But even at $17.95, these employees would earn slightly more than $37,000 a year if they work 40-hours a week—well below what is considered a living wage in D.C. for a single person. And according to data from the Economic Policy Institute, tipped workers face significantly higher poverty rates than non-tipped workers—7.7 percent vs 2.6 percent.
Washington City Paper
November 3, 2025
Virginia’s search for a governor comes at a tumultuous time for the state. It’s been hit especially hard by the federal government shutdown and the slashing of federal jobs. Black Americans are about 26% of the federal workforce in Virginia, according to the Economic Policy Institute, and account for approximately 18% of the total state population, making Virginia one of the states with the highest Black populations.
Capital B
November 3, 2025
As the Economic Policy Institute noted, “Presidential capture of the Fed would signal to decision-makers throughout the economy that interest rates will no longer be set on the basis of sound data or economic conditions.” (11) They added that, “Confidence that the Fed will respond wisely to future periods of macroeconomic stress — either excess inflation or unemployment — will evaporate.”
MoneyWise
November 3, 2025
Worse, according to Nina Mast of the Economic Policy Institute, many people in tipped jobs are women or people of color, and relying on tips can make these jobs unfair.
Eastside News
November 3, 2025
Low-income families of color were especially hurt by the Great Recession and COVID-19 pandemic-era recession, an August report from the Economic Policy Institute found. Families of color represent more than 60% of all economically vulnerable families with children.
“A lot of these families also were more likely than their more affluent peers to have a parent or child that was disabled within the home,” Ismael Cid-Martinez, MPhil, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute and co-author of the report, told The Nation’s Health.
Rising costs of living could further push disadvantaged households into greater financial strain, Cid-Martinez said. Nearly half of American renters spend over 30% of their income on housing, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Black renters are disproportionately burdened by rental costs compared to other populations.
The Nation’s Health
November 3, 2025
The Economic Policy Institute (2025) reported that the median wealth of Black federal employees is 29% lower than their white counterparts, despite equal or higher education levels.
Black Lens News
November 3, 2025
About one in four Black households relies on SNAP to avoid food insecurity, according to data from the Economic Policy Institute.
Word in Black
November 3, 2025
In 2024, analysis by the Economic Policy Institute found that the wages of the top 1% had risen by 182% since 1979 while those of the bottom 90% had grown by just 44%.
Forbes
November 3, 2025
Article sources:
[3]. Economic Policy Institute. “Wage Stagnation in Nine Charts”
MoneyWise
November 3, 2025
As President Donald Trump makes good on campaign promises to deport immigrants living in Colorado and across the U.S. without proper documentation, a new report spotlights the economic risks to Social Security and other programs that rely on payroll tax revenues.
As America’s baby boomers continue to retire, the number U.S.-born workers is expected to dramatically decrease over the next decade.
Report Author and Chief Economist for the Economic Policy Institute Josh Bivens said historically normal Gross Domestic Product growth rates will be impossible to maintain without immigrant workers.
“It does make things like Social Security and Medicare a little harder to sustain,” said Bivens. “If we have a steady flow of younger immigrant workers coming in, that just makes it much easier to sustain those really important social insurance programs.”
Public News Service
November 3, 2025