Asian women and men earned more than their White, Black, and Hispanic counterparts in 2017

Asian women and men earned more than their White, Black, and Hispanic counterparts in 2017. Among women, Whites ($795) earned 88 percent as much as Asians ($903); Blacks ($657) earned 73 percent; and Hispanics ($603) earned 67 percent. Among men, these earnings differences were even larger: White men ($971) earned 80 percent as much as Asian men ($1,207); Black men ($710) earned 59 percent as much; and Hispanic men ($690), 57 percent.

Chart Image

Chart Data Median usual weekly earnings of women and men who are full-time wage and salary workers, by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2017 Characteristic Women Men Total $770 $941 White 795 971 Black or African American 657 710 Asian 903 1,207 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity 603 690

Earnings differences between women and men were largest among Asians and among Whites. Asian women earned 75 percent as much as Asian men in 2017, and White women earned 82 percent as much as White men. In comparison, Black women had median earnings that were 93 percent of Black men’s, and Hispanic women’s earnings were 87 percent of Hispanic men's.



These data are from the Current Population Survey. To learn more, see Highlights of women's earnings in 2017. People whose ethnicity is Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. These earnings comparisons do not control for job skills and responsibilities, work experience, specialization, or other possible causes of earnings differences. The median is the midpoint in the earnings distribution; half of workers earn more than the median and half earn less.