David Cooper

David Cooper is an Economic Analyst at the Economic Policy Institute. His work focuses on the minimum wage, state labor markets, poverty, and wage and income trends.

Articles by this author

From a general macroeconomic perspective, raising the minimum wage in a period of depressed consumer demand is smart policy. (Photo: SEIU) Views
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Now Is Still a Good Time to Raise the Minimum Wage
With minimum wages set to rise next week in Nevada, Oregon, Illinois, and the District of Columbia —as well as in Chicago, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and 12 other smaller cities and counties—it’s not surprising that business groups that always oppose higher minimum wages are calling...
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Raising the minimum wage is one of the most straightforward ways to lift pay for the lowest-paid workers in the economy. (Photo: SEIU) Views
Friday, December 28, 2018
Over 5 Million Workers Will Have Higher Pay on January 1 Thanks to State Minimum Wage Increases
On January 1, 2019, 20 states will raise their minimum wages, lifting pay for 5.3 million workers across the country. 1 The increases, which range from a $0.05 inflation adjustment in Alaska to a $2.00 per hour increase in New York City, will give affected workers approximately $5.4 billion in...
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Thursday, February 18, 2016
How We Can Save $17 Billion in Public Assistance—Annually
Note to conservatives: Want to know the best way to find savings in government assistance programs? Here’s a hint—it’s not by cutting nutrition assistance to working people who are struggling. It’s by paying them fairly for their labor. A new report from the Economic Policy Institute indicates that...
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