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Join the Longest-Running U.S. Economic Discussion
“Fiscal & Economic US July Review”
13 Years Running
Tuesday, August 18th @7pm Central / 8pm Eastern l ZOOM
_Tuesday, August 18th @ 7 PM CDT — Zoom: Fiscal & Economic July Review —— Longest U.S. Economic Discussion Running. Chaos Continues: Wars. Jobs, Tariff Wars, ICE, Health Care Crisis, Affordability / Inflation & Debt_
July 2026 by the Numbers
- In July, the U.S. economy lost 23,000 jobs. The unemployment rate edged down to 4.1%, but the number of people in the labor force fell by 264,000.
- About 6.9 million people were unemployed, the employment-to-population ratio was just 58.9%,
- Labor-force participation slipped to 61.4%.
- Average hourly pay rose only 2 cents in July, to $37.62. Over the past year, average hourly earnings rose 3.2%, while consumer prices rose 3.4%—meaning real average hourly earnings fell 0.2%.
- Affordability remains a crisis for working families. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.1% in July and is 3.4% higher than a year ago. Food prices are up 3.0% over the year, energy prices are up 14.7%, and core inflation rose 2.5% over the past 12 months.
We’ll unpack what the July jobs and inflation reports really show, how Trump’s: wars, tariffs, deportations, and broader economic instability are affecting working people, and what it means for people here in Illinois and across the country.
Join us on Zoom to dig into the numbers, cut through the spin, and talk about what we can do together.
_Come join us, catch up on this year's US & IL economic news and share your thoughts._
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