Economic Policy Institute

Minimum wage

Corporate power

Child labor

Unions

Seventeen states and localities are increasing their minimum wage this July

On July 1, the minimum wage will increase in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, D.C.—lifting wages for more than 361,000 workers and collectively raising their earnings by more than $221 million.

In addition to these two states and D.C., 14 cities and counties are also increasing their minimum wage this summer, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Learn more about where the minimum wage is going up and how that has positive impacts on more than the people who earn it →

U.S. employers spend more than $1.5 billion annually on union avoidance

NEW: U.S. employers spend roughly $1.7 billion a year on union avoidance consultants and law firms to keep their workers from organizing and bargaining for better pay and working conditions, according to our new report with LaborLab.

While research shows many nonunion workers want to join a union, U.S. labor law allows employers to derail workers’ unionization efforts with impunity.

It doesn’t have to be this way →

Efforts to strengthen child labor protections have stalled

Despite rising child labor violations, at least 13 state legislatures have attempted to roll back child labor standards this year. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has undermined federal enforcement of child labor standards.

While a few states are strengthening protections, more state lawmakers should take action to combat this growing child labor crisis.

It doesn’t have to be this way →

U.S. House passes legislation making it easier for workers to secure a first union contract

Far too often, employers refuse to bargain in good faith with workers when they win a union, significantly delaying a first contract. This week, the U.S. House passed the Faster Labor Contracts Act, which would make it easier for workers to secure a first union contract without unnecessary delay.

Learn more →

Latest Research

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Blog

Industry groups find a back door to weakening child labor protections in Ohio, after years of bipartisan opposition: States must continue to resist coordinated, industry-backed attacks

July 13, 2026 By Nina Mast Blog
Medicaid and SNAP cuts will harm students and local economies

July 9, 2026 By Hilary Wething Blog
Arkansas county’s ARPA troubles are the exception that proves the rule: Fiscal relief funds provided to state and local governments during the pandemic were a wise investment

July 7, 2026 By Dave Kamper Blog
USMNT team soars, job growth does not

July 2, 2026 By EPI Staff Blog
Immigration enforcement won’t just hurt immigrants—it will follow their classmates into public schools too

June 30, 2026 By Hilary Wething Blog
Seventeen states and localities are increasing their minimum wage this July

June 29, 2026 By Sebastian Martinez Hickey and Emma Cohn Blog
Trump’s war in Iran has wiped out 1.5 years of wage growth

June 10, 2026 By Ben Zipperer Blog

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EPI in the news

Minimum wage increases mid-year in states, localities

The minimum wage increased July 1 in Alaska, Oregon and Washington, DC, as well as in 14 cities and counties across the country, the Economic Policy Institute said in a blog post.

McKnight’s Senior Living | July 13, 2026
Revised ‘joint employer’ rule could cost workers about $1B annually, EPI says

Redefining “joint employer” as proposed by the Department of Labor has proposed could cost workers approximately $1 billion annually “through increases in workplace fissuring and exposure to wage theft,” according to the nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank Economic Policy Institute.

McKnight’s Senior Living | July 13, 2026
US labor market weakened in June

The jobs increases were especially weak considering that the men’s World Cup soccer tournament likely added 40,000 jobs in June, said Elise Gould, senior economist at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, in a statement. Gould said the unemployment rate drop was “for the wrong reasons” as 720,000 people left the labor market.

Stateline | July 13, 2026
Trump Claimed He Would Protect ‘Black Jobs.’ So Why Are Some Black Graduates Still Struggling To Find Work?

The findings align with recent analysis from the Economic Policy Institute, which found that Black workers have experienced weaker employment during the first year of Trump’s second term, particularly Black men.

Blavity | July 13, 2026
Laid Off? LinkedIn Might Be Your Smartest Career Move

A record number of Black women have been pushed out of the U.S. workforce since 2025, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

Forbes | July 13, 2026
Crackdown hits construction; A quarter of workers in construction are immigrants; Trump’s policies are stoking fear and putting the industry at risk of a labor shortage

About one in four construction workers in the state is an immigrant, according to 2025 data from the Economic Policy Institute. Immigrants are roughly 26 percent of the construction workforce nationwide, according to an analysis from the National Association of Home Builders.

Boston Globe | July 13, 2026
‘Buffoon: Donald Trump Fired a Woman for Telling the Truth in a Fit of Rage —Then Americans Were Left Holding a $20 Billion Bill

In some states, Black unemployment rates are three times that of White unemployment rates, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

Atlanta Black Star | July 13, 2026

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Latest Research

Myths vs. facts about the minimum wage: An FAQ on the economics of increasing wage floors

Setting high standards for a federal minimum wage: Raising the wage to two-thirds of the national median wage would lift pay for nearly 40 million workers

U.S. employers spend more than $1.5 billion annually on union avoidance

The Trump agenda has harmed the D.C. regional economy. Other regions should brace for impact.: Economic data from the first year of the president’s second term show declining employment, increased unemployment, and lagging private-sector growth.

More than 40 organizations call on Congress to center workers in federal AI legislation

Blog

Industry groups find a back door to weakening child labor protections in Ohio, after years of bipartisan opposition: States must continue to resist coordinated, industry-backed attacks

Medicaid and SNAP cuts will harm students and local economies

Arkansas county’s ARPA troubles are the exception that proves the rule: Fiscal relief funds provided to state and local governments during the pandemic were a wise investment

USMNT team soars, job growth does not

Immigration enforcement won’t just hurt immigrants—it will follow their classmates into public schools too

Seventeen states and localities are increasing their minimum wage this July

Trump’s war in Iran has wiped out 1.5 years of wage growth

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