This retreat comes at a perilous moment. According to the Economic Policy Institute, 28 states across the nation introduced bills to weaken child labor protections in recent years. This follows a 283 percent increase in child labor violations between 2015 and 2023, creating a perfect storm that leaves young workers dangerously exposed.
Inequality.org
January 26, 2026
Over the past 50 years, top CEO compensation has climbed 1,094%, according to the Economic Policy Institute. That compares to a 26% increase in typical worker compensation.
CNBC
January 26, 2026
According to the Economic Policy Institute, the US labour force as a whole averaged just a 0.5 to 0.6 per cent annual increase in the last two business cycles … [paywall].
Financial Times
January 26, 2026
As voucher programs mature, critics warn of fiscal harms to public school systems. According to a fiscal externality calculator developed by the Economic Policy Institute, students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District could receive $364 to $927 less in per pupil education spending — or up to $12 million to $31 million overall — due to private school vouchers.
K-12 Dive
January 26, 2026
Meanwhile, the annual gross income needed to cover the basic needs of a family of two adults and four children in the Washington, D.C., area, where the vice president and his family live, is about $177,600, according to the Economic Policy Institute’s family budget calculator, which the left-leaning organization describes as measuring “the income a family needs in order to attain a modest yet adequate standard of living.”
…
“There are many different factors that enter into the decision to have one or more children,” said EPI’s Gould, adding that financially, it has become a widely accepted fact that “it’s a struggle for a lot of people” now.
MarketWatch
January 26, 2026
School systems have encountered a similar shortage, tracking a 9.5% decrease in bus drivers from 2019 to 2025, according to the economic policy institute.
Cardinal News (Virginia)
January 20, 2026
The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) argues that the prospects for national reparations are currently weak, but there is movement at the local level. They list some 40 localities that had reparations initiatives as of December 2024.
EPI offers a reasonable set of criteria for what constitutes reparations at the state and local levels.
Roanoke Tribune
January 20, 2026
Not only are many gig workers earning less, they may not even be earning minimum wage. A study from the Economic Policy Institute found about one in seven workers (14%) earned less than the federal minimum wage on an hourly basis.
MoneyWise
January 20, 2026
The article leaves out Bureau of Labor Statistics data but quotes the aptly described “progressive think tank” Economic Policy Institute, known as EPI. The think tank states that raising the federal minimum wage is “critical for improving affordability.”
It’s simple enough to say, but it isn’t that easy.
San Antonio Express-News
January 20, 2026
Even entry-level workers have seen some progress. According to the Economic Policy Institute, real wages for young adults have grown 9.1% since 2020, faster than for older workers. However, those gains haven’t translated into stability.
GO Banking Rates
January 20, 2026