Gender and racial wage gaps exist even right out of high school: Average real wages for workers ages 17–20 with a high school degree and who are not enrolled, by gender and race/ethnicity, 2023
| Demographic | Wage |
|---|---|
| High school | $16.31 |
| Women | $14.91 |
| Men | $17.35 |
| White | $16.07 |
| Black | $16.05 |
| Hispanic | $16.90 |
| AAPI | $15.79 |
| Other | $15.32 |
Notes: Data represent an average of the 12 months ending in March 2023. AAPI refers to Asian American and Pacific Islander. Race and ethnicity categories are mutually exclusive (i.e., white non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, AAPI non-Hispanic, and Hispanic any race).
Source: EPI analysis of the Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata, EPI Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0.40 (2023), https://microdata.epi.org.