October 15, 2013 -
Sylvia Allegretto,Marc Doussard,Dave Graham-Squire,Ken Jacobs,Dan ThompsonandJeremy Thompson Fast Food, Poverty Wages: The Public Cost of Low-Wage Jobs in the Fast-Food Industry
Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit and the other public benefits programs discussed in this report provide a vital support system for millions of Americans working in the United States’ service industries, including fast food. We analyze public program utilization by working families and estimate total average annual public benefit expenditures on the families of front-line fast-food workers for the years 2007–2011.