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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Are states with right-to-work laws more likely to have above-average poverty rates?

By Austin Tannenbaum
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YES

States with right-to-work laws have a higher likelihood of experiencing above-average poverty rates. The laws, enacted in 27 states, allow workers not to join or pay into a union even if that union represents their workplace, weakening the union.

In 2020, the average state poverty rate in the U.S. was 12.96%. Sixteen of 22 states with right-to-work laws report poverty levels above the average. Nine out of ten states with the highest rates of poverty are right-to-work states. Eight of the ten states with the lowest poverty rates are not.

Poverty is calculated by income level relative to cost of living. According to research by the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, wages in right-to-work states are 3.1% lower on average than wages in other states.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
World Population Review Poverty rate by state 2020
Workplace Fairness: Right-to-work laws
Google Docs Ranking of state poverty measures and right-to-work status
US Census How the Census Bureau measures poverty
Economic Policy Institute: ’Right-to-work‘ states still have lower wages
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.