Washington’s Gender Wage Gap Is Widening, New Study Finds — And Neighboring Idaho Is Watching

Washington state’s gender wage gap is growing at an alarming rate, according to a new national study released this month, pushing the Pacific Northwest state to second worst in the country for pay disparities between men and women. The findings, published by the National Partnership for Women and Families on Equal Pay Day, March 26, reveal that women in Washington earned a median income of $18,545 less than their male counterparts in 2024 — a figure that carries significant implications not only for Washington workers but for labor trends across the broader Mountain West and Pacific Northwest region, including neighboring Idaho and the Treasure Valley economy.

Background: What the Data Shows About Washington’s Wage Disparity

The National Partnership for Women and Families released its annual wage gap analysis on Equal Pay Day — a symbolic date that falls on the 85th day of the calendar year. The date is chosen deliberately: it represents how far into the current year women must continue working to earn what men earned during the entire previous calendar year.

The 2024 data, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau, places Washington state second only to Utah for the widest gender wage gap in the nation. That ranking alone would be concerning, but what makes the findings particularly notable is the direction of the trend. Just one year earlier, in 2023, Washington’s gender wage gap had narrowed to $17,400 — a sign that some progress was being made. The 2024 figures reversed that progress entirely, with the gap growing by more than $1,100 in a single year.

Brittany Gregory, executive director of the Washington State Women’s Commission, acknowledged the setback directly. “We need a deeper look at what’s driving these shifts and what it will take to create lasting, equitable change,” Gregory said following the release of the report.

Key Numbers: The Scope of Washington’s Pay Gap

The headline figure of $18,545 tells part of the story, but the data reveals even starker disparities when broken down by race and ethnicity. According to the report:

• The median income gap between Latina women and white working men in Washington stands at $37,796 — more than double the overall gap.
• The wage gap facing other groups of women of color also remains significantly wider than the statewide median figure suggests.
• Washington’s overall gap grew by more than $1,100 from 2023 to 2024, reversing a year of measured improvement.

Analysts note that Washington’s economy is dominated by high-wage industries — including technology, aerospace, and professional services — which may be contributing to the disparity rather than alleviating it. When high-paying sectors skew heavily toward male workers, overall median earnings for men can rise faster than those for women, widening the statistical gap even in a nominally prosperous economy.

Impact on the Pacific Northwest Region, Including Ada County and Idaho

For residents of Ada County and the broader Treasure Valley, the Washington findings offer a regional economic benchmark worth monitoring. Idaho and Washington share significant labor market connections — workers commute across state lines, businesses operate in both states, and wage trends in one state often foreshadow pressures in neighboring markets.

Idaho’s own labor market has undergone significant transformation in recent years, with Boise and Meridian attracting technology companies, professional services firms, and corporate relocations from higher-cost West Coast markets, including Washington. As Ada County’s economy grows increasingly tied to industries that mirror Washington’s tech and professional services sectors, wage equity questions that are emerging there may eventually surface here as well.

Hardworking families across Ada County — whether in Boise, Eagle, Meridian, Kuna, or Star — have a direct interest in understanding how regional labor markets are shifting. Business owners navigating hiring decisions, and employees evaluating compensation and career opportunities, may find the Washington data useful context for their own planning.

What Comes Next

The National Partnership for Women and Families is calling on state legislatures and policymakers across the country to examine their own wage equity data in the wake of the report. Washington’s Women’s Commission has indicated it plans to conduct additional research to identify the specific economic and industry-level factors behind the 2024 increase.

Residents and business owners in Ada County who want to track Idaho-specific wage data can visit the Idaho Department of Labor’s website at labor.idaho.gov, which publishes regular reports on statewide wage trends by industry, occupation, and demographic group. The Idaho Legislature’s Commerce and Human Resources committees also periodically examine labor market conditions and may take up related issues in future sessions.

Equal Pay Day serves as an annual reminder to review compensation practices. Employers across the Treasure Valley can access wage benchmarking resources through the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Idaho Department of Labor to evaluate their own payroll data.