Income Inequality

Testimony of Mark Price: Senate Labor and Industry Committee: Increasing the Minimum Wage Hearing

Type: Policy Watch

May 8, 2015 - 2:10pm

My name is Mark Price and I hold a Ph. D. in economics from the University of Utah. I am a labor economist at the Keystone Research Center (KRC), a non-partisan economic think tank based in Harrisburg. I want to thank Chairwoman Baker and Chairwoman Tartaglione for the opportunity to testify before this committee on the benefits of a minimum wage increase for Pennsylvania workers.
Giving the Local Economy a Boost: The Impact of Raising the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage to $10.10 Per Hour by County

Type: Issues

April 8, 2015 - 9:12am

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and the General Assembly are currently considering proposals to raise the state’s minimum hourly wage.
Tax Fairness: An Answer to Pennsylvania’s Budget Problems

Type: Briefing Paper

March 10, 2015 - 11:00pm

Read the press release

View the other state reports
The Minimum Wage In Pennsylvania

Type: Issues

February 8, 2015 - 10:44am

Welcome to our Minimum Wage Issue Page. To the right you will find a set of links to short primers we have written for each county, state house and state senate district as well as for each of Pennsylvania's congressional districts on the affects of a minimum wage increase. These primers give you the key facts in 4 pages, how many workers are affected by various proposals to raise the minimum wage, what are their characteristics (age, income, etc.) and and we discuss briefly why a minimum wage increase is warranted. We also review frequently asked questions about minimum wage increases.
Falling Short: The Impact of Raising the Minimum Wage in PA to $8.75 vs. $10.10

Type: Policy Watch

February 4, 2015 - 1:19pm

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The Pennsylvania General Assembly is considering a proposal to raise the state’s minimum hourly wage above the federal level of $7.25 to $10.10 by July 2016. An alternative proposal would increase the minimum wage to $8.75 for workers age 19 and older by 2017.

This Policy Watch compares the impacts of these proposals. It finds that the increase to $10.10 per hour would:
What About the Rest of Us? Top 1% Takes Home All the Increase in Pennsylvania Income in Current Economic Recovery

Type: Briefing Paper

January 25, 2015 - 7:21pm

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Executive Summary
A Must-Have for Pennsylvania Part Two: Investment in Higher Education for Growth and Opportunity

Type: Research Report

October 24, 2014 - 8:56am

Read the press release

A Must-Have for Pennsylvania Part II:
Divergent Fortunes: Top Incomes and the Middle Class in Pennsylvania’s Counties

Type: Research Report

September 15, 2014 - 2:47pm

Read the press release

Download the online appendix (pdf / excel)
Living on the Edge: Where Very Low-wage Workers Live in Pennsylvania

Type: Briefing Paper

May 7, 2014 - 8:56am

Executive Summary

This briefing paper estimates the number of workers in each Pennsylvania county and metropolitan area that would be affected by a minimum wage increase to $10.10 an hour by 2016.

Our findings in brief:
Raising the Minimum Wage: 23% of PA Workers Would Get a Boost

Type: Policy Watch

March 5, 2014 - 8:02am

Income Inequality

Executive Summary

Keystone Research Center

The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center

KRC is a Member of EARN

The Pennsylvania Fund for Workforce Solutions (PFWS)