The earnings gap between men and women slightly widened last year, according to a new analysis published Thursday.
The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute calculated women last year earned 18.6% less than men per hour on average. That’s up slightly from 2024, when the wage gap narrowed slightly to 18%.
The wage analysis, which examines several federal data sets and independent research papers, controls for race, ethnicity, education, age, marital status and geography.
The findings were published ahead of Equal Pay Day on March 26, a symbolic date marking how far into 2026 women would have to work on top of their 2025 hours to match what men earned in 2025.
Stateline
March 23, 2026
During the markup, Democrats offered an amendment to exempt health plans from the bill, but it failed on a party line vote.
Scott also introduced into the record two letters arguing against the legislation—one from several former Department of Labor officials who worked in both Democratic and Republican administrations, and another from organizations including the Alliance of Retired Americans, Americans for Financial Reform, Committee for a Fiduciary Standard, Economic Policy Institute, National Committee to Protect and Preserve Social Security and Medicare, National Retiree Legislative Network, and Pension Rights Center.
401K Specialist
March 23, 2026
From 1948 until 1960 wage growth matched productivity growth in the U.S. Workers were getting a wage that reflected their contribution to GDP. Since 1960, wage growth has lagged behind. As a result of wage growth not matching productivity, the Economic Policy Institute finds that more than 43 million workers (25 percent of the labor force) in the U.S. are economically insecure. This insecurity shows up in one in four Americans having no savings at all with another 56 percent being unable to cover an unexpected expense of $1,000.
Jonesboro Sun (Arkansas)
March 23, 2026
…with 21,200 fewer school bus drivers, according to a 2025 Economic Policy Institutestudy. Hines said Tyler ISD is taking a proactive…[paywall].
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)
March 23, 2026
While NEA’s membership base has decreased since 2022, AFT’s has risen by more than 100,000 members in the same time period.
In 2025, 14% of its payments went to political activities, with $500,000 going to the “Senate Majority Pac,” which is “dedicated to building a Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate.”
It also spent $250,000 on a “Democratic legislative campaign committee” and gave another $250,000 to the Economic Policy Institute.
Deseret News
March 23, 2026
A 2019 study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found the state’s earlier minimum wage increases raised pay without a noticeable drop in employment.
A 2024 review of 88 studies by the Economic Policy Institute and the University of Massachusetts reached a similar conclusion.
When in Your State
March 23, 2026
And let’s talk about the teachers already in the trenches. They’re leaving in droves, and it’s not because they suddenly discovered a passion for interpretive dance. According to the Economic Policy Institute, teachers earn about 27% less than their college-educated peers. That’s right, folks—after years of study, the reward for shaping young minds is a paycheck that feels more like a participation trophy than a salary.
Rogersville Review (Tennessee)
March 23, 2026
The average annual cost of child care for an infant in Indiana last year was $14,471, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Economic Policy Institute. That’s up 14.7% from 2024 and means the average yearly cost of child care is higher than the average cost of housing or college tuition.
Indiana Business Journal
March 23, 2026
Research from the Economic Policy Institute, covered by Civil Eats, found that corporate profits accounted for 54 percent of food price increases between 2020 and 2021—compared to just 11 percent in the four decades prior.
Civil Eats
March 23, 2026
Research from the Economic Policy Institute suggests the change could affect a huge share of the workforce. Without a policy shift, roughly 1.68 million workers—about 36.7% of the city’s wage earners—are projected to make less than $30 an hour by 2030, meaning many would see pay increases under the proposal. For many workers, the idea of a $30 minimum wage feels less radical than it sounds. Some advocates argue that even that level may still fall short of a true living wage in New York’s most expensive boroughs.
Timeout New York
March 23, 2026