Abstract
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, essential workers continuously put themselves in harm’s way to keep the United States running. We are deeply grateful for the labor of all essential workers over the past year, and recognize that their contributions kept so many other Americans safe, fed, and healthy. These contributions, and the short- and long-term consequences of the sacrifices that essential workers made during the COVID-19 pandemic differed by race, gender, industry, and occupation.