The Public Cost of a Low Federal Minimum Wage by UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education reports on the cost of public safety net programs for families of workers who would receive a direct wage increase under the Raise the Wage Act, which proposes a national $15 minimum wage to be fully implemented in 2025. The study finds that close to half of these families (47%) are enrolled in at least one program, at an annual cost of $107 billion. The increased income from the minimum wage hike would improve the lives of workers and their families, and reduce the burden on public safety net programs.
