More than 30 states and municipalities have implemented minimum wage increases above the federal pay rate, which has not budged since 2009. More than 8.3 million workers are expected to benefit, which collectively will add up to an estimated $5 billion in earnings nationwide, according to a report by the Economic Policy Institute.
MaineBiz
January 6, 2026
More than 8.3 million workers are expected to benefit from increases in 19 states, according to a December report from the Economic Policy Institute. The organization estimates the changes will add about $5billion in earnings nationwide.
HR Grapevine
January 6, 2026
According to the Economic Policy Institute, “Right-to-Work” states generally have lower wages and are less likely to have health care and pensions than non-Right-to-Work states.
Cardinal News (Virginia)
January 6, 2026
According to the Economic Policy Institute, Arizona legislators underestimated the cost of their voucher program by tenfold. It was initially projected to cost $65 million and is now upwards of $708 million. The overruns are now leading to astate budget crisis.
KERA
January 6, 2026
The Economic Policy Institute reports that the average American household income as of 2023 was $80,610. To be in the top 20% of earners, you’d have to make almost double the average, over $130,500 a year.
MoneyWise
January 5, 2026
Another analysis from the Economic Policy Institute argues that proposals to end Affordable Care Act tax credits will hit Black Americans especially hard. In 10 major metropolitan areas, such changes could leave over 170,000 people without insurance, drive up annual premiums by roughly $740 million, and increase preventable deaths.
NewsOne
January 5, 2026
The minimum wage is going up in 19 states this week, with workers in Hawaii now earning as much as $2 more an hour. Collectively, these pay increases will boost paychecks by a total of $5 billion, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C.
Fast Company
January 5, 2026
The policy is expected to affect more than 8.3 million workers, according to a review from the lefty Economic Policy Institute.
New York Post
January 5, 2026
According to the Economic Policy Institute, allowing ACA enhanced tax subsidies to expire will increase poverty across all groups, with the effect most keenly experienced by those who’ve always had trouble accessing the medical care they need. These households are disproportionately working-class, Black, and brown — in other words, people who are already economically vulnerable.
The Motley Fool
January 5, 2026