American Association of University Women of Vermont
How Do the Earnings of College Educated Vermont Women
Compare with those of College Educated Vermont Men?
How Do the Earnings of College Educated Vermont Women
Compare with those in Other States?
The chart below summarizes the median earnings of college educated women in Vermont, the USA as a whole, several adjacent states, and DC. It is dramatic proof that gains in learning do not necessarily translate into gains in earning. Vermont ranks 4th among the states in the percentage of women with four year degrees, yet it ranks 39th in the median annual income paid to college educated women. The median income for a college educated women is nearly $10,000 less in Vermont than the US average. The earnings ratio of college educated women to college educated men in Vermont is 70.4%, approximately the same as the average.
The median income for a college educated man is also less in Vermont than the US average. However, college educated Vermont men earn an average of $48,700 or $14,400 more than college educated Vermont women who work full time.
Part of the reason for the disparity is that Vermont women tend to be clustered in lower paying professions. Another reason is that women are often not paid as much as a male performing the same job. The new Vermont Pay Equity Law is a powerful tool to remedy this gender discrimination.
