Figure B
Virginia has among the largest public-sector pay gaps: Public-sector pay gaps by state, September 2020-August 2025
| State | Pay gap |
|---|---|
| Alabama | -19.7% |
| Alaska | -8.2% |
| Arizona | -20.0% |
| Arkansas | -20.5% |
| California | -13.8% |
| Colorado | -23.8% |
| Connecticut | -16.2% |
| Delaware | -16.4% |
| Washington D.C. | -22.3% |
| Florida | -9.0% |
| Georgia | -28.2% |
| Hawaii | -12.0% |
| Idaho | -20.4% |
| Illinois | -15.1% |
| Indiana | -17.1% |
| Iowa | -12.2% |
| Kansas | -23.1% |
| Kentucky | -18.4% |
| Louisiana | -22.2% |
| Maine | -15.7% |
| Maryland | -13.7% |
| Massachusetts | -21.0% |
| Michigan | -17.5% |
| Minnesota | -17.8% |
| Mississippi | -18.4% |
| Missouri | -19.8% |
| Montana | -18.2% |
| Nebraska | -17.0% |
| Nevada | -0.6% |
| New Hampshire | -19.8% |
| New Jersey | -9.7% |
| New Mexico | -14.1% |
| New York | -3.8% |
| North Carolina | -21.4% |
| North Dakota | -13.6% |
| Ohio | -11.7% |
| Oklahoma | -22.5% |
| Oregon | -15.3% |
| Pennsylvania | -11.9% |
| Rhode Island | -4.1% |
| South Carolina | -23.5% |
| South Dakota | -10.3% |
| Tennessee | -17.2% |
| Texas | -23.0% |
| Utah | -15.5% |
| Vermont | -9.9% |
| Virginia | -26.7% |
| Washington | -21.3% |
| West Virginia | -19.6% |
| Wisconsin | -18.8% |
| Wyoming | -14.7% |
Source: Authors' analysis of pooled and merged Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata (Economic Policy Institute 2025 and Flood et al. 2025), controlling for age, age squared, usual hours worked, education, and year.
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