For the first time since the 1990s, the gender pay gap grew slightly in the U.S. in 2026, providing a wake-up call to employers and litigators. But on the local level, some states with pay-transparency laws—and others with no such laws—have succeeded in closing the gap.
For the first time since the 1990s, the gender pay gap grew slightly in the U.S. in 2026, providing a wake-up call to employers and litigators. But on the local level, some states with pay-transparency laws—and others with no such laws—have succeeded in closing the gap.

