Effect of a $1 increase in hourly wages on receipt and value of public assistance benefits among workers with imputed hourly wage less than the statutory federal minimum wage
| Coefficient on real hourly wages | β S.E. | T value | P > |t| | N | Adj-R2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effect on share of workers receiving benefits | ||||||
| Any aid | -0.0201*** | 0.003 | -5.764 | 0.000 | 7,148 | 0.252 |
| Food stamps (SNAP) | -0.0121*** | 0.003 | -3.612 | 0.000 | 7,148 | 0.185 |
| Energy assistance (LIHEAP) | 0.0006 | 0.002 | 0.407 | 0.684 | 7,148 | 0.035 |
| Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) | -0.0182*** | 0.003 | -5.368 | 0.000 | 7,148 | 0.257 |
| Refundable Child Tax Credit (CTC) | 0.0109*** | 0.003 | 3.383 | 0.001 | 7,148 | 0.414 |
| Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) | -0.0019 | 0.001 | -1.306 | 0.192 | 7,148 | 0.084 |
| Housing assistance | -0.0038** | 0.002 | -2.321 | 0.020 | 7,148 | 0.056 |
| Medicaid | -0.0070** | 0.003 | -2.271 | 0.023 | 7,148 | 0.123 |
| TANF/cash assistance | -0.0026** | 0.001 | -1.967 | 0.049 | 7,148 | 0.053 |
| Change in annual benefit dollars (per person) | ||||||
| All government assistance | 18.9839 | 30.756 | 0.617 | 0.537 | 7,148 | 0.436 |
| Food stamps (SNAP) | -74.9914*** | 18.683 | -4.014 | 0.000 | 7,148 | 0.246 |
| Energy assistance (LIHEAP) | -0.2618 | 0.821 | -0.319 | 0.750 | 7,148 | 0.025 |
| Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) | 88.8583*** | 12.581 | 7.063 | 0.000 | 7,148 | 0.428 |
| Refundable Child Tax Credit (CTC) | 46.5390*** | 5.271 | 8.829 | 0.000 | 7,148 | 0.449 |
| Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) | -0.0825 | 2.715 | -0.030 | 0.976 | 7,148 | 0.106 |
| Housing assistance | -24.2122*** | 8.438 | -2.870 | 0.004 | 7,148 | 0.049 |
| TANF/cash assistance | -5.8894 | 7.899 | -0.746 | 0.456 | 7,148 | 0.027 |
Note: The sample contains all wage-earners who worked in the previous year with imputed hourly wage values below $7.25. All models include controls for age, age squared, age cubed, sex, race, worked part-time at any point previous year, marital status, family size, presence of a disabled person in the household, number of children under 18, citizenship, metropolitan status, state, major industry, and major occupation category. Coefficent values are significant at *P<0.1, **P<0.05, ***P<0.01.
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement microdata, pooled years 2012–2014