Access to Paid Sick Days in the States, 2010

Analysis from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) finds substantial variation across the country in rates of access to paid sick days for private sector employees. As IWPR reported in December 2010, 44 million workers lacked access to paid sick days in 2010, with a national average rate of coverage of 58 percent. The five states with the lowest rates of access (below 54 percent) are Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, and West Virginia. Among workers with access to paid sick days, many still face restrictions on the use of sick days and may be unable to use sick days to care for sick family members or seek out preventative care.