Wages, incomes, and overcoming obstacles to economic opportunity

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. May 9, 2018 Obstacles on the Road to Opportunity: Finding a Way Forward Effective programs that help families make ends meet - like the Earned Income Tax Credit, SNAP, school lunches, and Social Security - cut the number of Massachusetts residents living in poverty by almost half. Such programs also cut the number of children living in poverty by more than half, according to a relatively new measure developed by the Census Bureau. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center's new report, Obstacles on the Road to Opportunity: Finding a Way Forward, finds that while effective public programs can help remove obstacles along the road to opportunity, good jobs play a central role in paving that road. While incomes of high-income households have grown considerably over the past several decades, this has not been the case for low and moderate-wage workers. The report notes that national economic policies have allowed wages to stagnate and that important work support programs are at risk of being cut by the federal government. In some Massachusetts communities, more than one in four children lives below the official federal poverty line. Such conditions and a lack of resources create obstacles to opportunity for children.   The report will be released today at a forum hosted by the Massachusetts Association for Community Action (MASSCAP). It contains a variety of usable data, including detailed data about municipalities across the Commonwealth. Read the report 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. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, 15 Court Square, Suite 700, Boston, MA 02108