What the newest data say about incomes and poverty
On Tuesday, the Census Bureau released its annual data on income and poverty in the U.S. EPI analysis of the data shows that racial and ethnic income gaps persisted amid uneven growth in household incomes in 2018—with Asian households experiencing the strongest growth at 4.6% and Hispanic households experiencing the weakest growth at 0.1%. The overall trend of positive wage growth—albeit slow and uneven—represents a small step toward workers reclaiming the decade of lost income growth following the Great Recession. Social Security, refundable tax credits, food stamps, and other government assistance programs were directly responsible for keeping tens of millions out of poverty. View EPI’s summary of the data »
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2018 Census data by the numbers
Watch the videos: EPI’s fall book series
EPI kicked off its fall book series this month, featuring work by labor experts and advocates. EPI co-founder Robert Kuttner joined us on September 4 to discuss his new book, The Stakes: 2020 and the Survival of American Democracy, followed on September 9 by former New York Times journalist Steven Greenhouse talking about his book, Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor. Watch the videos »
The effects of historical lynchings on American politics today
EPI Economist Jhacova Williams is featured in a short film produced by The Economist for its 1843 Magazine, discussing her research on the correlation between historical lynchings and blacks’ voting behavior, especially in counties that experienced high lynching rates. “Many people knew about the terror of lynchings, but one of the reasons why blacks were lynched was to suppress the black vote—which is still happening today,” Williams said. Watch the video »
From the EPI blog
- Racial and ethnic income gaps persist amid uneven growth in household incomes By Valerie Wilson, Jhacova Williams
- Government programs kept tens of millions out of poverty in 2018 By Hunter Blair, Julia Wolfe
- Slowdown in household income growth continues in 2018 By Elise Gould, Julia Wolfe
- By the Numbers: Income and Poverty, 2018 By Zane Mokhiber, Melat Kassa
- What to watch for in the 2018 Census data on earnings, incomes, and poverty By Elise Gould, Valerie Wilson
- What to Watch on Jobs Day: Wage growth is key to a sustainable recovery By Elise Gould
EPI in the news
CBS MoneyWatch covered EPI findings on the new Census data, quoting Senior Economist Elise Gould, who stated, “Most families have just barely made up the ground lost over the past decade.” | Americans’ Income Barely Inching Up Despite Economic Growth
Chalkbeat covered presidential candidate Sen. Michael Bennet’s proposal to raise teacher pay, highlighting EPI research on teacher wage and compensation gaps. | Michael Bennet, Fighting for Traction, Releases Education Plan Focused on Preschool and Partnerships
EPI Director of Policy Heidi Shierholz discussed the future of U.S. jobs and the importance of unions in an op-ed for In These Times, citing EPI research on low-wage jobs and occupations with the largest projected job growth. | The Future of U.S. Jobs Looks Bleak. Unions Are the Answer.
An economic downturn is likely to occur in the next year and, if it does, it will likely be blameable in large part on President Trump’s “lack of commitment to clear, stated economic priorities,” according to a Hill op-ed by EPI Senior Economist Robert Scott. In the op-ed, Scott cited EPI commentary on U.S. job growth, the December 2018 Fed interest rate hike, and the Federal Reserve chair’s recent testimony before Congress. | The Trump Downturn: Trouble Ahead for the US Economy
EPI Economist Ben Zipperer joined the hosts of the Pitchfork Economics podcast to talk about why different studies come to opposite conclusions about the effects that increasing the federal minimum wage would have on jobs. | How to Spot a Bogus Minimum Wage Study (with Ben Zipperer)
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These programs kept millions out of poverty in 2018
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