Introduction

In the first installment of a three-part series of reports on gender disparities in 2020 clergy compensation, the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (GCSRW) explored the disparity in compensation of clergywomen and clergymen using 2020 U.S. compensation data from the denomination. Despite the trend of women constituting over half of The United Methodist Church (UMC) membership (Pew Research Center, 2015; General Council on Finance and Administration, 2020), women are significantly underrepresented among active, fulltime UMC clergy and are paid significantly less than UMC clergymen (Bethune, 2021).

Now in this second report, we revisit the 2020 compensation data and provide an update to the 2017 report (Bethune M. , 2017) on gender disparity in UMC clergy compensation by jurisdiction and annual conference. Results of this study show that, while the proportion of clergy who are women have increased in some jurisdictional conferences, clergywomen still may lag clergymen in both representation and compensation. What follows is a breakdown of highlights from our analyses and findings.

Demographics

For this study, we used 2020 U.S. compensation data from the denomination that included UMC clergy (N = 14,124) who were actively employed in 2020, 100% fulltime employed (total across multiple appointments as applicable), and who resided or were employed in U.S. jurisdictions. In 2020, clergy were 32% women and 68% men. By member type, clergy were: 46% elders – full connection; 21% full members, 20% fulltime local pastors, 7% provisional elders, 3% deacons – full connection, and 3% other member types (e.g., associate members, provisional deacon, student local pastor, etc.). By jurisdiction, clergy were: 36% Southeastern, 21% North Central, 20% South Central, 16% Northeastern, and 7% Western.

In 2020, clergy were, on average, 52.5 ± 11.1 years of age and had 15.7 ± 11.2 years of service. On average, UMC clergy received $59,515 ± $24,518 (ranging from $0 to $1,028,411) in salary in 2020. Clergy who received a housing allowance (38%; n = 5,364) received, on average, $21,420 ± $10,544 (ranging from $0 to $300,000). Clergy who received parsonage amount (56%; n = 7,862) received, on average, $14,350 ± $4,792 (ranging from $2,416 to $147,675). On average, UMC clergy received $75,637 ± $29,691 in total compensation[1] (ranging from $1,200 to $1,054,211). For a more detailed breakdown of clergy demographics and general figures regarding clergy compensation in 2020, see this previously published report.

Gender Composition of UMC Clergy

In 2020, fulltime UMC clergy were 32% women and 68% men. The gender composition of UMC clergy varies greatly by jurisdiction, as well as at the conference level[2]. Table 1 shows the 2020 gender breakdown of fulltime clergy by jurisdiction and conference. In comparison to other jurisdictions, clergywomen are underrepresented in the Southeastern Jurisdiction[3] – constituting only 27% of clergy in 2020. Meanwhile, women are relatively better represented in the North Central, Northeastern, and Western Jurisdictions, in comparison to all other jurisdictions. The proportion of clergy who are women ranges across annual conferences from 0% (Red Bird Missionary Conference) to 50% (Alaska United Methodist). Women are significantly underrepresented in the following conferences, in comparison to all other annual conferences: West Ohio, Susquehanna, Western Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Northwest Texas, Alabama-West Florida, Holston, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Alabama, and South Georgia.

In comparison to other conferences within their respective jurisdictions, women are significantly underrepresented in the following jurisdictional conferences: West Ohio (in comparison to conferences in the North Central Jurisdiction); Western Pennsylvania and Susquehanna (in comparison to conferences in the Northeastern Jurisdiction); Northwest Texas and Arkansas (in comparison to conferences in the South Central Jurisdiction); Kentucky, Mississippi, North Alabama, and South Georgia (in comparison to conferences in the Southeastern Jurisdiction); and California-Pacific (in comparison to conferences in the Western Jurisdiction). Please note these disparities have existed over a lengthy period of time and is no reflection on any one administration.

The Gender Pay Gap for UMC Clergy by Conference and Jurisdiction

In 2020, UMC clergywomen, on average, made significantly less salary[4], housing allowance[5], parsonage amount[6], and thus total compensation[7] than did clergymen. When data were disaggregated by jurisdiction, UMC clergywomen made significantly less in salary and total compensation in each of the five U.S. jurisdictions, in comparison to clergymen. UMC clergywomen also received significantly less housing allowance than clergymen in all five U.S. jurisdictions. UMC clergywomen received significantly less parsonage amount than clergymen in all U.S. jurisdictions, except the Western Jurisdiction. Tables 2 through 5 show the average salary, housing allowance, parsonage, and total compensation respectively, by gender and for each jurisdiction. As noted in the tables, most jurisdictions reflect statistically significant and substantial gender pay gaps across all types of compensation.

Data were disaggregated by conference, and the pattern of gender disparity in compensation was observed in many instances at this level, as well. Tables 6 through 9 show the average salary, housing allowance, parsonage, and total compensation respectively, by gender and for each conference. Noted in these tables are the conferences that reflect statistically significant and substantial gender pay gaps for each type of compensation. It is plausible that factors, such as years of service or clergy membership type can sometimes influence how clergy are compensated; in general, these factors were found to be salient in the 2020 data (Bethune, 2021). When analyses were conducted, controlling for age, years of service, clergy member type, and jurisdiction, clergywomen still received significantly less salary than men in 2020 in the following conferences: Central Texas, East Ohio, Iowa, and North Georgia.

Then and Now

While proportion of fulltime UMC clergy that are women has undergone a modest increase from 2015 to 2020 (Bethune, 2021), women still are significantly underrepresented. This is a pattern that is observed at the jurisdiction as well as annual conference level. From 2015 to 2020, a number of annual conferences have seen increases in women’s representation among fulltime clergy that meet or exceed the average improvement (+3%) of the jurisdictional conferences. Table 1 shows both the conferences and jurisdictions that have increased their proportion of clergy who are women by at least 3 percentage points from 2015 to 2020. It is important to note though that a 3% change over the course of five years is at best, only a modest change. For many conferences, there was much room in 2015 for improvement toward parity in clergy representation.

Overall and at the jurisdiction level, much of the observed gender disparity in compensation persisted from 2015 to 2020. However, at the conference level, notable improvements have been made to reduce the gender pay gap. For example, conferences for whom statistically significant differences in clergywomen and clergywomen’s salary were observed in 2015, but not in 2020 include the following: Baltimore-Washington, Dakotas, Eastern Pennsylvania, Florida, Great Plains, Holston, Illinois Great Rivers, Louisiana, Memphis, Mississippi, New England, New York, North Texas, South Carolina, South Georgia, Susquehanna, Texas, Upper New York, West Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Study findings also suggest that, for some conferences, disparity manifests not only in the ways in which clergy are compensated by gender, but perhaps also in the situation of UM clergywomen in general. For example, clergywomen are likely to have fewer years of service and are less likely to be serving in clergy capacities that are compensated more substantively (e.g., elders in full connection), which seem, in some cases, to impact the salary and other compensation outcomes of clergywomen at large.

In pursuit of equity, it is strongly recommended that conferences and jurisdictions critically examine their policies and procedures that directly influence the ways in which clergy are compensated. Additionally though, it is advised that factors influencing the overall situation of clergywomen (e.g., appointments, ordination processes, pipelines to ministry, etc.) also be reviewed, such that they may better support the participation, promotion, and equitable compensation of clergy along lines of gender.

References

Bethune, M. (2017). Geographic trends associated with gender composition and compensation for UMC clergy. The United Methodist Church, General Commission on the Status and Role of Women. Retrieved from https://gcsrw.org/MonitoringHistory/WomenByTheNumbers/tabid/891/post/geographic-trends-associated-with-gender-composition-and-compensation-for-umc-clergy/Default.aspx

Bethune, M. C. (2021). How far we’ve come and the distance still to go: UMC clergywomen are still significantly undercompensated. The United Methodist Church, General Commission on the Status and Role of Women. General Commission on the Status and Role of Women.

General Council on Finance and Administration. (2020). 2018 Membership by Ethnicity and Gender. The United Methodist Church. Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Church. Retrieved August 2021

Pew Research Center. (2015). America's changing religious landscape. Pew Research Center.

Table 1 Gender Composition of U.S. Clergy by Jurisdictional Conference, 2020 (N= 14,124)
	Women		Men		Total	≥ 3 percentage points change in % women^g
	n	%	n	%	N	+/-
NORTH CENTRAL^f
DAKOTAS	40	33.1%	81	66.9%	121	+
EAST OHIO	82	30.7%	185	69.3%	267	+
ILLINOIS GREAT RIVERS	94	30.3%	216	69.7%	310	+
INDIANA	108	27.4%	286	72.6%	394	+
IOWA ^b,d	117	39.8%	177	60.2%	294
MICHIGAN	140	33.3%	281	66.7%	421
MINNESOTA ^b,d	77	46.7%	88	53.3%	165	+
NORTHERN ILLINOIS ^b,d	113	44.3%	142	55.7%	255	+
WEST OHIO ^a,c	153	30.2%	353	69.8%	506	+
WISCONSIN ^b,d	88	43.3%	115	56.7%	203	+
NORTH CENTRAL TOTAL ^f	1,012	34.5%	1,924	65.5%	2,936	+
NORTHEASTERN ^f
BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON ^b,d	139	43.8%	178	56.2%	317
EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA	52	30.6%	118	69.4%	170
GREATER NEW JERSEY	90	35.3%	165	64.7%	255	+
NEW ENGLAND ^b	74	40.2%	110	59.8%	184
NEW YORK ^b	90	40.0%	135	60.0%	225	+
PENINSULA-DELAWARE	41	36.6%	71	63.4%	112	+
SUSQUEHANNA ^a,c	76	28.5%	191	71.5%	267	+
UPPER NEW YORK ^b,d	97	43.3%	127	56.7%	224
WEST VIRGINIA	69	31.2%	152	68.8%	221	+
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA ^a,c	59	20.9%	223	79.1%	282	+
NORTHEASTERN TOTAL ^f	787	34.9%	1,470	65.1%	2,257	+
SOUTH CENTRAL
ARKANSAS ^a,c	55	25.2%	163	74.8%	218
CENTRAL TEXAS	62	30.2%	143	69.8%	205
GREAT PLAINS ^b,d	179	40.2%	266	59.8%	445	+
LOUISIANA	57	32.6%	118	67.4%	175	+
MISSOURI	103	31.6%	223	68.4%	326
NEW MEXICO	19	25.3%	56	74.7%	75	+
NORTH TEXAS	88	33.8%	172	66.2%	260
NORTHWEST TEXAS ^a,c	15	14.9%	86	85.1%	101
OKLAHOMA	83	28.0%	213	72.0%	296	+
OKLAHOMA INDIAN MSNY	5	41.7%	7	58.3%	12
RIO TEXAS	89	34.5%	169	65.5%	258
TEXAS	133	29.2%	322	70.8%	455	+
SOUTH CENTRAL TOTAL	888	31.4%	1,938	68.6%	2,826	+
SOUTHEASTERN ^e
ALABAMA-WEST FLORIDA ^a	61	22.5%	210	77.5%	271	+
FLORIDA	133	28.9%	328	71.1%	461	+
HOLSTON ^a	81	26.1%	229	73.9%	310	+
KENTUCKY ^a,c	40	16.9%	196	83.1%	236	+
MEMPHIS	33	26.0%	94	74.0%	127	+
MISSISSIPPI ^a,c	81	21.9%	289	78.1%	370
NORTH ALABAMA ^a,c	56	19.5%	231	80.5%	287
NORTH CAROLINA	126	30.5%	287	69.5%	413	+
NORTH GEORGIA ^d	144	31.9%	307	68.1%	451	+
RED BIRD MISSIONARY	0	0.0%	6	100.0%	6
SOUTH CAROLINA	129	30.6%	292	69.4%	421
SOUTH GEORGIA ^a,c	38	16.3%	195	83.7%	233
TENNESSEE ^d	80	33.8%	157	66.2%	237	+
VIRGINIA ^d	197	30.9%	440	69.1%	637	+
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA ^d	199	31.4%	435	68.6%	634
SOUTHEASTERN TOTAL ^e	1,398	27.4%	3,696	72.6%	5,094	+
WESTERN
ALASKA UNITED METHODIST	1	50.0%	1	50.0%	2	+
CALIFORNIA-NEVADA ^b	86	42.4%	117	57.6%	203
CALIFORNIA-PACIFIC ^c	113	36.8%	194	63.2%	307	+
DESERT SOUTHWEST ^b	38	41.8%	53	58.2%	91
MOUNTAIN SKY ^b,d	94	48.5%	100	51.5%	194	+
OREGON IDAHO	35	41.7%	49	58.3%	84
PACIFIC NORTHWEST ^b	59	45.4%	71	54.6%	130	-
WESTERN TOTAL ^f	426	42.1%	585	57.9%	1,011	+
US TOTAL	4,511	31.9%	9,613	68.1%	14,124	+
^aWomen are significantly underrepresented among clergy in this annual conference, in comparison to all other annual conferences. ^bWomen are relatively better represented among clergy in this annual conference, in comparison to all other annual conferences. ^cWomen are significantly underrepresented among clergy in this annual conference, in comparison to annual conferences sharing a jurisdiction. ^dWomen are relatively better represented among clergy in this annual conference, in comparison to annual conferences sharing a jurisdiction. ^eWomen are significantly underrepresented among clergy in this jurisdiction, in comparison to all other jurisdictions. ^fWomen are relatively better among clergy in this jurisdiction, in comparison to all other jurisdictions. ^g Proportion of clergy that are women changed by ≥ 3 percentage points from 2015 to 2020

Table 2 Average Salary of Full-time UMC Clergy by Gender and Jurisdiction, 2020, N=14,124
	Average Salary
	Gender
	Women			Men			Total
	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD
North Central^a,b	1,012	53,168	14,540	1,924	57.371	17,316	2,936	55,922	16,531
North Eastern^a	787	54,549	15,575	1,470	57,712	1,8483	2,257	56,609	17,585
South Central^a,b	888	56,038	38,136	1,938	66,581	33,690	2,826	63,268	35,480
Southeastern^a,b	1,398	56,426	20,044	3,696	64,013	25,745	5,094	61,931	24,546
Western^a,b	426	51,393	13,388	585	55,494	14,621	1,011	53,766	14,252
US Total	4,511	54,816	22,801	9,613	61,719	24,982	14,124	59,514	24,518
^aIn these jurisdictions, there was a statistically significant difference in clergywomen and clergymen’s 2020 salaries. ^bIn these jurisdictions, gender was still a significant predictor of 2020 salary, even when length of service, age (at the time of report), and membership type were held steady.

Table 3 Average Housing Allowance of Full-time UMC Clergy by Gender and Jurisdiction, 2020, N=5,364
	Average Housing Allowance
	Gender
	Women			Men			Total
	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD
North Central^a	290	18,028	7,049	553	19,823	7,798	841	19,206	7,592
Northeastern^a	207	20,674	9,033	326	22,843	9,829	533	22,001	9,578
South Central^a,b	453	19,948	10,455	893	23,794	12,934	1,346	22,500	12,287
Southeastern^a,b	603	18,505	6,339	1,417	21,052	11,367	2,020	20,292	10,196
Western^a,b	264	23,655	9,802	1,417	26,427	10,837	622	25,251	10,492
US Total	1,817	19,784	8,655	3,547	22,258	11,301	5,364	21,420	10,544
^aIn these jurisdictions, there was a statistically significant difference in clergywomen and clergymen’s 2020 housing allowance. ^bIn these jurisdictions, gender was still a significant predictor of 2020 housing allowance, even when length of service, age (at time of report), and membership type were held steady.

Table 4 Average Parsonage Amount of Full-time UMC Clergy by Gender and Jurisdiction, 2020, N=7,862
	Average Parsonage Amount
	Gender
	Women			Men			Total
	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD
North Central^a,b	643	13,087	3,299	1,261	13,978	3,731	1,904	13,677	3,615
North Eastern^a	527	13,442	3,405	1,079	14,135	4,222	1,606	13,908	3,985
South Central^a,b	394	13,426	4,238	998	15,629	7,019	1,492	15,006	6,432
Southeastern^a,b	623	13,979	4,487	1,971	15,218	5,222	2,594	14,920	5,082
Western	152	13,052	4,487	214	13,415	2,621	366	13,264	2,686
US Total	2,339	13,459	3,820	5,523	14,728	5,103	7,862	14,350	4,792
^aIn these jurisdictions, there was a statistically significant difference in clergywomen and clergymen’s 2020 parsonage amount. ^bIn these jurisdictions, gender was still a significant predictor of 2020 parsonage amount, even when length of service, age (at time of report), and membership type were held steady.

Table 5 Average Total Compensation of Full-time UMC Clergy by Gender and Jurisdiction, 2020, N=14,124
	Total Compensation
	Gender
	Women			Men			Total
	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD
North Central^a,b	1,012	66,649	18,449	1,924	72,230	21,622	2,936	70,306	20,751
Northeastern^a	787	68,988	18,980	1,470	73,153	22,481	2,257	71,701	21,414
South Central^a,b	888	72,171	41,392	1,938	85,594	41,845	2,826	81,376	42,159
Southeastern^a,b	1,398	70,638	23,811	3,696	80,199	31,415	5,094	77,575	29,829
Western^a,b	426	70,710	17,374	585	76,573	19,840	1,011	74,103	19,053
US Total	4,511	69,764	26,150	9,613	78,394	30,833	14,124	75,637	29,691
^aIn these jurisdictions, there was a statistically significant difference in clergywomen and clergymen’s 2020 total compensation. ^bIn these jurisdictions, gender was still a significant predictor of 2020 total compensation, even when length of service, age (at time of report), and membership type were held steady.

Table 6 Average Salary of Full-time UMC Clergy by Gender and Annual Conference, 2020, N=14,124
	Gender
	Women			Men			Total
	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD
ALABAMA-WEST FLORIDA^a	61	55,797	21,717	210	68,514	27,745	271	65,651	27,000
ALASKA UNITED METHODIST	1	42,815	--	1	56,000	--	2	49,408	9,323
ARKANSAS^a	55	82,048	132,331	163	79,082	27,802	218	79,830	70,260
BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON	139	59,463	19,438	178	62,494	21,512	317	61,165	20,651
CALIFORNIA-NEVADA	86	56,527	11,473	117	58,320	14,075	203	57,560	13,036
CALIFORNIA-PACIFIC	113	54,877	15,014	194	57,676	13,962	307	56,646	14,398
CENTRAL TEXAS^b	62	55,654	22,493	143	74,499	36,121	205	68,799	33,686
DAKOTAS	40	54,859	15,126	81	58,853	14,130	121	57,532	14,526
DESERT SOUTHWEST	38	48,900	12,615	53	53,771	11,474	91	51,737	12,138
EAST OHIO^a,b	82	47,113	10,701	185	52,004	15,114	267	50,502	14,071
EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA	52	56,358	18,432	118	60,761	16,898	170	59,414	17,445
FLORIDA	133	57,045	18,426	328	65,703	26,263	461	63,205	24,559
GREAT PLAINS	179	52,726	13,529	266	58,436	38,570	445	56,139	31,131
GREATER NEW JERSEY^a	90	56,198	16,694	165	59,940	15,891	255	58,619	16,245
HOLSTON	81	57,441	19,946	229	59,131	20,686	310	58,689	20,476
ILLINOIS GREAT RIVERS	94	58,591	16,233	216	62,225	18,541	310	61,123	17,925
INDIANA^a	108	55,459	14,569	286	61,770	16,914	394	60,040	16,528
IOWA^a,b	117	55,403	12,337	177	62,234	22,644	294	59,515	19,480
KENTUCKY^a	40	48,372	15,054	196	56,572	18,886	236	55,182	18,523
LOUISIANA	57	56,598	19,331	118	67,513	31,923	175	63,958	28,841
MEMPHIS	33	51,988	19,401	94	58,881	22,019	127	57,090	21,509
MICHIGAN^a	140	51,747	15,769	281	56,321	16,303	421	54,800	16,252
MINNESOTA	77	52,366	12,758	88	51,236	8,704	165	51,764	10,767
MISSISSIPPI^a	81	57,623	26,293	289	62,106	26,221	370	61,125	26,267
MISSOURI	103	51,037	16,253	223	56,332	17,732	326	54,659	17,429
MOUNTAIN SKY	94	45,853	13,300	100	50,540	17,877	194	48,269	15,959
NEW ENGLAND	74	54,525	11,898	110	58,102	26,406	184	56,664	21,791
NEW MEXICO^a	19	55,564	13,011	56	64,672	19,730	75	62,365	18,612
NEW YORK	90	55,331	14,437	135	60,386	23,981	225	58,364	20,809
NORTH ALABAMA^a	56	54,561	23,714	231	64,299	28,357	287	62,399	27,744
NORTH CAROLINA^a	126	59,130	16,178	287	65,414	22,453	413	63,497	20,922
NORTH GEORGIA^b	144	57,134	23,457	307	75,578	34,104	451	69,689	32,247
NORTH TEXAS	88	53,981	20,683	172	71,789	48,227	260	65,761	41,839
NORTHERN ILLINOIS	113	50,389	16,011	142	53,558	17,774	255	52,154	17,056
NORTHWEST TEXAS	15	56,038	17,449	86	62,612	22,218	101	61,635	21,627
OKLAHOMA^a	83	54,102	21,060	213	67,122	31,295	296	63,471	29,350
OKLAHOMA INDIAN MSNY	5	33,845	3,493	7	43,054	19,182	12	39,217	15,087
OREGON IDAHO	35	45,091	12,023	49	50,940	14,541	84	48,502	13,781
PACIFIC NORTHWEST^a	59	51,557	8,569	71	56,271	11,999	130	54,132	10,803
PENINSULA-DELAWARE	41	52,707	13,409	71	54,570	15,217	112	53,888	14,547
RED BIRD MISSIONARY	0	--	--	6	34,422	3,619	6	34,422	3,619
RIO TEXAS^a	89	55,547	18,350	169	57,901	19,293	258	57,089	18,970
SOUTH CAROLINA	129	64,048	20,002	292	69,106	24,045	421	67,556	22,977
SOUTH GEORGIA	38	63,640	20,491	195	72,118	26,786	233	70,735	26,016
SUSQUEHANNA	76	56,730	13,659	191	59,768	13,980	267	58,903	13,932
TENNESSEE^a	80	55,351	21,731	157	59,488	21,306	237	58,092	21,494
TEXAS	133	57,351	24,200	322	73,543	37,740	455	68,810	35,095
UPPER NEW YORK	97	50,890	10,558	127	52,738	12,985	224	51,938	12,004
VIRGINIA^a	197	48,876	12,878	440	53,703	18,675	637	52,210	17,229
WEST OHIO	153	52,157	14,170	353	54,599	15,990	506	53,861	15,489
WEST VIRGINIA	69	46,415	14,059	152	48,475	14,785	221	47,832	14,562
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA^a	199	57,552	19,527	435	65,044	25,991	634	62,692	24,383
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA	59	51,696	14,086	223	57,187	16,416	282	56,038	16,089
WISCONSIN	88	54,752	13,515	115	57,899	15,841	203	56,535	14,925
US TOTAL	4,511	54,816	22,801	9,613	61,719	24,982	14,124	59,515	24,518

^aIn this annual conference, there was a statistically significant difference in clergywomen and clergymen’s 2020 salaries.
^bIn this annual conference, gender was still a significant predictor of 2020 salary, even when length of service, age (at time of report), and membership type were held steady.

Table 7 Average Housing Allowance of Full-time UMC Clergy by Gender and Annual Conference, 2020, N=5,364
	Gender
	Women			Men			Total
	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD
ALABAMA-WEST FLORIDA^a	35	17,755	5,647	123	22,483	8,917	158	21,436	8,519
ALASKA UNITED METHODIST	1	30,605	--	1	21,000	--	2	25,803	6,792
ARKANSAS	27	18,398	9,487	75	19,028	6,714	102	18,861	7,502
BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON	96	25,174	8,972	112	26,894	9,910	208	26,100	9,505
CALIFORNIA-NEVADA	42	24,144	10,668	56	28,315	11,787	98	26,528	11,453
CALIFORNIA-PACIFIC	69	26,149	10,392	120	29,346	11,141	189	28,179	10,955
CENTRAL TEXAS^a	35	17,826	8,901	79	24,077	12,360	114	22,158	11,734
DAKOTAS	12	19,692	7,995	20	21,731	4,255	32	20,966	5,898
DESERT SOUTHWEST	31	23,612	6,784	51	24,467	8,850	82	24,143	8,097
EAST OHIO	11	12,733	3,113	42	17,953	12,879	53	16,870	11,714
EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA^a	27	18,590	6,948	66	22,072	7,218	93	21,061	7,279
FLORIDA^a	43	22,525	6,634	119	27,429	8,583	162	26,127	8,378
GREAT PLAINS^a	75	15,504	5,270	93	17,991	7,610	168	16,881	6,764
GREATER NEW JERSEY	6	22,720	7,497	11	25,891	14,346	17	24,772	12,191
HOLSTON	31	14,206	4,193	91	14,704	5,384	122	14,577	5,096
ILLINOIS GREAT RIVERS	14	14,869	4,039	25	16,414	5,833	39	15,860	5,257
INDIANA	28	19,195	4,283	95	21,256	7,658	123	20,787	7,070
IOWA^a	21	17,008	3,368	36	18,858	2,821	57	18,177	3,136
KENTUCKY	19	19,657	6,756	76	19,770	5,473	95	19,748	5,713
LOUISIANA^a	26	17,030	4,819	56	20,976	7,129	82	19,725	6,715
MEMPHIS	20	22,915	8,395	50	27,317	12,341	70	26,059	11,470
MICHIGAN^a	22	14,024	7,039	67	17,520	6,918	89	16,656	7,072
MINNESOTA	49	21,655	6,708	58	22,658	9,236	107	22,199	8,155
MISSISSIPPI	5	17,638	7,248	4	19,200	9,075	9	18,332	7,604
MISSOURI^a	59	18,581	9,167	91	21,840	7,498	150	20,558	8,320
MOUNTAIN SKY	63	25,340	10,694	59	26,270	11,906	122	25,790	11,259
NEW ENGLAND	13	16,825	6,685	17	23,125	10,142	30	20,395	9,237
NEW MEXICO	7	20,636	7,098	17	23,691	9,637	24	22,800	8,931
NEW YORK	11	19,664	9,690	15	26,993	12,726	26	23,892	11,912
NORTH ALABAMA^a	25	14,814	5,918	99	18,766	8,079	124	17,969	7,834
NORTH CAROLINA	55	18,749	4,637	111	23,045	27,101	166	21,622	22,378
NORTH GEORGIA^a	108	20,962	5,230	193	24,176	7,707	301	23,023	7,082
NORTH TEXAS	76	26,764	12,492	124	29,366	15,680	200	28,377	14,573
NORTHERN ILLINOIS	24	22,037	9,840	35	24,549	7,068	59	23,527	8,320
NORTHWEST TEXAS	2	12,000	8,485	30	24,457	7,644	32	23,678	8,147
OKLAHOMA	23	14,758	5,166	90	16,823	7,890	113	16,403	7,444
OKLAHOMA INDIAN MSNY	1	12,000	--	1	7,000	--	2	9,500	3,536
OREGON IDAHO	20	16,291	6,507	32	19,738	8,016	52	18,412	7,596
PACIFIC NORTHWEST^a	38	19,524	6,547	39	23,163	7,414	77	21,367	7,190
PENINSULA-DELAWARE^a	14	16,639	7,228	32	22,042	5,601	46	20,397	6,559
RIO TEXAS	35	20,580	9,057	79	21,727	10,596	114	21,375	10,123
SOUTH CAROLINA	37	16,678	4,447	93	17,772	7,215	130	17,461	6,549
SOUTH GEORGIA	11	14,955	4,974	55	18,403	8,850	66	17,828	8,399
SUSQUEHANNA	3	12,579	6,303	12	18,762	10,103	15	17,525	9,614
TENNESSEE^a	55	19,084	7,495	86	23,137	12,854	141	21,556	11,221
TEXAS^a	87	22,297	13,000	158	32,078	17,435	245	28,605	16,64
UPPER NEW YORK	21	14,463	6,255	31	16,638	6,936	52	15,760	6,694
VIRGINIA	84	18,364	7,085	181	19,210	6,902	265	18,942	6,958
WEST OHIO^a	70	15,363	7,397	129	18,494	7,013	199	17,393	7,288
WEST VIRGINIA	6	12,250	4,756	9	11,292	4,242	15	11,675	4,312
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA	75	15,588	4,722	136	16,943	5,020	211	16,461	4,948
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA	10	14,173	3,661	21	16,534	9,396	31	15,773	8,009
WISCONSIN	39	19,875	4,782	46	20,261	5,202	85	20,084	4,988
US TOTAL	1,817	19,784	8,655	3,547	22,258	11,301	5,364	21,420	10,544
^aIn this annual conference, there was a statistically significant difference in clergywomen and clergymen’s 2020 housing allowance.

Table 8 Average Parsonage Amount of Full-time UMC Clergy by Gender and Annual Conference, 2020, N=7,862
	Gender
	Women			Men			Total
	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD
ALABAMA-WEST FLORIDA^a	19	12,459	3,498	82	15,473	4,275	101	14,906	4,290
ALASKA UNITED METHODIST	0	--	--	0	--	--	0	--	--
ARKANSAS^a	24	15,602	4,386	87	18,715	6,026	111	18,042	5,837
BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON	34	13,613	2,632	53	14,096	2,795	87	13,907	2,727
CALIFORNIA-NEVADA	44	14,128	2,817	58	14,021	2,155	102	14,067	2,450
CALIFORNIA-PACIFIC	39	13,890	2,719	71	13,896	2,541	110	13,894	2,593
CENTRAL TEXAS	17	15,380	6,702	56	16,043	4,699	73	15,889	5,189
DAKOTAS	25	12,625	2,156	54	13,844	2,833	79	13,458	2,685
DESERT SOUTHWEST	6	11,869	2,667	2	13,804	3,459	8	12,352	2,755
EAST OHIO^a	64	11,665	2,700	133	12,675	3,250	197	12,347	3,111
EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA	20	14,347	2,488	47	15,458	2,966	67	15,126	2,860
FLORIDA	83	14,722	4,718	190	15,395	4,638	273	15,190	4,664
GREAT PLAINS	100	12,482	2,546	166	14,171	10,981	266	13,536	8,842
GREATER NEW JERSEY^a	76	13,222	4,176	151	14,681	4,298	227	14,193	4,304
HOLSTON	42	13,629	4,157	119	13,654	3,617	161	13,647	3,752
ILLINOIS GREAT RIVERS	74	14,510	3,850	177	15,306	4,284	251	15,072	4,169
INDIANA^a	71	13,462	3,006	183	14,437	3,267	254	14,164	3,220
IOWA^a	81	13,744	2,666	124	14,968	3,248	205	14,485	3,084
KENTUCKY^a	19	11,686	2,139	110	13,043	3,714	129	12,843	3,553
LOUISIANA	30	14,091	4,328	61	16,251	5,370	91	15,539	5,128
MEMPHIS	13	14,824	4,026	43	14,987	3,977	56	14,949	3,952
MICHIGAN	110	12,983	3,514	207	13,816	3,842	317	13,527	3,747
MINNESOTA	28	12,461	2,667	30	12,834	2,133	58	12,654	2,391
MISSISSIPPI^a	31	12,670	4,433	183	14,662	4,928	214	14,373	4,900
MISSOURI	43	12,194	3,233	124	13,101	3,360	167	12,867	3,342
MOUNTAIN SKY	29	11,891	2,972	37	12,023	2,405	66	11,965	2,648
NEW ENGLAND	58	13,721	2,803	88	14,258	6,667	146	14,045	5,462
NEW MEXICO^a	11	12,883	3,078	37	16,210	4,997	48	15,448	4,810
NEW YORK	74	14,106	3,172	112	15,044	5,508	186	14,671	4,732
NORTH ALABAMA^a	24	12,670	3,341	117	15,392	6,533	141	14,929	6,185
NORTH CAROLINA^a	56	14,066	2,974	169	15,558	4,862	225	15,186	4,507
NORTH GEORGIA	30	14,593	6,517	103	17,431	7,477	133	16,791	7,345
NORTH TEXAS	11	15,967	2,465	47	17,423	6,384	58	17,147	5,855
NORTHERN ILLINOIS	83	12,827	4,034	99	13,521	4,825	182	13,205	4,483
NORTHWEST TEXAS	13	13,402	4,911	55	14,373	4,738	68	14,187	4,750
OKLAHOMA^a	53	12,956	3,964	117	16,014	7,106	170	15,061	6,443
OKLAHOMA INDIAN MSNY	3	8,745	1,103	3	8,558	1,633	6	8,652	1,251
OREGON IDAHO	14	11,237	1,243	16	11,539	2,847	30	11,398	2,216
PACIFIC NORTHWEST^a	20	12,365	1,660	30	13,794	2,844	50	13,222	2,521
PENINSULA-DELAWARE^a	26	13,981	3,402	37	13,324	3,660	63	13,595	3,542
RED BIRD MISSIONARY	0	--	--	6	7,932	2,094	6	7,932	2,094
RIO TEXAS^a	50	12,841	3,441	86	14,380	4,306	136	13,814	4,066
SOUTH CAROLINA	77	16,304	5,272	164	16,842	5,000	241	16,670	5,084
SOUTH GEORGIA	23	15,831	5,421	133	16,973	5,138	156	16,805	5,178
SUSQUEHANNA	71	14,388	3,260	174	14,964	3,483	245	14,797	3,423
TENNESSEE^a	17	12,431	4,303	63	15,437	3,975	80	14,798	4,205
TEXAS	39	15,699	6,714	159	17,346	6,804	198	17,021	6,801
UPPER NEW YORK	68	13,274	2,780	90	13,198	2,677	158	13,231	2,713
VIRGINIA^a	93	12,030	3,024	229	13,100	4,537	322	12,791	4,180
WEST OHIO	59	12,811	2,742	187	13,333	3,408	246	13,208	3,263
WEST VIRGINIA	59	11,199	3,610	139	12,048	3,810	198	11,795	3,763
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA^a	96	14,493	4,364	260	15,955	5,701	356	15,561	5,407
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA	41	13,199	3,626	188	14,163	3,373	229	13,991	3,431
WISCONSIN	48	12,756	3,158	67	13,566	3,432	115	13,228	3,331
US TOTAL	2,339	13,459	3,820	5,523	14,728	5,103	7,862	14,350	4,792
^aIn this annual conference, there was a statistically significant difference in clergywomen and clergymen’s 2020 parsonage amount.

Table 9 Average Total Compensation of Full-time UMC Clergy by Gender and Annual Conference, 2020, N=14,124
	Gender
	Women			Men			Total
	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD	n	US$	SD
ALABAMA-WEST FLORIDA^a,b	61	69,865	26,413	210	87,724	33,305	271	83,704	32,703
ALASKA UNITED METHODIST	1	73,420	--	1	77,000	--	2	75,210	2,531
ARKANSAS^a	55	97,888	135,490	163	97,826	32,254	218	97,841	73,109
BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON	139	80,179	20,163	178	83,613	21,623	317	82,108	21,032
CALIFORNIA-NEVADA	86	75,546	16,583	117	78,823	18,754	203	77,435	17,898
CALIFORNIA-PACIFIC	113	75,638	18,481	194	80,914	19,693	307	78,972	19,39
CENTRAL TEXAS^b	62	69,934	28,547	143	94,083	44,184	205	86,779	41,548
DAKOTAS	40	68,657	20,176	81	73,448	17,817	121	71,864	18,683
DESERT SOUTHWEST	38	70,036	15,676	53	77,835	16,334	91	74,578	16,436
EAST OHIO^a,b	82	57,925	13,596	185	65,193	20,916	267	62,961	19,241
EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA	52	71,528	18,394	118	79,264	19,818	170	76,898	19,666
FLORIDA	133	73,515	22,309	328	84,572	31,261	461	81,382	29,372
GREAT PLAINS	179	66,195	16,458	266	73,570	47,352	445	70,603	38,209
GREATER NEW JERSEY^a	90	68,878	21,965	165	75,101	20,212	255	72,905	21,017
HOLSTON	81	69,945	23,634	229	72,069	24,509	310	71,514	24,263
ILLINOIS GREAT RIVERS	94	72,228	20,069	216	76,668	22,869	310	75,322	22,120
INDIANA^a	108	69,285	18,510	286	78,068	21,574	394	75,660	21,123
IOWA^a,b	117	67,971	14,838	177	76,555	24,162	294	73,139	21,344
KENTUCKY^a	40	63,260	18,667	196	71,558	23,350	236	70,152	22,80
LOUISIANA	57	71,782	23,144	118	85,869	36,386	175	81,281	33,263
MEMPHIS	33	71,716	21,361	94	80,268	28,922	127	78,046	27,340
MICHIGAN^a	140	64,152	18,346	281	70,676	20,310	421	68,506	19,897
MINNESOTA	77	70,678	17,438	88	70,545	14,683	165	70,607	15,978
MISSISSIPPI^a	81	63,561	26,772	289	71,656	28,320	370	69,884	28,153
MISSOURI	103	66,771	21,760	223	72,529	22,885	326	70,710	22,661
MOUNTAIN SKY	94	66,504	18,432	100	70,488	24,056	194	68,558	21,553
NEW ENGLAND	74	68,236	14,219	110	73,082	32,882	184	71,133	27,025
NEW MEXICO^a	19	70,625	17,100	56	82,574	26,098	75	79,547	24,591
NEW YORK	90	69,332	16,887	135	75,866	29,532	225	73,253	25,403
NORTH ALABAMA^a	56	66,605	28,144	231	80,138	34,526	287	77,497	33,761
NORTH CAROLINA^a	126	73,566	20,112	287	83,488	33,014	413	80,461	30,00
NORTH GEORGIA^b	144	75,895	27,111	307	96,625	40,222	451	90,006	37,779
NORTH TEXAS	88	79,091	22,505	172	97,720	57,377	260	91,415	49,211
NORTHERN ILLINOIS	113	64,491	20,251	142	69,036	22,072	255	67,022	21,363
NORTHWEST TEXAS	15	69,253	21,360	86	80,335	28,156	101	78,689	27,448
OKLAHOMA^a	83	66,465	24,573	213	83,027	37,033	296	78,383	34,770
OKLAHOMA INDIAN MSNY	5	41,492	6,380	7	47,722	18,395	12	45,126	14,480
OREGON IDAHO	35	58,895	13,669	49	67,597	17,059	84	63,971	16,232
PACIFIC NORTHWEST^a,b	59	68,323	11,718	71	74,823	15,540	130	71,873	14,266
PENINSULA-DELAWARE	41	67,255	16,622	71	71,448	19,825	112	69,913	18,749
RED BIRD MISSIONARY	0	--	--	6	42,354	5,233	6	42,354	5,233
RIO TEXAS^a	89	70,854	24,543	169	75,375	25,425	258	73,815	25,168
SOUTH CAROLINA	129	78,563	24,976	292	84,226	28,724	421	82,491	27,724
SOUTH GEORGIA	38	77,551	25,199	195	88,885	32,211	233	87,037	31,409
SUSQUEHANNA	76	70,667	17,419	191	74,579	17,604	267	73,466	17,608
TENNESSEE^a	80	71,113	24,522	157	78,356	27,632	237	75,911	26,791
TEXAS	133	76,539	31,762	322	97,849	49,752	455	91,620	46,234
UPPER NEW YORK	97	63,326	14,208	127	66,152	15,531	224	64,929	15,005
VIRGINIA^a	197	62,385	17,107	440	68,423	23,598	637	66,556	21,963
WEST OHIO	153	64,126	19,115	353	68,421	21,384	506	67,122	20,800
WEST VIRGINIA	69	57,056	17,546	152	60,161	18,571	221	59,192	18,274
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA^a	199	70,418	23,577	435	79,877	30,832	634	76,908	29,068
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA	59	63,270	18,376	223	70,685	19,432	282	69,133	19,420
WISCONSIN	88	70,519	17,619	115	73,907	20,295	203	72,438	19,209
US TOTAL	4,511	69,764	26,150	9,613	78,394	30,833	14,124	75,637	29,691
^aIn this annual conference, there was a statistically significant difference in clergywomen and clergymen’s 2020 total compensation. ^bIn this annual conference, gender was still a significant predictor of 2020 total compensation, even when length of service, age (at time of report), and membership type were held steady.

[1] Total compensation was computed by adding the 2020 salary and either the housing allowance or the parsonage amount of each clergyperson.

[2] Chi-square analysis was used to examine the proportional differences in the gender composition of clergy across annual conferences.

[3] Chi-square analysis was used to examine the proportional differences in the gender composition of clergy across jurisdictions.

[4] An independent samples t-test was performed to compare the 2020 salaries of clergywomen (n = 4,511) and clergymen (n = 9,613). There was a substantial and statistically significant difference in the 2020 salary for clergywomen and clergymen; t(9594) = -16.26, p < .001.

[5] An independent samples t-test was performed to compare the 2020 housing allowance of clergywomen (n = 1,817) and clergymen (n = 3,547). There was a substantial and statistically significant difference in the 2020 housing allowance for clergywomen and clergymen; t(4582) = -8.90, p < .001.

[6] An independent samples t-test was performed to compare the 2020 parsonage amount of clergywomen (n = 2,339) and clergymen (n = 5,523). There was a substantial and statistically significant difference in the 2020 parsonage amount for clergywomen and clergymen; t(5804) = -12.12, p < .001.

[7] An independent samples t-test was performed to compare the 2020 total compensation of clergywomen (n = 4,511) and clergymen (n = 9,613). There was a substantial and statistically significant difference in the 2020 total compensation for clergywomen and clergymen; t(10264) = -17.24, p < .001.

2020 Geographic Trends of Gender Disparities in Composition and Compensation for UMC Clergy

Share

References

Share