Economic Policy Institute

*Over 5 million people* have used EPI's Family Budget Calculator to understand how much they need to afford where they live. It estimates costs—housing, food, transportation, child care, health care, taxes, and more—for 10 family types in every U.S. county and metropolitan area.

If Amendment 3 passes, some public hospital districts in Florida will lose over half their revenue, resulting in less access to care & decreased funding for programs that serve Floridians with low income. Read/download our fact sheet ⬇️ www.floridapolicy.org/posts/fact-s...

NEW on FPI's blog: Amendment 3 would reduce property tax revenue in Miami-Dade County by $1.5 billion over the next two fiscal years. Read more ⬇️ www.floridapolicy.org/posts/how-wo...

There are over 150 state ballot measures going before voters next month. One of them—Amendment 3 in Florida—would cut annual local government revenue by an estimated $12 billion. This translates to 123,000 jobs at risk of being cut from local government payrolls. www.epi.org/blog/voters-...

ICYMI: Vote for EPI's Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy in the Anthem Awards! celebrate.anthemawards.com/PublicVoting...

Policy choices will determine how AI impacts workers. Federal policymakers should take a pro-worker approach by strengthening unemployment insurance & building a better safety net for all workers. Read our new policy brief with @webuildprogress.bsky.social and Workshop: www.epi.org/publication/...

La política migratoria del gobierno de Trump no solo es inhumana, sino que además representa un enorme despilfarro de recursos públicos. Más info: www.epi.org/deportation-...

If Amendment 3 passes, local governments face deep cuts to revenue. Florida families would see cuts to services, increased taxes and fees, or a combination of both. ICYMI, FPI's Amendment 3 voter guide ⬇️ www.floridapolicy.org/posts/voter-...

"Tripling union density wouldn’t only benefit union members. Nonunion workers would also see large raises, because strong unions lift standards across the economy." time.com/article/2026...

"Tripling union membership in this country would deliver a 14.5% raise to the median worker—more than $7,700 a year or the equivalent of 7.5 extra weeks of pay annually. This adds up to nearly $270,000 over a 35-year career." #BetterInAUnion aflcio.mn/47t8asU

Say it louder for the folks in the back: IT’S BETTER IN A UNION. 🗣️✊🏿 When workers organize, they raise the standard for EVERYBODY. My sisters @lizshuler.bsky.social and @hshierholz.bsky.social are bringing the receipts.

“Tripling union membership would also provide healthcare to 6.8 million more Americans. It’s what the labor movement calls the union difference: higher wages, access to healthcare, retirement security, paid time off and sick leave, and dignity on the job.” #MoneyPowerRespect

There's a powerful solution to improve affordability: Unions. Tripling union membership would deliver $7,700 annually to the median worker—or $270,000 over a typical career. Learn more from EPI president @hshierholz.bsky.social & AFL-CIO president @lizshuler.bsky.social: time.com/article/2026...

Tripling union membership could put $7,700 more a year in the typical worker’s pocket. That’s money for rent, groceries and a little breathing room. Working people don’t need another lecture about budgeting. They need the power to bargain for more.

Working people are struggling. Their paychecks aren’t stretching far enough. They stress over every bill, let alone taking their families to dinner or go on vacation once in a while. How do we solve the cost crisis? A union contract. More from @lizshuler.bsky.social:

The Economic Policy Institute seeks a Congressional Labor Fellow to be based in Washington, DC. Details can be found at: www.unionjobs.com/listing/2986... #1u #UnionStrong @epi.org @aflcio.org

Thanks to Trump's war, a complete reversal of wage gains

Workers have seen zero progress on affordability compared to January 2025. Real wages are essentially stagnant as workers leverage has declined and prices have risen. It's no wonder workers feel left behind in the current economy. #econsky #numbersday

Workers are losing the race between wages and prices. Nominal wage growth continues to decelerate as workers lose bargaining power at work. Workers simply don't have the leverage to bid up their wages. Reduced leverage and higher prices translated into falling YoY real wages for six months in a row.

TOMORROW at 1pm ET: Join our webinar on the economic harm of mass deportations. Featuring: - Haeyoung Yoon of @domesticworkers.bsky.social - @dcosta.bsky.social - @benzipperer.org - @jensherer.bsky.social Register here: www.epi.org/event/mass-d...

We all deserve more time with loved ones and financial security. People drive the economy, and policies should help families thrive. We’re joining the #PaidLeaveVoter Days of Action because no one should have to choose between loved ones and a paycheck.

State budget choices are shifting education costs onto counties. At the same time, legislative leaders are pushing constitutional amendments that would block much-needed funding for public schools.

Although the overall labor market has weakened, Latina workers have record-high employment rates in 2026. But Latino workers and young Hispanic workers are not experiencing similar gains. @icidmartinez.bsky.social explores the latest trends: www.epi.org/blog/despite...

Even if you've never been a union member, the attacks on unions have cost you money. The typical worker would be earning $5,000 more a year if unions were as strong today as they were five decades ago

From 1979-2007, Black women with bachelor’s degrees were the only group of women to maintain labor force participation rates above 80 percent. Yet, despite their high labor force participation, highly educated Black women have been—and continue to be—systematically held back from upward mobility.

This morning AFT Executive Vice President @evelyndejesus.bsky.social attended #EPI40, which had great conversations on affordability. Many families can’t afford a decent economic life due to the increase in income and wage inequality. #EARNCON www.aft.org/ae/fall2026/...

"Steady throttling of @usbls.bsky.social funding makes all decision-makers—public & private—less well informed... shouldn’t be up for debate, given how strong of an economic benefit they deliver." @hilwething.bsky.social @epi.org on federal economic statistics www.epi.org/blog/consequ...

How do federal nutrition programs help fuel healthy futures? Join me at FRAC's Benefit Breakfast on Oct. 7 at the National Press Club for an important conversation about the role these programs play for children, families, and communities. @epi.org frac.org/benefit-brea...

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Julie’s on her way back from @epi.org EARN CON with lots of new research questions: looks like we may be digging into the privatization of Medicare dollars, changes to data collection in decennial census, fiscal impacts of migration enforcement, and the need for minimum wage increases. Stay tuned.

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The prime-age employment-to-population ratio, the share of the population ages 25-54 with a job, ticked up in September to 80.7%, back to where it was in the spring. Overall, the prime-age EPOP remains resilient to labor market weakness in other measures. #EconSky

The household survey is painting a rosier picture of the labor market for September. The unemployment rate ticked up slightly, but for the right reasons as both labor force participation and employment increased. There is notably more volatility in the household survey but the trend is positive.

Slower wage growth means that with higher prices, workers and their families continue to find it difficult to make ends meet. Year-over-year real wages fell for five months in a row. When the latest price data is out on October 14, we'll learn if real wages have fallen for six months straight.

Nominal wage growth continued to decelerate in Sept, rising just 3.0% over the year. Slowing nominal wage growth suggests workers don't have the leverage to bid up their wages. Even with low unemployment, the depressed hires rate means workers aren't finding new jobs to raise their wages. #EconSky

Federal employment lost 1,000 jobs in September, but the deficit in the federal workforce remains stark: there are 328,000 fewer federal jobs since January 2025. The vital services federal employees provide cannot be done without these essential workers. #EconSky

Manufacturing employment grew modestly in September, a gain of 9,000 jobs. But the fact remains that manufacturing employment is still down 21,000 jobs since January 2025. It's hardly a manufacturing boon.

Health care employment continues to chug along, adding 17,000 in September. Modest job growth in construction, leisure and hospitality, and manufacturing. After a bounce back in August, state and local government recorded losses for September.

Payroll employment growth has averaged 50,000 over the last three months, but it continues to be relatively volatile. Four months of jobs losses over the last year, while some notable gains recorded as well. Economic uncertainty may be at play in the latest spell of weakness and downward revisions.

Notable weakness in today's #jobs report for this morning. Payroll employment grew by 29,000 while downward revisions to both July and August totaled 60,000. July is now recording losses. The job growth in September (29,000) is slower than the prior 12 months (45,000). #EconSky

I am in MAPE and I kid you not, I shared these EPI graphs with our Contract Action Team this very morning— they are such gold.

That’s an @epi.org graph! It’s based on BLS data but our people did the analysis!