The State of Working America is EPI’s authoritative analysis of the economic conditions of America’s workers. Visit StateofWorkingAmerica.org for up-to-date numbers on the economy, updated when new data are released.
Aug. 29: Unions, inequality, and faltering middle-class wages
Union coverage rate in the United States, 1973–2011 Source: Author's analysis of Hirsch and Macpherson (2003) and updates from the Union Membership and Coverage Database |
- “Union membership down, income inequality up,” by Tami Luhby, CNN Money’s Economy Blog, Aug. 30
- “Decline in unions weakened overall wages,” by Diane Stafford, Kansas City Star, Aug. 29
July 24: U.S. poverty rates higher, safety net weaker than in peer countries
Child poverty rate in selected developed countries, 2009Note: The child poverty rate is the share of children living in households with income below half of household-size-adjusted median income. Source: Adamson (2012, Figure 1b) |
- “U.S. poverty on track to rise to highest since 1960s,” by Hope Yen, The Associated Press via Salon.com, July 22
- “This Week in Poverty: TANF, VAWA and Playing Politics with the Lives of Low-Income People,” by Greg Kaufman, The Nation, July 27
- “Poverty in America: Why Can’t We End It?” by Peter Edelman, New York Times, July 28
May 24: Labor force participation: Cyclical versus structural changes since the start of the Great Recession
- “Study: Baby-boomer retirements don’t explain unemployment figures,” by Ian Swanson, The Hill, May 24
- “Jobless rate hits 8.2%. ‘Missing workers’ make the situation look better than it is,” by Meteor Blades, Daily Kos, June 1
- “Core 25-54 Employment Rates Still Near Historic Lows,” by David Hogberg, Investor’s Business Daily, June 1
May 2: CEO pay and the top 1%: How executive compensation and financial-sector pay have fueled income inequality
CEO-to-worker compensation ratio, with options granted and options realized,1965–2011Note: "Options granted" compensation series includes salary, bonus, restricted stock grants, options granted, and long-term incentive payouts for CEOs at the top 350 firms ranked by sales. "Options exercised" compensation series includes salary, bonus, restricted stock grants, options exercised, and long-term incentive payouts for CEOs at the top 350 firms ranked by sales. Sources: Authors' analysis of data from Compustat ExecuComp database, Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics program, and Bureau of Economic Analysis National Income and Product Accounts Tables |
- “U.S. CEO’s pay 231 times higher than that of average workers,” by Marla Dickerson, Los Angeles Times, May 2
- The Ed Show, with Ed Schulz, MSNBC, May 2
- “Former Bain honcho says economic inequality is OK,” by Eve Tahmincioglu, MSNBC.com, May 2
- “CEO Pay Increased 127 Times Faster Than Worker Compensation Over Last 30 Years: Study,” by Ashley Portero, International Business Times, May 5
- “CEO pay transparency would make CEO pay too transparent, companies say,” Huffington Post, June 27
April 26: The wedges between productivity and median compensation growth
There is no universal standard for paid leave in the U.S.: States with mandatory, comprehensive paid family and medical leave, enacted or passed
State
Key
Policy status
Alabama
0
No leave program
Alaska
0
No leave program
Arizona
0
No leave program
Arkansas
0
No leave program
California
2
Enacted
Colorado
2
Enacted
Connecticut
2
Enacted
Delaware
2
Enacted
Washington D.C.
2
Enacted
Florida
0
No leave program
Georgia
0
No leave program
Hawaii
0
No leave program
Idaho
0
No leave program
Illinois
0
No leave program
Indiana
0
No leave program
Iowa
0
No leave program
Kansas
0
No leave program
Kentucky
0
No leave program
Louisiana
0
No leave program
Maine
1
Passed but not yet enacted
Maryland
1
Passed but not yet enacted
Massachusetts
2
Enacted
Michigan
0
No leave program
Minnesota
2
Enacted
Mississippi
0
No leave program
Missouri
0
No leave program
Montana
0
No leave program
Nebraska
0
No leave program
Nevada
0
No leave program
New Hampshire
0
No leave program
New Jersey
2
Enacted
New Mexico
0
No leave program
New York
2
Enacted
North Carolina
0
No leave program
North Dakota
0
No leave program
Ohio
0
No leave program
Oklahoma
0
No leave program
Oregon
2
Enacted
Pennsylvania
0
No leave program
Rhode Island
2
Enacted
South Carolina
0
No leave program
South Dakota
0
No leave program
Tennessee
0
No leave program
Texas
0
No leave program
Utah
0
No leave program
Vermont
0
No leave program
Virginia
0
No leave program
Washington
2
Enacted
West Virginia
0
No leave program
Wisconsin
0
No leave program
Wyoming
0
No leave program
- “The Three Wedges That Separate Workers From Their Pay,” by Peter Coy, Bloomberg Businessweek, April 27
- “Where The Productivity Went,” by Paul Krugman, New York Times, April 28
- “Where Did All The Productivity Gains Go?” by Matt Yglesias, Slate, May 1
- “40 Years Of Workers Left Behind,” by Brian Beutler, Talking Points Memo, May 2
March 7: Entry-level workers’ wages fell in lost decade
Entry-level wages of male and female college graduates |
- “Young Adults See Their Pay Decline,” by James R. Hagerty, Wall Street Journal, March 6
- “College degree not worth what it was,” by Tami Luhby, CNN Money, March 7
- “Paychecks for young adults getting slimmer,” by Eve Tahmincioglu, MSNBC.com, March 7
Other media outlets and blogs that have covered the data include BBC News, Forbes, Gawker, Huffington Post, In These Times, MarketPlace Radio, National Journal, Politico, Reuters, Village Voice, and the Washington Post.