Women earn less at every education level |

Education has long been considered a key driver of economic opportunity, with higher levels of attainment generally leading to greater earning potential.

Recent data from the American Community Survey shows women are pursuing and completing higher education at slightly higher rates than men, but a persistent earnings gap remains despite these educational gains.

Women earn less than their male counterparts at every level of education.

Women in North Carolina have made significant strides in higher education. According to the latest data, 24% of women hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 22% of men.

This pattern is consistent across various levels of post-secondary education. Although the gap in attainment is not overwhelming, the trend reflects a broader national pattern of increasing college enrollment and degree completion among women.

Despite slightly higher educational attainment, women’s median earnings lag behind men’s at every education level.

One of the most notable findings is that the earnings gap widens at higher levels of education.

Women with some college or associate’s degrees earn about 27% less than their male counterparts, while the gap increases to nearly 34% for those with graduate degrees.

Although education generally leads to higher earnings, the financial returns on education appear to differ by gender.

The widening gap at advanced education levels suggests that additional factors, like occupational segregation, industry representation, and other labor market dynamics may influence these outcomes.

Differences in fields of study may play a role in earnings disparities. American Community Survey data shows men and women tend to pursue different academic disciplines.

Men are more likely to enter fields that typically lead to higher-paying careers, such as engineering, while women are more represented in education and arts, humanities and other related fields.

These differences may contribute to variations in earnings even among workers with similar levels of education, but women tend to earn less than men even in the same occupation.

Women in North Carolina earned postsecondary degrees at higher rates than men in 2023, yet this progress didn’t translate to equal earnings.

The data raises questions about the relationship between education and earnings.

While education is clearly valuable for both men and women (earnings increase with education level for both groups), the persistent and widening gap at higher education levels suggests that other factors beyond educational attainment influence earnings outcomes.