Urban Institute

09/03/2026

Findings suggest multistate employers in the retail and food service sectors could expand paid sick leave access by standardizing benefits across all locations, rather than administering policies based on jurisdiction.

Explore this WorkRise Research Summary as Labor Day approaches.

State and local paid sick leave laws can expand access beyond their borders, as multistate employers often extend these benefits to workers in other areas.

09/03/2026

How do families of children with identified needs in DC navigate the transition from early intervention services to universal public prekindergarten?

New Urban research finds that majority of children transitioning from Strong Start (57 percent) enrolled in a school-based DC pre-K3 program. Understanding how these families use the program could help policymakers create a universal public prekindergarten program that serves all children.

Explore more key takeaways in the latest analysis. https://urbn.is/4yeDUgL

09/02/2026

Who pays for America's energy transition, who benefits, and who gets left behind?

Join the Urban Institute and Policies for Action on 9/15 @ 1 p.m. ET for a hybrid convening that will bring together researchers, policymakers, advocates, and community leaders to explore energy affordability and fairness.

Register now for this timely event.

As the nation’s energy system evolves—driven by growing electricity demand, aging infrastructure, and the shift to clean energy—households are feeling the im…

09/02/2026

New findings suggest that MyFriendBen, a free digital benefits screener, helped increase awareness of and access to available community resources, public benefits, and tax credits for financially vulnerable families.

In this research report, Urban experts examined MyFriendBen to see how users engage with it, whether it increased knowledge of available benefits, and how it may contribute to benefit applications and enrollment. The main takeaways offer insights into how digital screening helps connect people with benefits that can make a tangible difference in their lives and where additional support is needed.

💻 Read the analysis.

This report examines who uses MyFriendBen, how users experience it, and whether it helps users learn about and access benefits.

09/01/2026

As students head back to school, Urban’s new analysis of 100 of the nation’s largest school districts shows the complex interplay of state and district policies, highlighting how design, implementation, and local context make a difference.

Explore the new tool to see how school choice, boundary policies, and segregation intersect in districts across the US.

This tool offers insight into the complex interplay of state and district policies that shape whether students end up in integrated schools.

08/31/2026

To better understand financial recovery after disasters, Urban researchers surveyed 23 families who experienced significant financial loss after Hurricane Helene and conducted in-depth interviews with 20 of them. These first-person accounts illustrate the reality of postdisaster financial recovery and point to opportunities that better align recovery support with families' needs.

Explore key findings and solutions to help close gaps in the disaster safety net in this new article.

First-hand accounts from households affected by Hurricane Helene illustrate that postdisaster financial recovery is a long, uncertain process.

08/31/2026

Evidence shows that DC’s early educator compensation initiative continues to strengthen workforce retention and families’ access to higher-quality and more affordable care.

Join the Urban Institute on 9/14 @ 2 p.m. ET for a webinar that will discuss key program outcomes and considerations for policymakers, practitioners, advocates, and researchers tackling the child care crisis in DC and communities nationwide.

Register now for this timely conversation.

Without sufficient public investment, child care businesses in the United States have faced financial strains that contribute to low wages and high turnover …

08/28/2026

Findings show that a proposed $5,000 out-of-pocket spending cap could reduce cost-sharing obligations for an estimated 4.5 million traditional Medicare beneficiaries. Those with spending above the cap would save an average of $6,470.

Read the full analysis by Urban experts comparing the effects on beneficiaries’ cost-sharing obligations under three spending cap thresholds.

Under the proposed $5,000 cap, more than 4 million traditional Medicare beneficiaries would see lower cost-sharing obligations, with beneficiaries who have s…

08/28/2026

Building pathways to upward mobility starts with understanding local conditions. Urban’s Upward Mobility Data Dashboard offers data on 24 predictors for every county and more than 480 cities across the US, helping leaders identify strengths, challenges, and opportunities in their communities.

📊 Learn more.

The Upward Mobility Dashboard helps people understand key conditions affecting upward mobility from poverty and racial equity in communities.

08/27/2026

The District of Columbia leads the nation in access to public prekindergarten for 3-year-olds, but not all families apply by the lottery deadline. New Urban Institute research examines post-lottery applications to DC's universal public prekindergarten program and highlights opportunities to strengthen outreach, improve application design, and ensure broad and fair access.

See what the findings show.

In this brief, we provide new evidence on post-lottery applications to DC’s universal public prekindergarten program, drawing on administrative application a…