CouponFollow wondered the same thing, which is why researchers at the site conducted and published a report that found the minimum cost of living in the country.
The report is based on an analysis of the Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator — which estimates the yearly costs of things like housing and food, as well as taxes for a single adult living alone — as well as the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Researchers specifically focused 100 biggest metro areas in the country.
PennLive
September 14, 2026
The Economic Policy Institute estimates wage theft costs American workers up to $50 billion every year, with minimum wage violations alone accounting for more than $15 billion. A Northwestern University economist went further, finding that more than 50 million American workers were paid below the legal minimum at some point between 2010 and 2021, a combined $155 billion.
The Hill
September 10, 2026
Nina Mast, policy analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, said limited staffing has reduced OSHA’s ability to proactively enforce protections.
Charleston Gazette-Mail
September 10, 2026
Workers in states with right-to-work laws, according to The Economic Policy Institute, receive lower wages, fewer benefits and more safety violations, leaving Florida’s workforce poorer and at risk for bodily harm.
Sun Sentinel
September 10, 2026
A family of two with two kids in Broward County would need to make $124,800 annually to live a modest and adequate lifestyle, according to calculations by the Economic Policy Institute.
WLRN
September 10, 2026
A recently released analysis from the Economic Policy Institute finds that workers in right-to-work states earn 6.7% less on average than comparable workers in states without RTW laws. That is more than double the 3.2% wage loss that EPI found in 2015, which amounts to more than $4,000 less per year. EPI’s analysis controlled for differences in demographics, jobs, state labor markets and cost of living.
Bay to Bay News (Maryland)
September 10, 2026
But an analysis from the progressive Economic Policy Institute estimated that 70% of workers ages 32 to 66 who earned more than the taxable maximum in 2024 …[paywall].
Barron’s
September 10, 2026
But while the proposed rule would be a windfall for businesses, workers who are classified as independent contractors “lose out on critical protections, benefits, and labor rights including minimum wage, overtime pay, unemployment insurance, the right to form a union, and anti-discrimination protections in most states,” according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Independent contractors must also “bear the full financial costs of Social Security and Medicare contributions.”
A 2025 EPI analysis found that a typical construction worker loses “as much as $19,526 per year in income and job benefits” when classified as an independent contractor instead of an employee. A truck driver would lose up to $21,532 per year, and a home health aide would lose as much as $10,246 per year.
Popular Information
September 10, 2026
Of the roughly 1.2 million people incarcerated in state and federal prisons today, nearly 800,000 are prison laborers, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). In Southern states especially, where incarceration rates are the highest and prison wages are lowest, this labor is strikingly similar to the conditions faced by slaves less than 200 years ago.
Quinnipiac Chronicle
September 9, 2026