RESULTS ARE IN FOR MORE THAN TWO DOZEN GUARANTEED INCOME STUDIES
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RESULTS ARE IN FOR MORE THAN TWO DOZEN GUARANTEED INCOME STUDIES

In addition to improved financial stability, researchers find increased employment, better mental health and other key benefits

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Mayors for a Guaranteed Income welcomed a total of 25 scientifically rigorous studies which have found that guaranteed income programs improved financial stability and led to key benefits like higher rates of employment, greater housing and food security, better mental health, and more time spent together as families.

A guaranteed income refers to monthly cash payments made to low-income individuals, with no strings attached. Nearly 200 cities are running or have recently run guaranteed income pilots, and 72 of those are affiliated with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI), a network of mayors, city and county officials, and state legislators dedicated to creating best practices for this policy intervention. Several leading research institutions have collaborated with MGI cities and counties to conduct rigorous mixed-methods randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of these guaranteed income pilots, and full results have been released for 25 cities whose pilots have completed. Key trends include:

  • Financial resilience: The primary goal of guaranteed income is to boost financial stability among economically vulnerable residents, and researchers have found a temporary or sustained increase in the financial stability and resilience of people receiving guaranteed income in nearly every pilot. Many recipients reported that they were able to pay down debt, save for emergencies, and increase their earning power..
  • Employment: Not a single pilot has shown decreased employment among recipients of guaranteed income, and the vast majority of pilots have shown increased rates of full-time employment. This disproves the most common criticism from opponents. Research shows that recurring cash helps recipients afford childcare in order to work, secure transportation to their job, invest in professional licenses to improve their earning power, and take time off to interview for a better job.
  • Housing & Food Security: The vast majority of pilots have improved either housing security, food security, or both. Considering the post-COVID years have seen sharp increases in the cost of both food and housing, while wages have remained largely static, this finding indicates that guaranteed income helps recipients weather tough economic conditions.
  • Physical & Mental Health: In many studies, recipients demonstrated reduced stress, less chaotic home environments, and better mental health. An increased sense of agency and hopefulness was a common finding. In several cities, the recurring cash payments helped recipients seek needed medical care for themselves and engage in other health-promoting behaviors, and some showed improved physical health.
  • Parenting & Caretaking: Increased parent-child time is another common finding, and several cities have demonstrated better outcomes for children, including better grades and fewer absences from school.

Together, these 25 studies include over 8,000 recipients of guaranteed income, making it the largest body of research amassed on the topic. For each pilot, researchers randomly selected a fixed number of people to receive a guaranteed income out of a larger pool of qualified applicants, and most pilots included a control group of people randomly selected from the same applicant pool. The majority of pilots were based on income level, but some programs were targeted to specific, vulnerable populations, such as single parents and caregivers, people experiencing homelessness, foster youth transitioning out of state care, and people who are formerly incarcerated.

“Working people in the U.S. are facing an affordability crisis. With steep price hikes on basics like food and housing in recent years, nearly 2 in 3 of Americans don’t have enough for a single $500 emergency. Policies have put billionaires and huge corporations ahead of the average American, and it’s time for policies that will reverse this trend, including unconditional cash assistance,” said Michael D. Tubbs, founder of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income. “With more than 250 mayors, county officials and state legislators joining our movement, leaders in 33 states have stepped up to say we are ready to end poverty with evidence-based policy.”

Read more about pilot-specific results, and find new studies as they are released, at www.guaranteedincomeworks.org/research, and at the Denver Basic Income Project, the Urban Institute (for Austin, TX) and the Arlington Community Foundation (Arlington, VA).

Founded in June of 2020 by former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income is a coalition of nearly 180 mayors committed to advancing a federal guaranteed income – direct, recurring cash payments to middle and low-income people. Expanding to include city and county legislators in 2023 with Counties for a Guaranteed Income, and state legislators with Legislators for a Guaranteed Income in 2025, the network acts as a research and resource hub for municipal pilots around the country–over 70 and counting. An award-winning documentary film, It’s Basic, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2023, follows recipients and illuminates the life-changing impact of guaranteed income programs on families’ economic security and opportunity.

SOURCE Mayors for a Guaranteed Income