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Table 2 presents the combined annual expenditures by states and the federal government on the
<br />safety net programs for construction working families and all working families, again averaged
<br />over the years 2015-2019. In total, $28 billion is spent on safety net program utilization annually by
<br />construction working families in the United States, compared to $275 billion for all working families.
<br />Construction working families account for 10% of the total safety net expenditures for all
<br />working families nationwide.
<br />Table 2. Annual State and Federal Spending on Safety Net Programs for
<br />Working Families, United States, 2015-2019 (2019 dollars)
<br />Amount Spent on Amount spent on
<br />Program
<br />Construction Working Families ALL Working Families
<br />Adult Medicaid 10,808,000,000 116,867,000,000
<br />Children's Medicaid/CHIP 7,766,000,000 63,400,000,000
<br />EITC 6,212,000,000 60,682,000,000
<br />TAN F 210,000,000 2,696,000,000
<br />SNAP 2,933,000,000 31,269,000,000
<br />All Programs 27,930,000,000 274,913,000,000
<br />Source: Authors' calculations based on the 2015-2019 American Community Survey, 2016-2020 March Current
<br />Population Survey, 2019 Occupational Employment Statistics, and administrative data from Medicaid, CHIP, EITC,
<br />SNAP, and TANF programs.
<br />Notes: The analysis is restricted to workers who work at least 27 weeks in a year and 10 or more hours per week.
<br />Numbers may not add due to rounding.
<br />Table 3 presents the health insurance coverage status of construction workers and all workers. Almost
<br />one-third (31%) of construction workers lack insurance coverage. The rate at which construction
<br />workers lack health insurance is three times the rate for all workers nationally (10%).
<br />Table 3. Health Insurance Coverage of All Workers and Construction Workers,
<br />United States, 2015-2019
<br />No health insurance coverage
<br />With health insurance coverage
<br />Construction Workers All Workers
<br />31% 10%
<br />69% 90%
<br />Source: Authors' analysis of 2015-2019 IPUMS American Community Survey (ACS) data.
<br />Note: The analysis is restricted to workers who work at least 27 weeks in a year and 10 or more hours per week.
<br />The Public Cost of Low -Wage Jobs in the US Construction Industry 5
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