Higher education is supposed to be the path to better wages. For workers of color, particularly women of color, that promise did not hold. At every education level on the Central Coast in 2021, workers of color earned less than their white counterparts. In many cases, the wage gap widened as education increased.

In Ventura County, white men with a bachelor’s degree earned a median wage of $52 per hour in 2021. Women of color with the same degree earned $34, over one-third less. In Santa Barbara County, white men with a bachelor’s degree earned a median wage of $50 per hour, compared to $39 per hour for men of color with the same degree. Women of color with some college but no degree earned wages similar to, or lower than, white women with only a high school diploma.

Equal education does not produce equal pay. Gaps that persist across all education levels point to structural barriers beyond individual qualifications. Closing them requires understanding how race and gender shape access to industries, occupations, and wages.

Insights & Analyses: San Luis Obispo County

• Though data are limited for San Luis Obispo County, among those with a bachelor’s degree or higher, women earn less than men. Women of color earn $15 per hour less than white men ($30 per hour and $45 per hour, respectively). White women also earn less than men, though have higher wages than women of color.
• The median wage of workers in the region varies based on educational attainment, race/ethnicity, and gender in the Central Coast. However across all three counties, women of color earn less than their white and/or male counterparts with the same educational background.

Insights & Analyses: Santa Barbara County

• In Santa Barbara County, women of color workers earn the least regardless of their educational attainment. Women of color with a high school diploma earn $10 per hour less than white men ($14 per hour compared to $24 per hour, respectively).  Women of color with a bachelor’s degree or higher in Santa Barbara earn $18 per hour less than white men with the same educational background ($32 per hour compared to $50 per hour respectively). Men of color with a bachelor’s degree or higher earn $11 per hour less than white men with the same educational background ($39 per hour compared to $50 per hour).
• The median wage of workers in the region varies based on educational attainment, race/ethnicity, and gender in the Central Coast. However across all three counties, women of color earn less than their white and/or male counterparts with the same educational background.

Insights & Analyses: Ventura County

• In Ventura County, women of color with a bachelor’s degree or higher earn $18 per hour less than white men with the same educational background ($34 per hour compared to $52 per hour). Women of color with a high school diploma earn $12 per hour less than white men ($16 per hour compared to $28 per hour). Men of color with a high school diploma earn $9 less than white men with a similar education ($19 per hour, compared to $28 per hour). 
• The median wage of workers in the region varies based on educational attainment, race/ethnicity, and gender in the Central Coast. However across all three counties, women of color earn less than their white and/or male counterparts with the same educational background.