FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 8, 2026
CONTACT: media@iwpr.org
New Economic Analysis: Average Latina Woman Loses $33,000 Annually Thanks to Worsening Wage Gap
IWPR broke down the latest data in advance of Latina Equal Pay Day, finding that the gender and racial wage gap for Latinas widened in 2025, and that it will take nearly a century and a half for the gap to close without proactive reform.
WASHINGTON — The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) this month released a new economic analysis finding that in 2025, Latina women made just 52.6 cents for every dollar earned by White, non-Hispanic men — a worsening of their gender and racial wage gap even as the gap narrowed for most other groups.
According to the analysis, published ahead of Latina Equal Pay (observed this year on Oct. 8), that gap adds up to $33,370 less a year for the average Latina woman. For the 30.4% of Latinas who work part-time, that gap is even wider, exacerbating economic insecurity. This is despite Latina women’s labor force participation having increased in recent decades, while White, non-Hispanic men’s have declined.
“Latina women drive our economy and are a foundational part of our nation’s working class, but their economic contributions, financial security needs, and diverse experiences are sorely underrecognized,” said Kate Bahn, PhD, chief economist and senior vice president of research at IWPR. “Families across the country are facing an affordability crisis, and the widening wage gap for Latina workers represents thousands of dollars that could have gone toward child care, education, and housing — and is a reminder that structural barriers like racism, occupational segregation, and inequitable immigration pathways do not impact all workers equally.”
Without proactive reform like expanded caregiving assistance, stronger worker protections, and higher wages, it will take until 2180 for working Latinas to reach pay equity.
IWPR’s analysis also disaggregates data by ethnicity, race, and national origin to highlight how forces like language access, education, racism, and immigration motivations can affect work experiences and wage gaps. Latinas of Central American descent face the steepest wage gaps, as do those who are concentrated in low-wage jobs.
Last month, IWPR published its full analysis of the Census Bureau’s annual income data, finding that while the gender wage gap for full-time year-round workers narrowed in 2025, Latina workers as well as Black women working full-time saw their wage gaps widen for the third year in a row.