Earnings of Women Aged 20–59, by Race and Ethnicity, 2005–2020
Released: June 2022DEFINITION: Earnings consist of all wages, salaries, and self-employment income in covered and noncovered employment, including earnings that exceed the annual taxable maximum.
| Two-year period | White, not Hispanic | Black, not Hispanic | Hispanic | Asian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005/2006 | 33,100 | 29,400 | 23,900 | 35,500 |
| 2010/2011 | 32,400 | 27,700 | 23,500 | 34,200 |
| 2015/2016 | 34,700 | 27,800 | 23,800 | 36,800 |
| 2019/2020 | 39,500 | 31,500 | 26,700 | 46,400 |
- Real median annual earnings of women aged 20–59 fell between 2005/2006 and 2010/2011 as a result of the Great Recession of 2007–2009. Women's earnings have risen in recent years, but differ substantially by race and ethnicity.
- In 2019/2020, real median annual earnings among—
- White, non-Hispanic women were $39,500—13.8% more than 2015/2016 and 19.3% more than 2005/2006.
- Black, non-Hispanic women were $31,500—13.3% more than 2015/2016 and 7.1% more than 2005/2006.
- Hispanic women were $26,700—12.2% more than 2015/2016 and 11.7% more than 2005/2006.
- Women of Asian heritage were $46,400—26.1% more than 2015/2016 and 30.7% more than 2005/2006.
SOURCE: Social Security Administration (SSA) calculations using SSA earnings data linked to Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement public-use files. Sample weights have been adjusted to lessen the effect of different distributions of workers by age across race and ethnicity categories.
NOTES: Earnings are indexed to 2020 values based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.
Includes workers with annual earnings equal to or greater than one earnings credit. In 2020 dollars, the earnings required to earn a single credit were $1,219 in 2005 and $1,410 in 2020.
Real median earnings are shown for 2-year periods to reduce annual variability that can occur when sampling relatively small demographic groups.