Economic Policy Institute

Name

Economic Policy Institute

Legal name

Economic Policy Institute

Website

https://epi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: Primary funding source representing 78% of 2024 revenue. EPI receives grants from foundations supporting economic justice and worker advocacy causes.
2. Labor Union Contributions: Approximately 12% of funding comes from labor unions, representing significant institutional support for EPI's worker-focused research agenda.
3. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute approximately 4% of funding, including planned giving and one-time donations from supporters.
4. Corporate and Organizational Support: Corporations and other organizations provide approximately 1% of funding, with full disclosure of all donors available.
5. Other Income: Other sources account for approximately 5% of funding, including events and miscellaneous revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

EPI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that produces economic policy research and analysis focused on low- and middle-income working Americans. Its deliverables include research reports, interactive data tools and dashboards (Family Budget Calculator, Wage Calculator, Minimum Wage Tracker, CEO Pay tracker, Tax & Spending Explorer), the State of Working America data library, and policy advocacy through congressional testimony and partnerships with labor unions and state-level EARN affiliates. The work is disseminated free to policymakers, journalists, advocacy organizations, and the public.

Product overview

The Economic Policy Institute operates as a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank offering a portfolio of research publications, interactive data tools, and policy analysis resources focused on economic conditions for working families. The core offerings include the Family Budget Calculator and Wage Calculator as primary interactive tools, supplemented by real-time data dashboards tracking minimum wages, unemployment by demographics, CEO pay, and labor market indicators. The organization maintains specialized research programs including the Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy (PREE) and the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN), a nationwide consortium of 57 state-level research partners. Additional resources include the Unequal Power initiative on workplace power dynamics, the Holding the Line policy resource library, the Tax & Spending Explorer, and the State of Working America data library. The portfolio is disseminated through multiple newsletter channels and the organization's event programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Family Budget Calculator An interactive tool that calculates the income families need to attain a modest yet adequate standard of living across U.S. counties and metro areas.
• Wage Calculator An interactive tool that reveals how much higher worker pay could be if wages had kept up with productivity since 1979.
• Minimum Wage Tracker A real-time interactive tracker showing minimum wage changes across states, cities, and counties.
• State Unemployment by Race and Ethnicity A quarterly data analysis tracking national and state unemployment rates by race and ethnicity, including gaps across demographic groups.
• Low Wage Workforce Tracker A tracking tool monitoring conditions and trends affecting low-wage workers in the U.S. economy.
• Company Wage Tracker An interactive tool tracking wage practices and disparities across companies.
• CEO Pay Analysis An annual report and data analysis on CEO compensation and the ratio of CEO pay to typical worker pay.
• Productivity-Pay Gap Analysis A data visualization and analysis showing the gap between productivity growth and worker compensation since 1979.
• Data Accountability Dashboard A dashboard monitoring federal statistical agencies amid political attacks on data integrity.
• Tax and Spending Explorer An interactive tool explaining how taxes and government spending work and where users fit in.
• JOLTS Analysis A monthly analysis of Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey data showing job market dynamics.
• Unemployment Insurance Claims Tracker A weekly tracker of unemployment insurance initial claims and continued claims data.
• Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy (PREE) A dedicated research program analyzing how race, ethnicity, and class intersect to affect economic outcomes in the United States.
• Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) A nationwide network of 57 research, policy, and advocacy organizations fighting state by state for an economy that works for everyone.
• Unequal Power An initiative examining and challenging power imbalances in workplaces and their economic effects.
• Holding the Line A comprehensive resource providing state-level solutions to worker rights issues amid federal policy attacks.
• State of Working America Data Library An encyclopedic publication and data library providing comprehensive data on the living standards of workers in the United States, hosted at data.epi.org.

Quantifiable outcome

• EPI research on CEO pay showing CEOs earn 290 times the salary of typical worker received standalone coverage in The Washington Post, USA Today, Fast Company, and other outlets
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• AFSCMEflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees) is a key union partner. PREE Director Dr. Valerie Wilson spoke at AFSCME's Black History Month event on the 'Staff the Front Lines' campaign and the importance of public-sector employment in supporting economic recovery and racial equity.
• SEIUflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025SEIU (Service Employees International Union) partnered with EPI for worker justice initiatives. PREE economist Dr. Kyle Moore presented at SEIU's HBCU Summer Southern Institute for Worker Justice program at North Carolina A&T State University.
• The Century FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025EPI and The Century Foundation released a comprehensive resource on independent agencies amid Trump administration attacks, combining research capabilities to address policy threats.
• LaborLabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025EPI collaborated with LaborLab on a report revealing that U.S. employers spend roughly $1.7 billion annually on union avoidance consultants and law firms. Teke Wiggin from LaborLab co-authored the report.
• AFL-CIOflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024EPI hosted a virtual press conference with AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler to share new research on the benefits of expanding union membership. This represents a key partnership in EPI's labor movement engagement.
• Immigration Research InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024EPI teamed up with Immigration Research Initiative to release fact sheets touting the benefits of immigration in many states, earning coverage in local outlets across the country including Wisconsin, Virginia, Colorado, Maine, and Arizona.
• EARN Network (57 State Partners)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024EARN (Economic Analysis and Research Network) is EPI's nationwide network of 57 research, policy, and advocacy organizations fighting state by state for an economy that works for everyone. EPI provides technical assistance, regrants funds, and coordinates campaign efforts with these partners across 45 states and D.C.
• Groundwork Collaborative and Center for Popular DemocracycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019In 2019 and 2020, EPI's Program on Race, Ethnicity and Economy (PREE) partnered with Groundwork Collaborative and Center for Popular Democracy to host a seven-part workshop series titled 'Turning Good Intentions into Constructive Engagement on Race.'

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Center for American Progress: Large progressive policy institute with significant economic policy work. Operates at a larger scale than EPI and covers a broader policy agenda but shares target audiences (policymakers, media, advocates) and progressive policy orientation.
• The Century Foundation: Progressive policy research organization with an explicit economic justice focus. Already an EPI partner (joint resource on independent agencies), TCF operates with similar funding sources and audience but broader policy scope including healthcare and education.
• Center for Economic and Policy Research: Progressive nonprofit think tank producing rigorous economic analysis on similar themes (wages, inequality, trade, labor markets). CEPR is the closest direct peer to EPI in mission, methodology, and policy positioning.
• Roosevelt Institute: Progressive economic policy think tank producing research on power, inequality, and worker rights. Shares EPI's target audience of policymakers, advocates, and journalists, with complementary rather than overlapping research priorities.
• Groundwork Collaborative: Progressive economic policy organization focused on the economy working for everyone. Already an EPI partner (joint race engagement workshops), operates at smaller scale with sharper focus on narrative and state-level coalition building.
• Economic Policy Innovation Center: Conservative-leaning economic policy organization producing research on labor markets and growth. Operates with similar tool-driven approach (state-level data dashboards) but from opposite ideological perspective, making it a meaningful counterpart in policy debates.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Large, established research institution producing economic, labor, and social policy research. Operates at significantly greater scale across multiple policy domains with a broader, more centrist audience and a substantial endowment model.
• Brookings Institution: One of the largest and most established U.S. think tanks with a major economic studies program. Operates at significantly greater scale, broader policy scope, and more centrist orientation than EPI; cited by similar audiences.
• Urban Institute: Major nonprofit research organization with deep economic policy, labor, and inequality research. Shares EPI's nonprofit research model and target audiences but operates with much larger budget and broader social policy mandate.

Emerging players

• National Bureau of Economic Research: Premier academic economic research organization producing working papers on labor markets, wages, and inequality. Differs from EPI in being academic rather than advocacy-oriented, but serves as a parallel authoritative source frequently cited in the same policy debates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EconomicPolicy
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• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/economic-policy-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Economic Policy Institute