According to Move.org’s analysis of data provided by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average cost of groceries in the U.S. is $370 per month per person. Meanwhile, the EPI itself reports that a month’s worth of food for a single person costs almost $400 in the Ridge area. Factoring in all these day-to-day living expenses, it seems unlikely that anyone in the 34.5% of the Ridge population that’s retirement age is getting by without some degree of retirement savings.
Money Digest
January 26, 2026
Researchers such as Ben Zipperer at the Economic Policy Institute have shown that immigrant deportation policies of President Trump, like his tariffs, or taxes, on U.S. imports, harm the native-born working class, including small businesses. Removing immigrant workers from the U.S. labor force equals slower economic growth and fewer jobs. ICE deporting immigrants is a job-killer policy. This is not rocket science, folks.
Counterpunch
January 26, 2026
Kym Shaw, executive director of the Fort Worth-based Early Learning Alliance, said it’s encouraging to see candidates centering early childhood issues in their campaigns. She noted the high cost of child care for infants in Texas and its strain on family finances. The state’s average cost of infant care is about $10,700 per year, or $892 per month, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
January 26, 2026
Still, despite broad support among House Democrats over the summer, the issue has cropped up in final House-Senate negotiations on a compromise DHS appropriations bill. Analysis last month from the left-leaning, labor-backed Economic Policy Institute found that if enacted, the Harris amendment could lead to more than 250,000 H-2B visas.
“This amendment in Congress would mainly benefit employers by allowing them to gradually hire an exponentially higher number of workers they can control, while undercutting labor standards for all workers,” EPI’s December report said.
CQ Magazine
January 26, 2026
The bill’s sponsor, State Senator Jennifer Boysko, joined with advocates calling for its passage in Virginia and in other states around the country and shared personal stories of why this is needed.
“I can’t express how important it is and it was not to have to worry about how I would pay for my bills on top of everything else, and there was a lot of everything,” Senior State Policy Strategist at the Economic Policy Institute Jasmine Payne-Patterson said.
“Every family throughout Virginia has one story. Many of us have more than one story, and it’s difficult for employees to focus on their work when they know that there’s something very serious at home,” Boysko said.
WTVR-TV (CBS Richmond
January 26, 2026
The 2026 minimum wage increases vary widely in size and impact across states, with Hawaii standing out on multiple fronts, according to analysis by the Economic Policy Institute. Hawaii posts the largest single-year-on-year dollar increase, raising its minimum wage by $2.00 through legislation, well above other larger hikes like Nebraska’s $1.50 increase and the $1.25 increases in Michigan and Missouri.
Newsweek
January 26, 2026
A year later, organizations like the Economic Policy Institute have highlighted the Trump administration’s efforts to even undermine Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and curtail economic justice for people of color, still today, on the 40th Anniversary of King Day as a national holiday.
So far, the administration has weakened enforcement of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by undermining the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and gutting the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, making it easier for employers to discriminate against Black workers and other marginalized groups. It has also effectively eliminated the Minority Business Development Agency, the only federal agency dedicated to helping minority-owned businesses overcome systemic barriers.
Atlanta Black Star
January 26, 2026
The income inequality in areas like Teton County, Wyoming, is eye-opening. According to Economic Policy Institute data, the top 1% of the population in Teton County makes 142.2 times more than the bottom 99% of the county’s population.
GO Banking Rates
January 26, 2026
Source: Economic Policy Institute Family Budget Calculator
Motley Fool
January 26, 2026
Investopedia
January 26, 2026