Library

Reports: Employment

The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap
American Association of University Women, March 2025, 10 pp.
This report examines the continued pay gap between women and men and forces which contribute to it. It also looks at factors such as age, race, and education, and state variation. more info >

Empowering Progress: Harnessing Skills-Based Strategies to Drive Public Sector Excellence
National Governors Association, February 2025, 27 pp.
This report examines state efforts to increase skills-based hiring, prioritizing a candidate's skills, competencies, and relevant work experience over traditional qualifications like degrees or job titles. Skills-based hiring promotes career mobility and fosters a more inclusive workforce, positively impacting the broader economy. more info >

A National Profile of Youth and Young Adults
Annie E. Casey Foundation, October 2024
Presents data related to more than 60 indicators on the health and well-being of young people ages 14 to 24, including employment, poverty, education, health, mental health, and family and community issues. Many of the indicators are available by race and ethnicity, and are also provided by state and, in some cases, by territory, city and congressional district. more info >

U.S. Child Poverty in 2023
First Focus, September 2024, 8 pp.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that nearly 14% of children (nearly 10 million) in the United States lived in households with incomes below the poverty threshold in 2023 ($37,482 for a family of four with two children). This represents a 10% increase in child poverty from 2022, resulting in almost one million more children experiencing poverty in a year. more info >

Kids Count Data Book: State Trends in Child Well-Being
Annie E. Casey Foundation, July 2024, 54 pp.
This annual report provides data on 10 indicators of child well-being, by state and for the U.S. States are ranked on each indicator and compared to previous years. more info >

North Dakota Workforce Review
Labor Market Information Center, Job Service North Dakota, June 2024, 120 pp.
This report examines broad population trends, labor force statistics, occupational group changes, and industry changes for either 10-year or 20-year (or both) time periods. In addition to general measures of North Dakota's economy, this publication presents individual industry breakouts to examine figures for employment, wages, establishments, and demographic changes in slightly more detail. Similar information is presented in breakouts by region to provide a useful perspective of statewide trends and their roots in various parts of the state. more info >

Community-Level Racial Inequities in Young Adults’ Credit Scores Are Likely Driven by Differences in Wealth-Building Opportunities
Urban Institute, June 2024, 16 pp.
Credit score data suggests that a significant portion of racial disparities in young adults' credit scores reflects systemic differences in wealth-building opportunities across communities, including differences in residential segregation and housing wealth. more info >

State of Black America
National Urban League, June 2024
Annual report from the National Urban League. The most recent report focuses on the impact of the 1964 Civil Rights, and includes measures related income, education, health, civic engagement, housing, transportation, and public safety for Hispanic, Black, and White populations. Includes metropolitan area rankings of unemployment and income equality. more info >

Profile of Older Americans
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, November 2023, 20 pp.
National data profile of older adults, including living arrangements, racial and ethnic composition, geographic distribution, income, poverty, housing, employment, education, health and health care, disability, and caregiving. New reports are issued annually. more info >

How Do Americans View Social Security?
AARP, November 2023, 6 pp.
Using General Social Survey data from 1984 through 2021, this report investigates Americans' perceptions of Social Security. Consistent with other research, it demonstrates that Social Security has been and continues to be viewed favorably, enjoying widespread popularity across socioeconomic and political groups. more info >

Career and Technical Education: Current Policy, Prominent Programs, and Evidence
MDRC, September 2023, 44 pp.
This paper begins with an overview of career and technical education, examining how various policies have fostered the growth of CTE. It also provides details on the types of programs and institutions that offer CTE, and the evidence base to support each of them. more info >

Review of Rural U.S. Economic and Health Care Trends
Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health, September 2022, 24 pp.
A summary of research exploring the nexus of health care and local economic vibrancy in rural communities. Key issues include the personal and community impacts of reduced services, hospital closures, health care workforce shortages, Medicaid expansion, and the delivery and reimbursement of patient care through telehealth. more info >

The Economic, Educational, and Health-Related Costs of Being a Woman
Center for American Progress, March 2022, 5 pp.
Discusses how from the gender wage gap to gender-based pricing, the cost of being a woman in America is integrated into economic, health, and education systems and requires a multi-pronged policy approach to address more info >

Understanding Coping Strategies of Mothers with Low Income
Urban Institute, January 2022, 75 pp.
An exploratory study of the strategies that mothers with young children and few economic resources use to meet their caregiving and related needs. The report also examines the role of community-based organizations in supporting mothers and families and improving outcomes for children. more info >

Untapped Potential: Economic Impact of Childcare Breakdowns on U.S. States
Center for Education and Workforce, November 2021, 44 pp.
Examines the impact of childcare challenges on the state economies of Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Missouri, and Texas. The studies reveal that addressing childcare breakdowns would unlock significant economic potential for states, employers, and working parents. more info >

The Connection Between Unpredictable Work Schedules and Meeting Basic Household Needs
Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison, November 2021, 6 pp.
Examines how the lack of a stable and predictable work schedule can lead to income volatility and contribute to a host of other challenges for low-income individuals and households. more info >

Inequities in Job Recovery During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Carsey Institute, September 2021, 12 pp.
This policy brief provides an update on the employment trends that took place between February 2020 and June 2021, focusing on the change in the number of persons with a job and racial disparities in unemployment rates. more info >

Stark Inequality: Financial Asset Inequality Undermines Retirement Security
National Institute on Retirement Security, August 2021, 23 pp.
This report finds that economic inequality continues to grow, with financial assets significantly higher for white households than Black or Hispanic households, and with wealth further concentrated among white households in the top 25 percent of net worth. more info >

Developing Two-Generation Approaches in Communities
Annie E. Casey Foundationm Urban Institute, July 2021, 79 pp.
An evaluation of the Family-Centered Community Change initiative, designed to integrate two-generation strategies into existing place-based community initiatives. The effort, which ran from 2012 to 2019, focused on supporting local partners in three neighborhoods with low economic resources: Buffalo, New York; Columbus, Ohio; and San Antonio, Texas and found that these sites benefited from participating in the program. more info >

The Path to Rural Resilience in America
Economic Policy Institute, September 2020, 35 pp.
This report examines changing economic and environmental trends in rural communities, and suggests policy actions to further economic growth and create high-quality, sustainable jobs. more info >

The Aging of the Manufacturing Workforce
The Manufacturing Institute, July 2019, 29 pp.
Examines best practices that have enabled manufacturing firms to successfully navigate the aging of the manufacturing industry, including ways to support older workers and recruit and retain younger workers. more info >

Lessons for Employer-School Partnerships to Provide Meaningful Youth Employment Opportunities
Child Trends, June 2019, 6 pp.
Examines an initiative to promote career- and college-readiness among high school students and improve student outcomes. This brief focuses on lessons learned in providing students with real work experiences and exploring the role that employer partners play in implementation. more info >

State of the Heartland: Factbook 2018
Brookings Institute, November 2018, 110 pp.
This report benchmarks the performance of the 19-state American “Heartland” on 26 socioeconomic measures and is intended to help Heartland leaders and citizens better comprehend the region’s current trajectory at a time of rapid economic and social change. more info >

Work, Skills, Community: Restoring Opportunity for the Middle Class
Brookings Institute, Opportunity American, November 2018, 136 pp.
Looks at the challenges facing working-class communities and provides bipartisan policy proposals designed to create jobs, train and retrain workers and revitalize blue-collar communities. more info >

A tale of two retirements: Working longer is exacerbating income inequality among older Americans
Urban Institute, November 2018, 70 pp.
Examines how delaying retirement is deepening income inequality for older adults by leaving those with health problems behind. more info >

The Economic Status of Women in the States
U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration, March 2018, 7 pp.
The Status of Women in the States provides data on women's progress in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States overall, measuring factors such as women's earnings, the gender wage gap, and women's labor force participation. more info >

Framework for Creating a Smart Growth Economic Development Strategy A Tool for Small Cities and Towns
United States Environmental Protection Agency, August 2016, 38 pp.
A step-by-step guide to building a place-based economic development strategy which is based on building upon existing assets, taking incremental actions to strengthen communities, and building long-term value to attract a range of investments. more info >

Building Assets Through Microenterprise
The Aspen Institute, January 2014, 12 pp.
Strategies being used by microenterprise development programs to help low-income families improve their financial footing, acquire assets and build wealth. more info >

Web sites

Economic Policy Institute
Focuses on the economic condition of low- and middle-income Americans and their families. Includes issue guides on the following topics: living wage, minimum wage, poverty and family budgets, retirement security, Social Security, unemployment insurance, and welfare. more info >

Institute for Research on Poverty
Research on the causes and consequences of poverty and social inequality in the United States. more info >