Workers in three low-paying industries receive over half of worker public assistance dollars: Total value of public assistance benefits going to workers or their families, by major industry (billions of 2014 dollars)
| Occupation | Total (in billions) |
|---|---|
| Educational, health, and social services | $ 24.947 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services | $ 20.896 |
| Retail trade | $ 18.585 |
| Professional, scientific, mgmt., admin., and waste mgmt. services | $ 12.148 |
| Manufacturing | $ 10.908 |
| Construction | $ 8.886 |
| Other services (except public administration) | $ 7.197 |
| Transportation and utilities | $ 5.521 |
| Financial, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing | $4.084 |
| Public administration | $2.680 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting | $2.679 |
| Wholesale trade | $2.257 |
| Information | $1.193 |
| Armed forces and active duty military | $0.663 |
| Mining | $0.504 |
Note: Each industry's share of the total benefits going to workers and their families is listed in parentheses. Includes the EITC, CTC, SNAP, LIHEAP, WIC, housing assistance, and TANF/cash assistance. These data do not include the value of Medicaid. Values reflect reported benefits from all programs in this study received by workers or their families, but do not include administrative costs.
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement microdata, pooled years 2012–2014