Wage Gap Calculator
Enter two annual salaries and weekly hours to see the wage gap %, pay ratio, hourly earnings gap and an estimated 40-year career difference.
hrs/wk
hrs/wk
Lower salary as a percentage below the higher salary
- 1
Higher salary
max(60,000, 52,000) = 60,000 - 2
Lower salary
min(60,000, 52,000) = 52,000 - 3
Salary difference
60,000 − 52,000 = 8,000 - 4
Wage gap (%)
(8,000 ÷ 60,000) × 100 = 13.3
How does this calculator work?
Wage gap (%) = (Higher − Lower) ÷ Higher × 100. Pay ratio (%) = Lower ÷ Higher × 100. Adjust for weekly hours to get an hourly gap. The 40-year career figure projects the annual gap × 40 and is illustrative only — it assumes a constant gap with no career changes.
Formula
How this is calculated
The wage gap (unadjusted pay gap) measures how much lower one salary is as a fraction of the higher salary. Subtract the lower salary from the higher, divide by the higher, and multiply by 100. A gap of 13.3% means the lower-paid person earns about 86.7 cents for every dollar the higher earner receives — the pay ratio in this case is 86.7%.
The calculator also adjusts for weekly hours worked to produce an hourly earnings gap, which is more meaningful when the two people work different schedules. A person working 35 hours on $52,000 earns $28.57/hr, while a person working 40 hours on $60,000 earns $28.85/hr — the hourly gap is far smaller than the headline annual gap. Always compare hourly rates when hours differ.
The 40-year career projection multiplies the annual gap by 40 to illustrate long-run magnitude. It assumes the gap remains constant in real terms — no promotions, pay rises or career breaks — and is illustrative only. Many factors beyond gender drive salary differences, including occupation, industry, experience, location and individual negotiation. This calculator makes no claim about the cause of any gap; it is a neutral arithmetic tool for comparing any two salaries.
Frequently asked questions
The unadjusted (raw) gap compares average salaries without controlling for occupation, experience or hours. The adjusted gap controls for those factors and is typically much smaller. This calculator computes the raw gap from the two salaries you enter.
When the two people work different hours per week, the annual salary difference mixes hours and pay rate. Dividing each salary by annual hours (weekly hours × 52) isolates the hourly rate for a fairer comparison.
The pay ratio is the lower salary expressed as a percentage of the higher: Pay Ratio = (Lower ÷ Higher) × 100. A pay ratio of 86.7% means the lower earner makes 86.7 cents per dollar the higher earner makes — a wage gap of 13.3%.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Wage Gap Calculator [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/gender-wage-gap-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Wage Gap Calculator." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/gender-wage-gap-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Wage Gap Calculator," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/gender-wage-gap-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_gender_wage_gap_calculator, title = {Wage Gap Calculator}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/gender-wage-gap-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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