New Data Shows Ongoing Gender and Race Pay Divide Among Large Private Sector Employers

SACRAMENTO – On Equal Pay Day, the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) today released new statistics based on pay and demographic data for 2024. The data, which covers nearly 8 million workers across the state, is collected each year from private employers of 100 or more employees. While California has some of the nation’s strongest equal pay laws, the new data shows that women and people of color of all genders are more likely to be among the state’s lowest paid workers among large private sector employers.

“Women are the backbone of their communities and our economy – it’s time we treat them like it,” said California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. “As the gender wage gap continues to deliver the message that women’s contributions have less value than men’s, California is working to shift this notion. Through the pay data reporting program, we can give companies the tools to close the gap and finally normalize equal pay in the workplace.”

“California continues to fight for equal pay,” said Business, Consumer Services and Housing Secretary Tomiquia Moss. “Whether it’s taking action in the courts or working with corporate leaders in their boardrooms, we’re not afraid to step up to the plate. We all benefit when people are paid fairly.”

“Equal pay for equal work shouldn’t be controversial,” said CRD Director Kevin Kish. “But attacks on equity in the workplace threaten to reverse hard won progress across the country. In California, our laws remain on the books, and we will continue to use every tool we have to identify and take on discriminatory pay gaps in our state.”

Numbers to Action

As a result of the passage of Senate Bill 973 in 2020, California collects pay data to encourage employers to conduct self-assessments of pay disparities, promote voluntary compliance with equal pay and anti-discrimination laws, and support state efforts to efficiently identify wage patterns and effectively enforce civil rights laws in the workplace. While California’s gender wage gap is one of the lowest in the nation, billions of dollars are lost to gender and racial pay gaps in California each year. By helping employers and the state clearly identify the challenge, the pay data reporting program can help drive action to address it.

The Pay Divide

The new pay data shows that the pay gap persists among women and people of color of all genders across a wide range of job types among large private sector employers. Women and people of color were more often among the lowest paid workers and more likely to be concentrated in lower paying positions as laborers, service workers, and administrative support workers. Key takeaways from the 2024 data collected from approximately 170,000 California businesses include:

Key Takeaways by Gender

• Senior managers or executives were almost twice as likely to be men (63%) as compared to women (37%).
• However, the share of women in senior manager or executive roles has increased slightly from 34% in 2020, the first year of the reporting program.
• Despite there being fewer women (47%) in the data, they were a larger share (53%) of workers in the lowest pay range earning $32,239 and under.
• Of the non-binary workers included in the data, less than 10% were in the highest pay range earning $144,560 and over.

Key Takeaways by Race and Ethnicity

• Senior managers or executives were much more likely to be white (58%), even though white workers made up less than a third of the people in the data (30%).
• However, laborers were much more likely to be Latino (72%), even though Latino workers made up less than half of the people in the data (40%).
• Similarly, approximately 1 in 20 Latino workers, 1 in 11 Black workers, and 1 in 10 Native American workers were in the highest pay range earning $144,560 and over.
• In contrast, roughly 1 in 3 white and Asian workers were in the highest pay range earning $144,560 and over.

The 2024 data collection does not include individuals who are self-employed, public employers, or employers with fewer than 100 employees. The data do not represent the state’s entire employed workforce, which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated to be approximately 18.6 million at the end of 2024.

State Continues the Fight for Fair Pay

CRD continues to tackle pay and other related forms of discrimination across the state, including through ongoing efforts to ensure compliance with the state’s pay data reporting program. Last year, the department reached a settlement with Whole Foods over allegations that a worker’s pregnancy accommodations were unlawfully ignored. In 2024, the department secured a $15 million settlement with Snapchat to resolve a more than three-year investigation over claims of employment discrimination, equal pay violations, sexual harassment, and retaliation. In 2023, CRD obtained a nearly $100,000 settlement against Cambrian Homecare to resolve repeated alleged failures to report pay data to the state and ensure compliance with California’s pay data reporting laws.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of discrimination, CRD may be able to assist you through its complaint process. The department also provides general information and factsheets online about civil rights protections for members of the public, including with respect to employment discrimination.

Pay data results for 2024, as well as previous years of data collection, are available for download and as infographics on CRD’s website. The pay data reporting window for 2025 is currently open and large employers are required to file with the state by May 13, 2026.

You can also learn about the California Equal Pay Pledge through the Office of the First Partner.

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) is the state agency charged with enforcing California’s civil rights laws. CRD’s mission is to protect the people of California from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and state-funded programs and activities, and from hate violence and human trafficking. For more information, visit calcivilrights.ca.gov.

The Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (California Labor Commissioner’s Office) combats wage theft and unfair competition by investigating allegations of illegal and unfair business practices. Workers who have questions about labor laws enforced by the LCO can call 1-833-LCO-INFO (833-526-4636) between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Californians can follow the Labor Commissioner on Facebook  and Twitter.

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