Over the last several years, the Economic Policy Institute has released a valuable series of reports examining the “economic underperformance” of Southern states titled “Rooted in racism and economic exploitation.” Here’s how the institute summarizes its overall mission: “to counter rising inequality, low wages and weak benefits for working people, slower economic growth, unacceptable employment conditions, and a widening racial wage gap.”
Consider a few of the findings from this series:
- The share of prime-age workers (ages 25–54) who have a job is lower than the national average in most Southern states.
America, America Substack
May 11, 2026
BY THE NUMBERS (according to Heinrich’s office, citing a U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee report)
- $45,087 — annual annual income a single adult needs to cover basic expenses in the Albuquerque metro area
- $60,718 — for a two-adult household
- $105,685 — for a family of four (Living expense figures from the Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator, as cited by Heinrich’s office)
New Mexico Political Report
May 11, 2026
The Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator estimates that a single filer in New Mexico needs to earn $45,087 and a family of four $105,685 to cover basic living expenses in Albuquerque.
KUNM
May 11, 2026
According to the Economic Policy Institute Research Library, the unemployment rate for college-educated graduates in their 20s is rising faster than overall unemployment in the country and has been since 2023. However, some experts believe it’s because of more workforce participation.
FOX 8
May 11, 2026
Bouncing around from daycare to summer camps to relatives’ houses can easily add up. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average annual cost of full-time child care in Florida ranges from $9,548 to $13,021, depending on the children’s ages.
Palm Beach Post
May 11, 2026
Data on annual budgets for Plumas County households from the Economic Policy Institute suggest that a 1% sales tax on applicable purchases could increase monthly expenses by about $4.00 for a single adult to $7.60 for a family of four.
The Mountain Messenger (California)
May 11, 2026
In 2025, Black women’s employment rate fell to 55.7%, one of the highest one-year declines in the past 25 years, according to an Economic Policy Institute article.
Essence
May 11, 2026
Two other superb Substacks on political economy topics are by Jared Bernstein and Adam Tooze. Bernstein, long at the Economic Policy Institute and then a senior economic adviser to Joe Biden, does a terrific job at unpacking the meaning of newly released statistics on inflation and unemployment, and reading the tea leaves of what’s occurring at the Fed. I write similar kinds of pieces, and I always learn from Jared.
American Prospect
May 11, 2026
Research tying compensation to retention backs up those concerns. Policy briefs from the Economic Policy Institute, along with academic studies, find that raising base teacher pay reduces turnover, particularly at high-need schools, and improves districts’ chances of keeping experienced educators in the classroom.
Hoodline
May 11, 2026
Heidi Shierholz
Economic Policy Institute
President
Shierholz testified to Congress that while Trump inherited an exceptionally strong economy, his policies have been anti-worker— including the rollback of minimum-wage increases for federal contractors and cuts that slash benefits for vulnerable families to fund tax cuts for the wealthy.
Hometown: Ames, Iowa. First job: Detasseling corn. First app she checks in the morning: “Audible. I listen to young-adult novels in Spanish during my morning routine.”
Adam Hersh
Adam Hersh Consulting
Principal
After a four-year tenure with the Economic Policy Institute, Hersh now advises private clients, leading a group of 17 economists to assess the impact of President Trump’s trade policies.
Washingtonian Magazine
May 11, 2026