Economic Opportunity Institute

More Resources

Publications

Poor families work harder than many think

October 2008 | Working Poor Families Project | The economy is tanking these days and despite all the worries about Wall Street and the middle class, working poor families will likely take the biggest hit. | Read | Full report

Inside the Middle Class: Bad Times Hit the Good Life

04.09.2008 | This report on the attitudes and lives of the American middle class combines results of a national public opinion survey with analysis of relevant economic and demographic trend data from the Census Bureau. It finds fewer Americans now than at any time in the past half century believe they're moving forward in life - with good reason. For decades, middle-income Americans had been making absolute progress while enduring relative decline. But since 1999, they have not made economic gains. While today about half of all Americans think of themselves as middle class, they are actually a varied lot. | Read (Executive Summary) | Read (Full Report)

Pulling Apart: A State-by-State Analysis of Income Trends

04.08.2008 | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | A state-by-state examination of trends in income inequality over the past two business cycles finds that inequality has grown in most parts of the country since the late 1980s. The incomes of the country’s highest-income families have climbed substantially, while middle- and lower-income families have seen only modest increases. | Read (Executive Summary) | Read (Full Report)

The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Washington State 2006

06.29.2007 | Prepared for The Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County | As income inequality has increased in the United States, more and more families are finding that they are unable to stretch their wages to meet the rising costs of basic necessities. Though many of these families are not defined as poor according to the official poverty measure, their incomes are inadequate. But what is an adequate income— and how does this amount vary among different family types and different places? Thee Self-Sufficiency Standard is a sophisticated measure of income adequacy designed to answer this question. | Read