U.S. Census Bureau Releases Key Stats in Honor of Women's History Month

"National Women’s History Month traces its roots to March 8, 1857, when women from various New York City factories staged a protest over poor working conditions. The first Women's Day celebration in the United States was in 1909, also in New York City. More than seven decades later, Congress in 1981 established National Women's History Week to be commemorated annually the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month and every year since has passed a resolution (and the president has issued a proclamation) designating March Women’s History Month.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month 2022, we reflect upon advances women have made over the last decade. Women have increased their earnings, education and fields of occupation, and continue to have longer average life spans than men. Below are some Census Bureau stats highlighting these and other changes over the years. We appreciate the public’s cooperation in helping us measure America’s people, places and economy. 

Did You Know?

164.8 million

The number of females of all ages in the United States. There were 159.9 million males of all ages. 

2 to 1

The approximate ratio of women to men ages 85 and older (4.1 million to 2.2 million) in the United States. 

20.7%

In 2019, the percentage of women 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree as their highest degree; 19.9% of men had a bachelor’s degree as their highest degree.

80.8%

Women's median earnings as a percentage of men's median earnings, for full full-time, year-round workers 16 years and older.

More Stats

• Median Earnings in Past 12 Months by Sex and Detailed Occupation
• Fertility of Women in the United States: 2018.."
  Women's History 

Working Women: A Snapshot

"At the Labor Department, we like to brag about Frances Perkins, who was both the first woman to serve in the Cabinet (starting in 1933) and the longest serving, since she held the position for 12 years. Moreover, we’ve had more women leaders (seven) than any other department. The women who have led the department all made meaningful improvements to the lives of America’s workers – as have countless working women who have advocated for themselves and their coworkers, and had a lasting impact on work in America.  

Despite decades of progress, we know that too many women still aren’t enjoying equity at work. Women – and women of color in particular – are overrepresented in jobs with lower wages and fewer benefits. And even within specific industries and jobs, gender and racial wage gaps persist.  

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we recognize the progress women have made and reflect on the current status of working women in America – and the work that remains to be done. Here are some interesting facts about working women. 

Women are critical to America’s economy. 

• Women account for 46.8% of the labor force – 76.6 million in all.  

• 40.5% of women are the primary or co-breadwinner for their families. 

• Nearly 1 in 10 women workers are in a union – about 6.5 million, accounting for 46.3% of all union workers.  

Women have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. 

• The unemployment rate for women 20 and older is currently 3.6% - down from a peak of 15.5% in April 2020, but still higher than it was in the months leading up to the pandemic. 

• For women of color in particular, the recovery has been even slower. In January 2022, the unemployment rate for Black women was 5.8% and for Hispanic women it was 4.9%.."
  Working women 

Women in the Labor Force: 2017

"In 2017, 57.0 percent of all women participated in the labor force. This was slightly above the 56.8 percent who participated in 2016, but still 3 percentage points below the peak of 60.0 percent in 1999. By comparison, the labor force participation rate for men was 69.1 percent in 2017, essentially unchanged from the previous year and 17.5 percentage points below its peak of 86.6 percent in 1948.

The rapid rise in women’s labor force participation was a major development in the labor market during the second half of the 20th century. Overall, women’s labor force participation increased dramatically from the 1960s through the 1980s, before slowing in the 1990s. After reaching a peak in 1999, labor force participation among women began a gradual decline. This decline accelerated following the Great Recession of 2007–09 until the participation rate hit a recent low in 2015 at 56.7 percent..."
Women labor

Highlights of women’s earnings in 2015

"In 2015, women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings that were 81 percent of those of male full-time wage and salary workers. In 1979, the first year for which comparable earnings data are available, women’s earnings were 62 percent of men’s. Since 2004, the women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio has ranged from 80 to 83 percent. (See chart 1 and tables 1 and 12.)

This report presents earnings data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a national monthly survey of 60,000 eligible households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The weekly and hourly earnings estimates in Highlights of Women’s Earnings reflect information collected from one-fourth of the CPS monthly sample and averaged for the calendar year. These data are distinct from the annual earnings estimates for full-time, year-round workers collected separately in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the CPS and published by the U.S. Census Bureau..."
Women's wages

Women at Work
Compilation of recent data on working women by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Women at Work
A March 2011 U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics report on women in the labor force.

Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being
"...In support of the Council on Women and Girls, the Office of Management and Budget and the

Economics and Statistics Administration within the Department of Commerce worked together to

create this report, which for the first time pulls together information from across the Federal statistical

agencies to compile baseline information on how women are faring in the United States today and how

these trends have changed over time. We believe that the information in this report is vitally important

to inform the efforts of the Council on Women and Girls—and may be equally important in providing

facts to a broad range of others who are concerned with the well-being of women and girls, from

policymakers to journalists to researchers.

This report provides a statistical picture of women in America in five critical areas: demographic and

family changes, education, employment, health, and crime and violence. By presenting a quantitative

snapshot of the well-being of American women based on Federal data, the report greatly enhances our

understanding both of how far American women have come and the areas where there is still work

to be done..."

Census Bureau Reports Nearly 6 in 10 Advanced Degree Holders
Age 25-29 Are Women
" The U.S. Census Bureau reported today more women than men are expected to occupy professions such as doctors, lawyers and college professors as they represent approximately 58 percent of young adults, age 25 to 29, who hold an advanced degree. In addition, among all adults 25 and older, more women than men had high school diplomas and bachelor’s degrees.

The tabulations, Educational Attainment in the United States: 2009, showed that among people in the 25-29 age group, 9 percent of women and 6 percent of men held either a master’s, professional (such as law or medical) or doctoral degree. This holds true for white, black and Hispanic women. Among Asian men and women of this age group, there was no statistical difference.

The data also demonstrate the extent to which having such a degree pays off: average earnings in 2008 totaled $83,144 for those with an advanced degree, compared with $58,613 for those with a bachelor’s degree only. People whose highest level of attainment was a high school diploma had average earnings of $31,283.

Also included are data on the highest level of education achieved by a wide range of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, including age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, household relationship, citizenship, nativity and year of entry. Historical tables provide data on mean earnings by attainment level, sex, race and Hispanic origin with data back to 1975, and tables on attainment levels back to 1940..."

Women in the Labor Force: A Databook, 2008 ed.
"The past several decades have been marked by notable changes in women’s labor force activities. Since the 1970s, women’s labor force participation has risen substantially, particularly among women with children, and a larger share of women work full time and year round than ever before. In addition, women have increasingly attained higher levels of education: among women ages 25 to 64 who are in the labor force, the proportion with a college degree more than tripled from 1970 to 2007. Women’s earnings as a proportion of men’s also have grown over time. In 1979, women
working full time earned 62 percent of what men did; in 2007, women’s earnings were 80 percent of men’s.

This report presents historical and current labor force and earnings data for women and men from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a national monthly survey of approximately 60,000 households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Unless otherwise noted, data are annual averages from the CPS. Users should note that the comparisons of earnings in this report are on a broad level and do not control for many factors that can be significant in explaining earnings differences. For a detailed description of the source of the data and an explanation of concepts and definitions used, see the
Technical Note at the end of this report."

Marital Status is Associated With Health Insurance Coverage for Working-age Women at all Income Levels, 2007
"Data from the National Health Interview Survey

* Overall, unmarried (divorced or never married) women aged 25-64 years are more likely to be uninsured (21%) than married women (13%) in the same age group..
* Poor married women are more likely to be uninsured than poor unmarried women, in part because they are less likely to have Medicaid coverage.
* Married women are more likely to have private insurance, and less likely to have Medicaid, than unmarried women.
* The probability of an offer of health insurance through an employer increases with family income for both married and unmarried women."

International Violence Against Women:U.S. Response and Policy Issues
"In recent years, the international community has increasingly recognized
international violence against women (VAW) as a significant human rights and
global health issue. VAW, which can include both random acts of violence as well
as sustained abuse over time, can be physical, psychological, or sexual in nature.
Studies have found that VAW occurs in all geographic regions, countries, cultures,
and economic classes, with some surveys showing that women in developing
countries experience higher rates of violence than those in developed countries.
Many experts view VAW as a symptom of the historically unequal power
relationship between men and women, and argue that over time this imbalance has
led to pervasive cultural stereotypes and attitudes that perpetuate a cycle of violence."