Montana’s Wage Gap: How It Compares Nationwide

Montana has a reputation for being a state with a lot of hard-working people. WalletHub has us ranked as the 16th hardest working state in the country with our neighbor North Dakota coming in at number one.

Montanans should get paid well for that hard work, but that's not always the case. Compared to the national average, Montanans earn less; we are ranked near the bottom of the other states, according to USAFacts.org.

Not only do most Montanans make less than the national average, but Montana women, on average, make less than men. According to USAFacts.org, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been tracking earnings every quarter since 2012.

Tracking the Wage Gap Over Time

According to their report, full-time working women in Montana make less than men in a typical workweek. In 2024, women made $0.83 for every dollar that men made in a typical week. When the bureau started tracking the data in 2012, women in Montana were making $0.77 for every dollar that men made in a typical week.

Other states that have similar gender pay gaps to Montana are Rode Island and Kansas, both with $0.83 for every dollar men make.

How Montana’s Pay Gap Compares to Neighboring States

According to the data, the pay gap in Montana is less than most of our neighbors. North Dakota women make $.085 for every dollar that men make. In South Dakota, Wyoming, and Idaho, the pay gap is greater than in Montana.

The state with the lowest pay gap is Maryland, where women make $0.99 for every dollar a man makes. The state with the largest pay gap is Utah, where women make $0.73 for every dollar men make.