AAUW, the women's education and equity advocacy organization, has ranked Hawaii 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.

Hawaii was second at 83 percent ($58,700 to $49,000), then Delaware at 80 percent.

The study was released today in advance of Equal Pay Day.

The study — which used data from the U.S. Census Bureau — shows that the wage gap remains in place despite the rising numbers of women with college degrees.

AAUW found that women earn 78 percent as much as men earn, and the numbers are even worse for women of color. Compared with white male workers, African American women earn about 67 cents on the dollar (African American men make 78 cents); Hispanic women make about 58 cents (Hispanic men make almost 66 cents).