Indianapolis, IN – In Indiana and other states with a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, the percentage of adults in jail or prison is higher than in states where workers make more money.

A recent White House report suggests crime would decrease if the minimum wage was higher, and the Center for American Progress says it could drop even more by expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit.

This past weekend, a national march and rally was held in Virginia by workers calling for a 15-dollar hourly minimum wage – and research is showing a higher wage could have benefits that reach far beyond families’ monthly budgets.

The idea that crime can be reduced by increasing the minimum wage is getting bipartisan support. A report by the White House Council of Economic Advisors finds raising the federal minimum wage would lead to reductions in crime. Rebecca Vallas with the Center for American Progress says expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit to include adults without dependents could cut crime rates even further.

She adds in states where the minimum wage is $7.25, one in every 102 adults was in jail or prison in 2013 – compared to one in 137 in higher-wage states.