Denver Ranked Best Region in the Nation for Living-Wage Jobs by Ludwig Institute

Two Texas regions among the worst for low- and middle-income workers

May 3, 2024

For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Denver region was ranked as the national leader for living-wage jobs, while two Texas markets posted worrisome “functional unemployment” rates of well over 30%, according to a new Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity (LISEP) analysis.

LISEP today released its 2023 True Rate of Unemployment (TRU) by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) analysis — an in-depth study of the TRU for the nation’s 100 most populous MSAs. TRU tracks the “functionally unemployed,” defined by LISEP as the jobless, plus those seeking, but unable to find, full-time employment paying above poverty level, pegged at $25,000 a year after adjusting for inflation. LISEP’s MSA analysis considers both the TRU, as well as TRU Out of the Population (TRU OOP) — a metric that measures the functional unemployment rate of the entire working-age (16+) population, a better indicator of overall labor-market strength.

With the nation’s second-lowest TRU — at 16%, down two percentage points over last year — the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood MSA featured growth in higher-paying education and health-services jobs, along with a higher citywide minimum wage, according to LISEP. Education and health services grew by 3.4%, with government jobs growing by 6%. The region also had the nation’s lowest TRU OOP, thus earning the top ranking.

Other MSAs leading the nation with low functional unemployment rates are Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, ranking second, followed by Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN; San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA; Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI; Kansas City, MO-KS; Richmond, VA; Raleigh-Cary, NC; Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX; and Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX, MSA remains at the bottom of the list with the nation’s highest TRU at 48%, unchanged from last year. This means nearly half of the workforce is unable to find living-wage jobs. LISEP’s analysis noted two key factors contributing to McAllen-Edingburg-Mission’s struggles: the region’s prevalence of low-paying industries and a low educational attainment level. Nearly 35% of the population aged 25 and over has no high school diploma.

Also on the list of regions with high functional unemployment rates is the El Paso MSA, fourth highest at 32%. Like McAllen, El Paso also has a concentration of low-skill jobs with notable declines in manufacturing positions over the past year. Other MSAs with the nation’s highest functional unemployment rates include Fresno, CA (second); Dayton-Kettering, OH (third); Springfield, MA (fifth); followed by Greensboro-High Point, NC; New Orleans-Metairie, LA; Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY; Tucson, AZ; and Akron, OH.

“Our data again reveal crucial dynamics at play. Local communities investing in infrastructure, housing, and future-oriented industries consistently outperform those more reliant on low-wage jobs,” said LISEP Chairman Gene Ludwig. “These findings show that some regions are enabling middle- and working-class families to thrive — while others grapple with financial security.”

Ludwig also pointed to President Joe Biden’s recent announcement of a new “place-based” economic strategy, which acknowledges the uneven economic landscape across the country, with some communities thriving while others struggle. The strategy aims to direct resources to the areas where they are needed most. That, Ludwig said, is a step in the right direction.

“Breaking the U.S. economy down into individual, local economies gives us a clearer picture of these contrasting realities,” Ludwig said. “The challenge for policymakers lies in embracing real-world data to craft workable solutions — which begins with a clear picture of what works, what doesn’t, and what’s needed.”

A full breakdown of the True Rate of Unemployment by Metropolitan Statistical Area is available at www.lisep.org/local.

Denver Ranked Best Region in the Nation for Living-Wage Jobs by Ludwig Institute

Two Texas regions among the worst for low- and middle-income workers

‍Jim Gardner

May 3, 2024

For Immediate Release

Additional Resources

Historically, systemic barriers have disproportionately hampered Black farmers’ ability to retain land ownership.

Despite this tragic history, there is still time and economic incentive to set some of the inequities right.

In 2021, working mothers with children under 18 earned just 61.7 cents for every dollar a father made. Much wider than the overall gender wage gap, this difference highlights both the motherhood penalty and the fatherhood premium.

Female-dominated, low-paying, part-time occupations are overrepresented among informal workers who also have a formal job.

We need to create an economic environment where companies can hire these workers as employees and pay them a living wage. There are steps policymakers can take to change the gig economy dynamic.

Dependency on tips over base pay is growing because of actions taken by gig companies to institute tipping.

Even for those lucky enough to be making what amounts in many states to the poverty wage of $15 per hour, many will get nothing but a week’s notice before being out on the street.

One study shows that consistent involvement in extracurricular activities increased a child’s likelihood of attending college by a whopping 400% compared to not being involved at all.

Studies have found that both men and women are paid less if they work in “nurturant” occupations.

Since 2015, the correlation between LISEP’s functional employment to population ratio and the inflation rate was more than four times as strong as the BLS’s employment to population ratio, which is depicted in the graph below.

The employment to population ratio settles the discrepancy between what we see around us and what the data says.

The NBER paper defines employment using the traditional BLS U-3 rate. However, the often-used U-3 number fails to capture the quality of jobs.

Among states with stricter COVID-19 policies, reducing unemployment benefits had little to no effect. The average effect of increased employment seems to have occurred only in those states with looser COVID protocols.

A full breakdown of the True Rate of Unemployment by Metropolitan Statistical Area is available at www.lisep.org/local.

Press Contact:

‍Jim Gardner

press@lisep.org

(573) 680-1822

Additional Resources:

TRU White Paper

TRU & TWE Methodology

TRU Source Data

About TRU

LISEP issued the white paper Measuring Better: Development of “True Rate of Unemployment” Data as the Basis for Social and Economic Policy upon announcing the new statistical measure in October 2020. The paper and methodology can be viewed here. LISEP issues TRU one to two weeks following the release of the BLS unemployment report, which occurs on the first Friday of each month. The TRU rate and supporting data are available on the LISEP website at lisep.org/tru.

About LISEP

The Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity (LISEP) was created in 2019 by Gene Ludwig and his wife, Dr. Carol Ludwig. The mission of LISEP is to improve the economic well-being of middle- and lower-income Americans through research and education. LISEP’s original economic research includes new indicators for unemployment, earnings, and cost of living. These metrics aim to provide policymakers and the public with a more transparent view of the economic situation of all Americans, particularly low- and middle-income households, compared with misleading headline statistics. On X: @LISEP_org.

About Gene Ludwig

In addition to his role as LISEP chair, Gene Ludwig is founder of the Promontory family of companies and Canapi LLC, a financial technology venture fund. He is the founder and CEO of Ludwig Advisors, which counsels financial firms on critical matters. Ludwig is the former vice chairman and senior control officer of Bankers Trust New York Corp. and served as the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency from 1993 to 1998. He is also author of the book The Vanishing American Dream, which investigates the economic challenges facing low- and middle-income Americans. On Twitter: @geneludwig.