The Latina Wage Gap Since 1990: Trends by Education and Union Coverage in California
Introduction
While the Latina wage gap, expressed as the amount that Latinas earn relative to every dollar earned by non-Hispanic white men, has narrowed over the past 35 years, substantial disparities persist in California and beyond. Latinas have made significant socioeconomic gains since 1990, including rising educational attainment and greater representation in professional and higher-skilled occupations.1 Yet these gains have not eliminated pay disparities. In 2025, Latinas continued to experience one of the largest wage gaps among women in the United States. California has the widest gap for Latinas, despite being home to the largest Latina population in the country.2
Understanding how the Latina wage gap has evolved is increasingly important as Latinas play a growing role in California’s workforce. In 2025, 42% of working-age women in California are Latina, up from 25% in 1990 (Figure 1). The persistent gender wage gap can reduce overall household income, which may limit children’s quality of life, access to health care, and educational opportunities. As the Latina population continues to grow, ensuring that these socioeconomic gains translate into greater economic opportunity has implications not only for Latina workers and their families but also for the broader California economy.
Figure 1. Share of Latinas Among Working-Age Women in California, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, 2025
Notes: The universe of analysis includes the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 to 64.
Source: LPPI analysis of Census Bureau’s 1990-2025 Current Population Survey (CPS) monthly data, accessed via IPUMS.
This brief examines changes in the Latina wage gap in California from 1990 to 2025 and considers how these trends vary by educational attainment and union representation. By examining more than three decades of wage change, the analysis assesses whether Latinas’ socioeconomic gains over the past 35 years have been accompanied by greater wage equity and identifies where wage disparities have narrowed—and where they remain persistent.
Data and Methods
This data brief uses data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) from 1990 to 2025 to provide demographic characteristics and wages. Specifically:
- Demographic characteristics, including population counts, educational attainment, and union representation rate, are calculated using the CPS monthly sample. We limit the sample to the civilian working-age population ages 16 to 64.
- Wages are calculated using the EPI hourly wage methodology, based on data from the CPS earners study. We limit the sample to the civilian working-age population ages 16 to 64 who have some form of wage or salary income. We exclude self-employed individuals and unemployed individuals. All reported historical wages are adjusted to 2025 dollars.
Wage Gap Over Time
Key Finding 1: Although Latinas in California have higher wages than Latinas nationally, the wage gap between Latinas and white men is greater in California.
In 2025, Latinas earned a median hourly wage of $22, the lowest among women in major racial and ethnic groups in California (Figure 2). Latinas in California only make 54 cents for every dollar that white men make, the lowest among all major racial and ethnic groups of women in California. In comparison, Latinas nationally earn lower wages than in California (median of $20 per hour) but have a narrower wage gap, making 64 cents for every dollar that white men make.3
Figure 2. California Median Hourly Wage by Race and Ethnicity and Sex, 2025
Notes: The universe of analysis includes the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 to 64. Sample sizes for Native Americans are insufficient to produce reliable estimates.
Source: LPPI analysis of Census Bureau’s 1990-2025 Current Population Survey (CPS) Earners Study data, accessed via IPUMS.
Key Finding 2: Since 1990, the Latina wage gap in California has narrowed only modestly, leaving Latinas the furthest from wage parity with white men among California’s racial and ethnic groups.
The Latina wage gap in California has narrowed only modestly since 1990, rising from 46 cents for every dollar earned by white men in 1990 to 54 cents in 2025 (Figure 3). At the same time, the wage gap for Black women widened, with their wages falling from 68 cents on the dollar in 1990 to 61 cents in 2025. As of 2025, Latinas and Black women faced the largest wage gaps relative to white men in California.
Figure 3. California Women’s Median Hourly Wage in Relation to White Men by Race and Ethnicity, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, 2025
Notes: The universe of analysis includes the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 to 64. The wage gap is the ratio of each group of women’s median real hourly wage to that of non-Hispanic white men in the same year. Spikes between individual years have been smoothed out. The sample size for Native American women is insufficient to produce reliable estimates.
Source: LPPI analysis of Census Bureau’s 1990-2025 Current Population Survey (CPS) Earners Study data, accessed via IPUMS.
Latina Wage Gap by Educational Attainment
In California, Latinas’ educational attainment has improved substantially since 1990, although it continues to lag behind that of California women overall. The share of Latinas with a four-year college degree more than quadrupled, rising from 5% in 1990 to 21% in 2025 (Figure 4). Despite this progress, the rate remains well below the 41% average among California women overall. Educational attainment among California Latinas also trails that of Latinas nationwide, 23% of whom have a college degree. In contrast, California women overall are slightly more likely than women nationally to have a college degree (41% versus 39%).4
Figure 4. Share of Latina Women in California with a Four-Year College Degree or Higher, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, 2025
Notes: The universe of analysis includes the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 to 64.
Source: LPPI analysis of Census Bureau’s 1990-2025 Current Population Survey (CPS) monthly data, accessed via IPUMS.
Key Finding 3: College-educated Latinas earn higher wages than those without a four-year college degree; however, the wage gap between Latinas and white men is wider at higher levels of educational attainment.
Similar to the national trend, in California, Latinas with a four-year college degree earn nearly twice as much per hour as Latinas without a high school diploma ($34 versus $18 per hour), highlighting the strong economic returns to education (Figure 5).
Yet higher levels of education do not translate into narrower wage gaps relative to white men. Latinas without a high school diploma earn 95 cents for every dollar earned by similarly educated white men. In comparison, college-educated Latinas earn just 61 cents for every dollar earned by their white male counterparts.
Figure 5. Median Hourly Wage for Latinas and White Men in California by Educational Attainment, 2025
Notes: The universe of analysis includes the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 to 64.
Source: LPPI analysis of Census Bureau’s 1990-2025 Current Population (CPS) Earners Study data, accessed via IPUMS.
Key Finding 4: The Latina wage gap in California followed different trajectories by educational attainment between 1990 and 2025. Latinas without a high school diploma made substantial gains toward wage parity with similarly educated white men, while the wage gap remained wide and stagnant among college-educated Latinas and widened among Latinas with a high school diploma.
In 1990, California Latinas without a high school diploma earned 54 cents for every dollar earned by similarly educated white men, compared with 62 cents for Latinas with a bachelor’s degree or higher (Figure 6). By 2025, the wage ratio for Latinas without a high school diploma rose to 95 cents on the dollar, while the ratio for college-educated Latinas remained at the same level as in 1990.
Furthermore, in contrast to the national trend—where the Latina wage gap has narrowed across all educational levels except among those with four-year college degrees—Latinas with a high school diploma in California experienced a widening wage gap over the past 35 years. In 1990, Latinas with a high school diploma earned 81 cents for every dollar earned by similarly educated white men. That ratio fell sharply to 64 cents over the following two decades, then partially recovered to 76 cents in 2025, still below its 1990 level.
Figure 6. California Latina Women’s Median Hourly Wage in Relation to White Men by Educational Attainment, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, 2025
Notes: The universe of analysis includes the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 to 64.
Source: LPPI analysis of Census Bureau’s 1990-2025 Current Population Survey (CPS) Earners Study data, accessed via IPUMS.
Latina Wage Gap by Union Representation
Key Finding 5: Latinas covered by a union contract consistently experienced narrower wage gaps than nonunion Latinas between 1990 and 2025.
Over the past 35 years, union-represented Latinas consistently earned a larger ratio of white men’s wages than their nonunion counterparts. In 1990, unionized Latinas in California earned 65 cents for every dollar earned by white men, compared with 46 cents among nonunion Latinas (Figure 7). By 2025, those figures had risen to 69 cents and 52 cents, respectively. Although wage gaps narrowed for both groups over time, the union advantage persisted throughout the period but decreased slightly from 19 cents in 1990 to 17 cents in 2025.
Figure 7. California Latina Women’s Median Hourly Wage in Relation to White Men by Union Representation, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, 2025
Notes: The universe of analysis includes the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 to 64.
Source: LPPI analysis of Census Bureau’s 1990-2025 Current Population Survey (CPS) Earners Study data, accessed via IPUMS.
Key Finding 6: Union representation among California Latinas increased modestly since 1990, even as union coverage declined among many other groups of women in the state.
The share of California Latinas covered by a union contract grew from 15% in 1990 to 17% in 2025 (Figure 8). Given that union-covered Latinas consistently experienced narrower wage gaps than their nonunion counterparts, this modest increase in union representation may have helped support progress toward wage parity.
Indeed, the trend among Latinas stands apart from broader declines in union representation across much of the workforce. For example, Black women, who had the highest union coverage rate at 30% in 1990, saw their unionization rate fall to 22% by 2025.
Figure 8. Union Representation Rate Among California Women by Race and Ethnicity, 1990, 2025
Notes: The universe of analysis includes the civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 to 64.
Source: LPPI analysis of Census Bureau’s 1990-2025 Current Population Survey (CPS) monthly data, accessed via IPUMS.
Conclusion
Since 1990, Latinas have become an increasingly important part of the California workforce while making substantial gains in educational attainment. Over the same period, the Latina wage gap narrowed modestly but remained substantial. In 2025, California Latinas earned just 54 cents for every dollar earned by white men, and they remained the lowest-paid group of women in the labor market.
The findings in this brief also highlight important differences in wage disparities across educational attainment levels. Although a college degree substantially increases Latinas’ wages, college-educated Latinas remain further from wage parity with similarly educated white men than Latinas with lower levels of education.
The Latina wage gap in California followed different trajectories by educational attainment between 1990 and 2025. Latinas without a high school diploma made substantial gains toward wage parity with similarly educated white men, while the wage gap among college-educated Latinas remains wide and stagnant. In contrast, Latinas with a high school diploma experienced a widening wage gap over the same period.
At the same time, the findings identify areas where wage disparities are narrower. Union-represented Latinas experienced a substantially smaller wage gap than their nonunion counterparts, and union representation among Latinas is increasing moderately.
Together, these patterns underscore that the Latina wage gap is not uniform but varies considerably across education levels and union representation. Home to the largest Latina population in the country, California faces distinct challenges related to wage equity. Compared with national trends, Latinas in California continue to experience a larger wage gap relative to white men, despite substantial gains in educational attainment over the past three decades.
Latina Equal Pay Day, observed on October 8, 2026, provides an opportunity to assess the historical wage disparities experienced by Latinas and invite policymakers and employers to work toward wage parity.
Endnotes
1 Mohamad Moslimani and Sahana Mukherjee, “How Latinas’ Educational and Economic Situation Has Changed in the Last Two Decades,” Pew Research Center, May 15, 2024, available online; Lauren Mora and Mark Hugo Lopez, “Key Facts about U.S. Latinos with Graduate Degrees,” Pew Research Center, October 3, 2023, available online.
2 Alondra Cervantes and Jie Zong, “Latina Equal Pay Day: Seven Key Facts on Pay and Economic Disparities,” Latino Policy and Politics Institute, October 1, 2025, available online.
3 Jie Zong, Kevin Bloodworth II, and Rodrigo Dominguez-Villegas, “The Latina Wage Gap Since 1990: Trends by Education, Union Coverage, and Occupation in the United States,” Latino Policy and Politics Institute, October 7, 2026, available online.
4 Jie Zong, Kevin Bloodworth II, and Rodrigo Dominguez-Villegas, “The Latina Wage Gap Since 1990: Trends by Education, Union Coverage, and Occupation in the United States,” Latino Policy and Politics Institute, October 7, 2026, available online.
