Employment & Earnings
Three quarters of women and girls in Western Massachusetts are employed, and those who work earn less compared to men. The wage gap is most significant for women of color in Western Massachusetts. Black women in Franklin County earned 41 cents to each dollar earned by White men, compared to the average rate of 83 cents to the dollar for women overall in Western Massachusetts. Across all four counties, those with a high school education earned 55 to 68 cents to each dollar that men with the same education earned. The poverty rate for women and girls in Hampden County is 16%, much higher than the statewide rate of 12%. The poverty rates for women and girls of color are significantly higher; 42% among Latinx women in Hampden County and 54% among Black women in Franklin County.
Education
Across all four counties of Western MA, women and girls completed higher levels of education than men and boys.
Educational Attainment by Gender and County
Berkshire
Men
Women
Franklin
Men
Women
Hampden
Men
Women
Hampshire
Men
Women
Source: U.S. Census, ACS, 5-Year Estimate 2013-2017
Gender Wage Cap
Academic achievement among women continues to show growth, and regionally women are completing higher levels of education than their male counterparts. However, women continue to participate in the labor force at lower rates than men, and, on average, continue to earn less than men.
Percent Participation in Labor Force by Gender and County
| Berkshire | Franklin | Hampden | Hampshire | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 81% | 82% | 80% | 80% |
| Women | 79% | 78% | 73% | 77% |
Source: U.S. Census, ACS, 5-Year Estimate 2013-2017
Women’s Earnings Proportional to Men’s by County
Based on past 12-month median income
Source: U.S. Census, ACS, 5-Year Estimate 2013-2017
Women’s 12-Month Earnings Ratios Compared with Every Dollar Men Earned by Educational Attainment and County
| Less than high school graduate | High school equivalent | Some College or Associate’s Degree | Bachelor’s Degree | Graduate or Professional Degree | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire | 0.64 | 0.68 | 0.76 | 0.72 | 0.75 |
| Franklin | 0.84 | 0.55 | 0.75 | 0.79 | 0.74 |
| Hampden | 0.67 | 0.66 | 0.66 | 0.76 | 0.83 |
| Hampshire | 0.64 | 0.68 | 0.78 | 0.73 | 0.76 |
Source: U.S. Census, ACS, 5-Year Estimate 2013-2017
Women’s 12-Month Earnings Ratios Compared with Every Dollar White Men Earned by Race/Ethnicity and County
Source: U.S. Census, ACS, 5-Year Estimate 2013-2017
Acknowledgements
Please visit the “About this Research” page to view acknowledgments related to this data.
Dropout Rate
Across the four counties, for the 2017-2018 school year, girls had lower rates of dropping out of school than their male counterparts. However, dropout rates varied across the region.
Dropout Rate by Gender and Region
Lower dropout rates among female students were consistent with statewide data.
Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. 2017-2018 Dropout Rates. Available at: www.doe.mass.edu/infoservices/reports/dropout/. Accessed. April 5, 2019.
