Today, according to the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute, of the 1.2 million people incarcerated in state and federal prisons, nearly 800,000 are prison laborers, working in the facility itself or in government-run businesses or services like call centers or firefighting. About 3% work for private-sector employers, where they earn very low pay.
Letters from an American (Heather Cox Richardson)
July 7, 2025
According to a report from the Economic Policy Institute, workers lose over $15 billion each year due to minimum wage violations alone — a burden that disproportionately affects immigrant and undocumented workers.
An Economic Policy Institute report found that roughly half of older workers (aged 50 to 70) have physically demanding jobs, with more than half working in environmentally hazardous conditions. Whether you’re physically taxed by your day-to-day work, a challenging work schedule, or a high-pressure job, it makes sense to want to remove yourself from the situation.
The company that finally turned its first annual profit in 2023 is supporting OBBBA because of the bill’s elimination of taxes on tips. But that elimination doesn’t appear to apply to Uber drivers in its current form. This endeavor is so gimmicky, even those who support the idea in theory often overlook its limited impact. The Economic Policy Institute’s February piece is a valuable source on the issue.
In the DMV region, encompassing D.C., parts of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, more than 500,000 people work directly for the federal government, according to data from the 2023 American Community Survey and 2025 Current Employment Statistics compiled by the Economic Policy Institute this year.
In 2021, CEOS at the top 350 companies in the US earned 399 times the pay of an average worker, according to the Economic Policy Institute; in 1989 that ratio was 59-to-1, and in 1965 it was 20-to-1.
Child care is one of the biggest budget breakers for many families. Annual costs for infant care range from just shy of $5,000 in Mississippi to more than $22,600 in Washington, D.C., according to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on low- and middle-income workers
The Economic Policy Institute says privatization uses the power of the government to force workers to place some of their earnings under the control of financial institutions, like brokerages and banks, making the finance industry the one clear winner.