2026- The Institute is updating the University of Scranton’s Living Wage Study. The Living Wage Study 2022, a project of The Institute and The University of Scranton, sought to understand better what constitutes a living wage in Northeastern Pennsylvania using the MIT Living Wage calculator, other national and regional data, and connecting this data with input from community agencies and insights from Catholic Social Teaching. The 2022 Report outlined the living wage threshold for various family compositions in NEPA and compared it to previous data, detailed the increases in costs of living, explained some of the major challenges facing those who fall below the living wage threshold, and especially highlighted mitigating factors – in particular, racial disparities and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related policies on economic security. Key Findings from the Living Wage Report were published on November 11, 2022. Key Recommendations included Supporting Expanded Housing Assistance and Housing Affordability, Fostering Equity and Inclusivity, Increasing Wages, Supporting Cash Assistance for Low-Income Families, Supporting Expanded Food and Basic Necessities Assistance, Expanding Access to Existing Social Safety Net Programs, and Supporting Programs and Policies that Help Workers to Obtain and Keep Jobs with Family-Sustaining Wages.
2022- The Living Wage Study 2022, a project of The Institute and The University of Scranton, sought to understand better what constitutes a living wage in Northeastern Pennsylvania using the MIT Living Wage calculator, other national and regional data, and connecting this data with input from community agencies and insights from Catholic Social Teaching. The 2022 Report outlined the living wage threshold for various family compositions in NEPA and compared it to previous data, detailed the increases in costs of living, explained some of the major challenges facing those who fall below the living wage threshold, and especially highlighted mitigating factors – in particular, racial disparities and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related policies on economic security.
2018- The Institute conducted an economic impact study on the University’s operations.