From 24/7 Wall Street:

Income inequality is severe in some industries, and there are states with concentrations of these businesses. In these states, the gender earnings gap for full-time workers is extremely high, and Washington state is one of the worst.

In an interview with 24/7 Wall St., Institute for Women’s Policy Research study director Ariane Hegewisch explained that the biggest reason for the pay gap between men and women in these states came down to where people are employed. While the gap in pay still exists in nearly every occupation, she said, it is much narrower in fields such as health care, education and real estate.

As of 2011, Washington state had one of the highest proportions of workers in professional, scientific and management positions – fields with more severe gender pay gaps. Women in those positions earned nearly $22,500 less than men did. In Washington’s Bremerton-Silverdale metropolitan area, women earned $18,650 less than men — the ninth biggest earnings gap among all U.S. metropolitan areas.

In the state’s professional, scientific and management positions, which account for a high 11.9% of all positions in the state, median earning for men exceeded that for women by $22,487. This was nearly $10,000 higher than the national wage gap in this industry. Here’s the data:

#5: Washington State
Gender difference in full-time, year-round income: $13,979
Female full-time, year-round median income: $41,817 (9th highest)
Male full-time, year-round median income: $55,796 (6th highest)
2011 unemployment rate: 9.2% (16th highest)