Facts and Stats 2018: U.S. Census Data Analysis on Poverty and Income

The data also show that Rhode Island’s communities of color were much more likely to live in poverty with poverty rates for Blacks and Latinos three times those of Whites. The overall median income masks the hurdles faced by communities of color in our state. Latino ($41,123) and Black ($37,781) median incomes trail overall median income by a wide margin, …

Facts and Stats 2018: U.S. Census Data Analysis on Health Care

In 2017, Medicaid expansion allowed 75,000 single adults with income marginally above the poverty line to have health insurance coverage, representing 23% of the Medicaid-insured population. The balance of the Medicaid-insured included: 20,000 seniors (6%), 32,000 adults with disabilities (10%) and 12,000 children with disabilities (4%). The majority (51%) of Medicaid enrollees were pregnant women, children and their families (166,000). …

Facts and Stats: US Census Poverty and Income Data 2016

In 2016, more than one in eight Rhode Islanders (12.8 percent) had income below the poverty level. The Ocean State had the highest rate of its residents living in poverty in the New England states and ranked 22nd among all states. The 12.8 percent overall poverty rate in Rhode Island in 2016 was a significant decline from the peak rate …

Access to Paid Sick Time in Rhode Island

Approximately 34 percent of workers in Rhode Island lack paid sick time, and low-income and part-time workers are especially unlikely to be covered. Access to paid sick time promotes safe and healthy work environments by reducing the spread of illness (Kumar, et al. 2013; Drago and Miller, 2010) and workplace injuries (Asfaw, Pana-Cryan, and Rosa 2012), reduces health care costs …

More Rhode Islanders Have Health Insurance in 2015

New Census data show that the percentage of uninsured Rhode Islanders was 5.7 percent in 2015, half the rate it was in 2013, the year before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect.  In 2014, 7.4% were uninsured. Two new avenues for affordable health insurance made available through the ACA have helped significant numbers of Rhode Islanders gain coverage.  …

Increasing Rhode Island’s Minimum Wage & EITC

Policies that boost the economy; help thousands of Ocean State families The Governor’s FY17 Budget Article 13 increases the minimum wage to $10.10 next year and expands the state earned income tax credit from 12.5 percent to 15 percent of the federal credit (the Governor indicated an interest in further expanding the EITC pending available resources following the mid-year revenue forecast). …

Raising the Minimum Wage Boosts Working Families and the Rhode Island Economy(March 2016)

Putting more money in the pockets of Rhode Island workers not only helps those families, it also puts more money in the cash registers of local businesses, and creates jobs in Rhode Island. Minimum wage earners are not able to meet their basic needs. According to the most recent Rhode Island Standard of Need, a study that documents the cost …

Assets and Opportunity Scorecard, 2016

New data released by CFED (the Corporation for Enterprise Development), a national partner of Economic Progress Institute, shows that too many Rhode Island families remain economically vulnerable. The 2016 Assets and Opportunity Scorecard ranks Rhode Island 35th nationally in the ability of residents to achieve financial security. College debt, racial and income disparities in housing, and underemployment are among the …