March 5, 2026
Millions Of American Workers Accepting Public Assistance To Make Ends Meet
CEOs, though, are taking home plenty.
Millions of low-wage workers for some of America’s largest retailers are relying on public assistance to survive.
A report by the Institute for Policy Studies examined 20 S&P 500 companies with the lowest median wages that have primarily U.S.-based workforces. According to the group, 6.7 million workers earn wages low enough to qualify for government assistance programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Researchers found that the median pay is still too low to be considered livable often falling below the income level that would make a family of three eligible for Medicaid in most states. Thirteen of the companies’ median wages fall below SNAP eligibility thresholds for a family of the same size.
In Nevada, for instance, 29.3% of Walmart employees and 48.4% of Amazon workers were enrolled in Medicaid in 2024, according to the study. Data from four states that disclosed SNAP enrollment connected to large employers showed that 10,920 Walmart workers and 9,633 Amazon employees received SNAP benefits that year.
Amazon leads the list of the lowest wage corporations with employees seeking supplemental assistance. Also included in the list are Chipotle, AutoZone, Best Buy, Costco Wholesale, Darden Restaurants, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, FedEx, Kroger, Lowe’s, MGM Resorts, O’Reilly Automotive, Ross Stores, Starbucks, Tyson Foods, TJX, and Walmart.
CEOs, though, are taking home plenty. The average CEO compensation among the corporations evaluated reached $18.9 million. The staggering pay gap yields a CEO-to-worker pay ratio of roughly 899-to-1.
The report suggests ways to combat the low-pay-to-public-assistance pipeline, such as imposing financial penalties on companies whose employees rely heavily on public assistance programs due to low wages. The goal of the proposed policies is to shift more responsibility for worker compensation back onto employers.
Other policy proposals include offering great pay and protections and raising wages. Several cities have already adopted measures that link corporate tax rates to executive compensation ratios. Federal legislation like the Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act and the CEO Accountability and Responsibility Act seek to apply similar incentives nationwide.
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