US Workers Get Only 27% of Fair Pay Potential, Worst in OECD

The United States is failing to convert its enormous wealth into decent living standards for its people. That's the blunt conclusion of a new analysis from the Human Rights Measurement Initiative, which tracks how well countries deliver on economic and social rights relative to their resources. The headline number: the US scores just 27% on the right to dignified work and fair income — the worst of any OECD member.

The score measures the percentage of people earning at least half of the median household income. By that yardstick, the US is far behind peer nations. Even on employment — where the US does better, scoring 75% — it still trails leaders like South Korea and Mexico. The implication is clear: the US economy generates plenty of jobs, but many of them don't pay enough to provide a decent standard of living.

The report covers five areas: health, food, education, work, and income. Across all five, the US has either stalled or lost ground relative to its own history and to other high-income countries. The health score sits at 80% of what's achievable — flat for 25 years, with a brief bump from the Affordable Care Act erased by the pandemic and recent policy changes. The Congressional Budget Office estimates 11.8 million Americans will lose subsidized health insurance due to the 2025 tax and spending package, with that number rising to 17 million by 2034.

Food security is also slipping. The US scores 81% on the right to food, ranking 30th out of 37 countries with available data. The score actually fell slightly from 2015 to 2023, meaning that as the country got wealthier, more Americans struggled to afford nutritious food. About 3.4 million people lost SNAP benefits between September 2025 and June 2026 due to the same legislative package. In Arizona, enrollment dropped by half, with over 400,000 people cut from the program.

The methodology behind these scores is worth understanding. The researchers don't just look at absolute outcomes like life expectancy or food insecurity rates. They compare each country's performance against what's achievable given its per capita GDP. A score of 100% means a country is doing everything it can with its resources. The US, despite having the world's largest economy, consistently underperforms. Canada scores 90% on health, Japan 88%, Australia 93%. Iceland leads at 97%.

This isn't a one-year anomaly. The US has been underperforming for 25 years. The data suggests structural issues — not just temporary shocks — are holding back outcomes. For engineers and technologists building tools in healthcare, food distribution, or workforce platforms, this report is a reminder that the systems we build operate within a policy environment that is failing a large portion of the population. There's no technical fix for a 27% fair-income score, but understanding the scale of the problem is a prerequisite for building solutions that actually move the needle.