Report: New Hampshire’s gender pay gap is worse than national average

Photo by Sebastian Kahnert/picture alliance via Getty Images)

By Granite Post Staff

March 26, 2025

Granite State women are paid about 24% less than men, and the gender pay gap in New Hampshire worse than the national average, according to recent NH Fiscal Policy Institute report.

In 2023, NH women earned 76 cents for every $1 men earned, with men making around $75,512 a year compared to women making to $57,240, according to the report.

The institute reiterated the findings on Equal Pay Day on Tuesday. In New Hampshire, the gender pay gap is about 10 cents wider than the national average. Nationally, women earned 83% of what men earned in 2023, according to US Census Bureau data. The median earnings for men working full time were $62,000, compared to $51,600 for women.

The pay gap in NH was most noticeable in legal occupations, where men earned $114,104 to women’s $61,752; and in arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media fields, where men earned $100,282 compared to women’s $62,828.

Part of the pay gap problem comes from the overrepresentation of women in caregiving roles, many of which are low-wage. Data from early 2024 shows that women made up 90.8% of workers in New Hampshire’s childcare sector and 86.4% of the home health services workforce.

“We know that women are more likely to engage in unpaid caregiving roles for children and older adult family members,” said Nicole Heller and Jess Williams, who are analysts at the NH Fiscal Policy Institute.

In 2024, 6% of Granite Staters were not engaged in the workforce due to caregiving responsibilities. The trend reflects national data that shows women are more likely than men to reduce their work hours to care for others, contributing to the disparity in earnings.

The study found the gender pay gap also impacts women of color more significantly than it does white women. Native American, Black, and Hispanic women in New Hampshire earned as much as 10% less on average. The only exception was Asian Granite Staters, whose mean annual income of $60,448 exceeded that of white, non-Hispanic residents.