Calculate the pay gap between two groups or individuals. Understand salary differences and equity metrics across demographics.
Last updated: March 2026
The gender pay gap refers to the average difference in earnings between men and women. It's typically calculated as the percentage difference between the average male salary and the average female salary within a specific context (country, industry, company, role).
It's important to note that the raw pay gap often reflects differences in job choices, experience, hours worked, and negotiation patterns—not solely discrimination. However, even when controlling for these factors, a significant unexplained gap often remains in many industries and economies.
This calculator helps you understand pay differences between any two groups or individuals. The gap percentage shows what percentage more (or less) one group earns compared to the other.
Software Engineer Pay Comparison
Not exactly. The pay gap is a statistical measure of average earnings differences. Discrimination is one potential cause, but the gap also reflects job choices, experience, hours worked, negotiation differences, and other factors.
Ideally, there should be no systematic pay gaps when controlling for job, experience, hours, and role. However, many industries show unexplained gaps of 5-15% even after controlling for known factors.
Equal pay means same compensation for identical work. Pay gap measures average earnings across entire groups (which may do different work). The two concepts are related but distinct.
You can! This calculator works for any salary comparison—by job title, industry, department, or experience level. For accurate analysis, compare within specific roles and experience bands.
Yes. If the 'lower' group earns more than the 'higher' group, the gap is negative or inverted. For example, in some fields, women earn more on average than men.
Economic research suggests unexplained gaps >5% warrant investigation. Many organizations aim for <3% after controlling for role, experience, and performance factors.
This calculator shows salary only. A complete pay analysis should include benefits, bonuses, stock options, and retirement contributions, which can vary significantly between groups.
Averages can mask important patterns. Analyzing pay by job level, department, and experience provides deeper insight. Median comparisons can also be more robust if data is skewed.
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