EPI Warns $25 Federal Minimum Wage Could Cost 5 Million Jobs as Sun Belt Faces Biggest Hit
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 19
EPI Warns $25 Federal Minimum Wage Could Cost 5 Million Jobs as Sun Belt Faces Biggest Hit
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 19
Summary
Nearly 5 million jobs would be lost nationwide under a federal $25 minimum wage, the Employment Policies Institute said, with Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina facing the largest absolute losses.
The study argues the biggest damage would fall on states still using the $7.25 federal floor, where a $25 mandate would more than triple minimum pay and sharply raise labor costs for employers.
More than one-third of the projected losses would come from restaurants and hospitality, including 1.2 million tipped workers, because the proposal would also end the federal tip credit.
Progressive lawmakers are pushing to lift the wage floor to $25 by 2031 for large employers and by 2038 for smaller businesses, while advocates say higher pay is needed to address an affordability crisis.
The clash highlights a broader fight over whether steep wage hikes would mainly lift incomes for millions of workers or instead accelerate prices and curb entry-level hiring, especially in fast-growing Sun Belt economies.