New poll reveals overwhelming support for strict regulation of payday lenders

More than seven out of ten Americans want stronger regulation to rein in the predatory practices of payday lenders according to a survey released on June 15. […]

Maine May jobs numbers contain mixed news

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) today released state employment numbers for May, revealing that Maine was among the majority of states which experienced no statistically-significant […]

CBPP: Ryan’s “Vision for a Confident America” is less than 20/20 for Americans living in poverty

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities President Robert Greenstein responded swiftly on Tuesday when US House Speaker Paul Ryan announced his long awaited plan for combating […]

Submit comments to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau on proposed rule designed to ban abusive lending practices

The Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) urges Maine individuals and organizations to submit comments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) about its proposed rule designed to […]

Report on “America’s Shrinking Middle Class” offers some bright spots for Maine, Lewiston-Auburn

The Pew Research Center recently released a report, America’s Shrinking Middle Class, examining the relative proportion of lower-, middle-, and upper-income populations in 229 of the nation’s […]

Education attainment in Maine's major labor markets (bar chart)

Minority Population Share, 2000-14 in Maine's Major Labor Markets (bar chart)

Distribution of adults by income tier (%) in Maine's major labor markets (table)

Policy Basic: Maine’s Unemployment Rate, More than Meets the Eye

“. . . despite an apparently-low official unemployment rate, there are still thousands of Mainers in jobs that don’t offer the hours they need and thousands more […]

LePage administration’s crusade against food stamps hurts the economy; does nothing to help the poor

A new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) provides further confirmation of a depressing trend—hundreds of thousands of Mainers remain impoverished and food […]