The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) reported in 2022 that the value of the federal minimum wage was at its lowest point in more than 60 years. A worker paid the minimum wage would have earned 27.4 percent less in inflation-adjusted terms compared to July 2009, according to the report.
Newsweek
August 3, 2026
At the top of the wealth heap, 208 taxpayers have $85 billion saved in IRA-type accounts, with an average balance of $409 million.
At that level of saving, “you’re basically amassing wealth for hereditary purposes, not for your own well-being,” said Monique Morrissey, a senior economist at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.
USA Today
August 3, 2026
Since 1979, wages for the nation’s highest earners have nearly doubled, while pay for the bottom 90% has risen just 44%, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Sacramento Bee
August 3, 2026
Nationally, 14 million workers make less than $15 per hour and 20 million workers make less than $16, including overtime, tips and commissions, according to the Economic Policy Institute’s Low Wage Workforce Tracker.
Newark Advocate
August 3, 2026
Indeed, a 2019 report from the Economic Policy Institute suggests that the retirement system “is broken,” and that the shift from traditional pensions to 401(k)-style DC plans “was an experiment that failed, widening the gap between retirement haves and have-nots.“
MoneyWise
August 3, 2026
Some 50 million Americans said they would join a union if they could, according to a new report, but face significant barriers under current U.S. labor laws.
Heidi Shierholz, president of the Economic Policy Institute and the report’s co-author, said tripling the number of union members would bring widespread benefits, including boosting public schools, expanding access to healthcare and increasing wages to help families pay for the rising cost of just about everything.
“Almost every conversation about affordability focuses entirely on prices, as if the only way to make life more affordable is to make things cheaper. But affordability depends on both prices and pay,” Shierholz pointed out.
Public News Service
August 3, 2026
Some 63% of women said they would feel pressure to accept a lower-paying job after a layoff, compared to 52% of men, according to a recent Glassdoor survey seen by Bloomberg. That could exacerbate the pay gap that’s been widening since 2024, the Economic Policy Institute reported.
HR Brew
August 3, 2026
“The economic struggles of typical U.S. families deserve serious solutions, not political buzzwords. Unfortunately, the policies the Trump administration has undertaken are making Americans’ economic struggles harder, not easier.” — Josh Bivens, chief economist, Economic Policy Institute
The Washington Informer
August 3, 2026
Using data from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Economic Policy Institute, the site selected cities with reasonable living costs, easy healthcare access, and engaging community activities.
MoneyDigest
August 3, 2026
According to data from the Economic Policy Institute, the annual cost for infant care in Indiana is $14,471, more than $4,000 more than Michigan and more than $5,000 more than Kentucky. In the same index, Michigan ranks 24th and Kentucky 14th, indicating substantially less restrictive regulatory environments.
The Journal Gazette
August 3, 2026