44.0 |
914 |
$279 |
88.0 |
Cashiers3 |
77.0 |
2,321 |
$275 |
92.9 |
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1 Wage and salary for
full-time workers.
2 Not elsewhere
classified.
3 Included in
sales workers, personal and retail services.
4 Includes foods, drugs,
health, and other commodities.
*: Median not available where
base is less than 50,000 male workers.
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Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Women's Bureau, May 2000: 20 Leading Occupations |