The Archbridge report doesn’t correlate the economic freedom of the child care market with costs across states. But in 2023, Move.org published a report drawing on data from the Economic Policy Institute and the U.S. Census Bureau that ranked states by cost and percentage of average income consumed by child care.
Reason Magazine
February 17, 2026
In 2024, five years after Dayton and Walker had left office, the Washington-based Economic Policy Institute found that job growth in Minnesota grew 11% compared to 7.9% in Wisconsin. Minnesota’s wages increased by 9.7% compared to 6.4% in Wisconsin. Household income in the Gopher State jumped 8.5%, compared to 6.4% in the Badger State.
And while union membership in Minnesota fell by 0.4%, it had dropped by 15.2% in Wisconsin.
Capital Times
February 17, 2026
Rates of people working multiple jobs have been on the rise, including for workers ages 25 to 54, according to Elise Gould, Senior Economist at the Economic Policy Institute. But since less work experiencein a sluggish labor market could mean fewer opportunities to break into the workforce, it feels like a particularly disastrous time to start working life. Landing that one “first job” and working up from there feels like a myth, given the endless economic chaos of the last few years.
During the start of the pandemic, young workers were disproportionately hurt by unemployment and job loss. As employers began hiring again, they had to work harder to attract and retain workers. Gould notes that, in that moment, workers had more leverage. But now, the hiring rate is depressed again, which could hurt young people more than others.
Graduating into a weaker economy can set you back, Gould explained, depending on how long this weakness lasts. Joining the workforce during an economic downturn can negatively impact health, income, and career advancement. While Gould noted this wouldn’t necessarily set you back for your lifetime in terms of career, it could be harder. One notable example, of course, is elder millennials, who graduated into the Great Recession.
Everything is Political
February 17, 2026
Today, advocacy groups like the Economic Policy Institute and The Child Labor Coalition and journalists who include Alice Driver and Hannah Dreier have been documenting the ongoing, simultaneous rise in child labour law violations. There has been a decrease in labour law protections — not just in meatpacking and agriculture, but in industries throughout the U.S.
The Conversation
February 17, 2026
A 2022 Economic Policy Institute study showed that when unionized teachers bargain for higher…[paywall].
Toledo Blade
February 17, 2026
Several serious proposals to address the problem have been put on the table. Among the most widely regarded is the “Fixing Social Security: Blueprint for a bipartisan solution,” from Brookings, which was published late last year. Another, titled “Will Social Security Run Out?” is from the Roosevelt Institute. The Economic Policy Institute has its own.
24/7 Wall St.
February 17, 2026
The top 1% in the United States all by itself has double the wealth of all income in a given year—about $60 trillion now. If we taxed only the wealth of the top 1% at the 2% rate now proposed in France, it could produce about $1.2 trillion a year in the US. Josh Bivens of the Economic Policy Institute recently did a very sophisticated study of various ways to tax the rich. He came up with a total of $1 trillion in additional revenue in 2026 if nine reforms were enacted. The wealth tax he used produced a little more than half of that.
Damage Magazine
February 17, 2026
These factors could make Matsumoto’s job complicated if he’s confirmed.
“He will be inheriting a bureau that has been knee-capped by these cuts,” Heidi Shierholz, president of the Economic Policy Institute and former DOL economist, said. “He will face incredibly difficult decisions over how to most strategically allocate the reduced resources.”
While actual meddling with labor statistics would be called out by whistleblowers in the agency, erosion of the public’s trust through Trump’s rhetoric and the withholding of resources might be more damaging long-term, she added.
Bloomberg Law
February 17, 2026
Features interview with Valerie Wilson on Black women’s job losses.
WURD Radio
February 16, 2026
A new analysis from the Economic Policy Institute shows Black women have been hit especially hard in the labor market.
Black Star Network
February 16, 2026