March 25^th marks Equal Pay Day in the United States. Women had to work this far into the new year to earn what men made the year before. Notably, this year’s Equal Pay Day is later than in 2024 – by nearly two weeks. 2025’s Equal Pay Day delay reflects the gender wage gap widening between 2022 and 2023.

Nationwide, the U.S. Census Bureau found that 2023 marked the first time in 20 years that the wage gap widened enough to be statistically significant.

Washington, however, was an outlier.

In 2023, the gender wage gap in Washington state decreased overall, defying the national trend of a widening pay disparity. However, the gap grew significantly for some women of color, highlighting ongoing inequities in earnings.

The median earnings of a typical working woman in Washington were $17,400[1] less than those of a typical working man. While this marks a slight improvement from 2022, when the gap was $18,400, Washington still ranks among the bottom ten states in gender pay equity, with the 6th widest wage gap in the nation.

How Do These Figures Compare to Last Year?

In 2022, Washington had the 2^nd largest gender wage gap in the country between all men and women workers. The $1,000 decrease in the gap from 2022 to 2023 moved the state to 6th place—an improvement, but still a far cry from equality, let alone equity.

For Black women, Indigenous women, and other women of color, the picture is more troubling. These groups continue to face systemic barriers, historic oppression, and discrimination that contribute to significantly larger wage gaps compared to their white, non-Hispanic male counterparts.

While the gap in median income for women and men with earnings in WA lessened overall, this was not the case for all women. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Women and Latina Women made an additional $1000+ less than white non-Hispanic men between 2022 and 2023.

Wage Gap Changes by Demographic Group

Why Did the Wage Gap Widen Nationally?

While Washington’s wage gap improved slightly, the national trend went in the opposite direction.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the wage gap for all U.S. workers expanded by 3 cents in 2023—meaning women typically earned 75 cents for every $1 earned by men.[9] Economists say this data could be explained by the drop in wages in 2020 and subsequent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earnings in 2023 might reflect the labor market beginning to recover.[10]

So, while the gender wage gap widened for the first time in 20 years, the gap is back on par with the pre-pandemic difference in earnings for men and women. Time will tell whether this widening gap is a trend, or if further job stabilization can gradually reverse it.

Women overall faced larger employment loss during the pandemic[11], as sectors like hospitality and caretaking were hit particularly hard. While many women have returned to work, and median income levels rose overall after the pandemic[12], women’s wage growth from 2022 to 2023 was only half that of men’s.[13]

These trends point to a continued need for policy changes. Increasing paid family leave options, making child care more affordable and accessible, and raising wages in fields such as caretaking, where women are overrepresented, are just a few ways policymakers can move towards pay parity.