Congressional report: Men make 21% more than women, but numbers much higher in many states

States with large rural populations have some of the biggest gender pay gaps in the U.S., according to a report by the Joint Economic Committee of Congress. Louisiana has the biggest gender pay gap, with men earning 34.7 percent more than women. Utah is second, at 32.4 percent, followed by Wyoming, 31.2%; West Virginia, 30%; North Dakota, 28.7%; Alabama, 27.4%; and Idaho, 27.2%. Washington, D.C., has the smallest gap, with men earning 10.4 percent more than women. New York is the state with the smallest gap, 13.2 percent. (For an interactive map click here)

"For women of color, the losses are even steeper," Clare O'Connor reports for Forbes. "Compared to white men, African American women, on average, are paid only 60 cents on the dollar. Latinas are paid only 55 cents on the dollar. The gap only worsens as women age. While women between 18 and 24 earn 88 percent of what their male counterparts earn, women over age 35 earn only 76 percent of what men their age make."

Overall, women earn 79 cents for every dollar earned by men, up from 59 cents in 1974. In every state a significant gap still exists.