Care prices continue to climb. Average annual costs for infant care in North Dakota are more than $12,000, and for a 4-year-old, just over $10,000, according to estimates from the Washington D.C.-based Economic Policy Institute.
Jamestown Sun
November 24, 2025
According to the 50/30/20 rule, a well-balanced budget allocates 50% of income to necessities, 30% to discretionary spending, and 20% to savings or debt repayment. When paired with cost-of-living data from the Economic Policy Institute, this framework provides a benchmark for determining the minimum income required to sustain a financially comfortable lifestyle.
Upgraded Points
November 24, 2025
School bus driver employment sits 9.5% below 2019 staffing levels, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Baltimore Banner
November 24, 2025
- Higher hourly wages are credited for modest growth in the number of school bus drivers over the past year, but employment in the field remains down 9.5% compared to 2019 staffing levels, according to a recent analysis from the Economic Policy Institute.
- The median hourly wage for school bus drivers was $22.45 on Aug. 1, a 4.2% increase year over year when accounting for inflation.
- Nonetheless, the K-12 staffing outlook overall shows instability as school systems continue adjusting to the end of federal COVID-19 emergency funding and as changes implemented by the Trump administration put more fiscal pressures on state and local school systems, EPI said.
K-12 Dive
November 24, 2025
Lower-wage workers experienced strong wage growth during the pandemic and subsequent economic recovery, but that rise has slowed sharply since late 2022, according to Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute. One factor weighing on wage growth — a decline in job openings and the rate at which workers are leaving their jobs.
“When people aren’t looking for other offers or quitting, that is going to cause wage growth to slow,” she said.
…
Gould also noted that many low-income Americans are unbanked and that Bank of America’s findings, which are drawn from an analysis of its depositor data, may not fully capture the impact of slowing wage growth on poor households.
“You’re missing some of the bottom end and how much pain [and] economic distress they may be feeling,” she said.
CBS News
November 24, 2025
Even in his final note, Buffett couldn’t resist a lesson in corporate ethics. He warned boards to stay vigilant against CEO complacency and “the ratcheting effect” of compensation envy. “What often bothers very wealthy CEOs — they are human, after all — is that other CEOs are getting even richer. Envy and greed walk hand in hand,” he wrote.
The comment arrives as CEO-to-worker pay ratios hit record highs — 344-to-1 in 2023, according to the Economic Policy Institute (10). Buffett’s critique of executive excess reinforces his image as capitalism’s conscience — a billionaire who never lost sight of proportion.
Money Canada
November 24, 2025
Modern manufacturing jobs do require higher education, not just a high school degree. People who leave the workforce have skills that fade; sometimes, they might be dealing with substance abuse issues or other problems that might not make them a good candidate to work with high-powered machinery.
“It’s totally unrealistic,” economist Adam Hersh with the Economic Policy Institute told The Post.
Raw Story
November 24, 2025
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that the median annual wage for K-12 teachers was significantly lower than that of other individuals in professions with a bachelor’s degree. According to the Economic Policy Institute, in 2024, a teacher’s total compensation gap was -17.1%.
Upworthy
November 24, 2025
Starbucks has earned the distinction as a model for unlawful corporate union busting, the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, wrote in a … [paywall].
Denver Post
November 24, 2025