Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center: Labor Day report on the State of Working Massachusetts 2016

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State of Working Massachusetts: Wage earners saw gains last year, but haven't made up lost ground 

 

, highlights wage gains among all income groups, but notes that low- and middle-income wages in Massachusetts and across the nation have barely grown for decades and remain lower than in 2009.

 

While long-term national trends are troubling, the report found some good news locally: Massachusetts has both the nation's highest median wage and the best educated workforce (49 percent have a college degree). Looking across the country, the report finds that states with better-educated workforces consistently have higher-wage economies. Comparing cities and towns within Massachusetts shows the same close relationship between the wages and education levels.

 

The wage growth we see among low-wage workers who are benefiting from the minimum wage increase reminds us of how important public policy can be in improving the economic well-being of working people and their families. The challenge for our Commonwealth is to develop policies that expand opportunity and raise wages for all of our people.

 

The State of Working Massachusetts 2016 Edition also pinpoints several other Massachusetts economic data points, including:

• Wages in Massachusetts grew by 3 percent last year for the broad middle class;
• Other states with minimum wage increases also saw higher wage gains for low-income workers;
• Massachusetts job growth between 2007 and 2016 has been among the strongest in the nation;
• Child poverty rates in Massachusetts are below the national average and have begun to decline, but 1-in-7 children remain in poverty, a higher level than before the recession.
• Among adults without disabilities whose incomes were less than 125 percent of the poverty level, the vast majority (71 percent) work at least part-time.

The link to the MassBudget report is here.

The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts.