AAUW, the women's education and equity advocacy organization, has ranked Hawai'i No. 2 in the nation when it comes to the narrowest wage gap between college-educated men and women.

In a state-by-state comparison of the college-educated, year-round workforce, the narrowest wage gap exists in Vermont, where female full-time workers make 87 percent as much as their male counterparts.

The average salary for a college-educated man who worked full-time in Vermont was $52,600. A college-educated woman working full-time made $45,500.

Hawai'i was second at 83 percent ($58,700 to $49,000), followed by Delaware at 80 percent.

The study was released in advance of Equal Pay Day, which is observed today.

Louisiana — where female full-time workers make 65 percent of what their male counterparts earn — and West Virginia and Mississippi, both at 67 percent, emerged as the states with the largest pay differences between male and female college-educated workers.

Nationally, women of all education levels make 78 percent of men on average, according to the report.

"Our analysis is quite disturbing, especially when you consider how more and more families are depending on a woman's paycheck as the primary source of income in these tough economic times," said AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman.

"Consequently, the issue of pay equity takes on an added sense of urgency. This is just one of the reasons why we're urging the Senate to join the House and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act."

The Paycheck Fairness Act would provide additional tools to deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act, according to the AAUW.