According to the Economic Policy Institute, with these changes, more workers across the country will have a baseline of more than $15 an hour than those that abide by the federal wage of $7.25, a number that has not changed since 2009.
Spectrum News
January 5, 2026
The pay increases will affect about 8.3 million workers, who will gain a combined $5 billion over the course of 2026, according to the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, or EPI.
Beginning next year, the number of workers living in a state that guarantees a $15 minimum wage will exceed the number living in a state that offers the federal wage floor of $7.25 per hour, the EPI found.
ABC News
January 5, 2026
More than 8.3 million workers are expected to benefit from minimum wage hikes in 19 states, which will collectively add an estimated $5 billion in earnings nationwide, according to a December report by the Economic Policy Institute.
CNBC
January 5, 2026
When the calendar turns to 2026, workers who earn the minimum wage in more than a dozen states will see a bump in pay, according to a count from the Economic Policy Institute. And by the end of 2026, more states will have a minimum wage of at least $15 an hour than those where workers will continue to receive the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Some of those minimum wage increases will be big.
Marketplace
January 5, 2026
Features interview with Nina Mast.
CNBC
January 5, 2026
Research shows farmworkers are paid much less, roughly 40%, than comparable workers outside of agriculture. And roughly one-fifth of farmworkers earn incomes below the poverty level, according to federal data.
MLive
December 19, 2025
When deportations increase, the child-care workforce tends to decrease—which puts pressure on working families. Cites EPI research on deportations/child care workforce (paywall).
The Atlantic
December 19, 2025
According to data provided by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), collating Department of Labor submissions from individual states, unemployment insurance claims are significantly up in Washington, D.C., as well as in other states singled out by the Moody’s report.
GO Banking Rates
December 19, 2025
He then repeated racist statements, accusing undocumented immigrants of “invading” and “stealing” American jobs and housing. (Both claims are untrue, according to the Economic Policy Institute and PolitiFact).
LGBTQ Nation
December 19, 2025
Sources:
- Economic Policy Institute. “Family Budget Calculator.”
Investopedia
December 19, 2025