In the most populous Southern states, over 800,000 workers lose $2.9B to minimum wage violations: Statistics on minimum wage violations in the four most populous Southern states
| Total number of minimum-wage-eligible workers | Eligible workers experiencing minimum wage violations | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Number | Share of eligible workers | Share of eligible low-wage workers | Average weekly under- payment | Average weekly wages received | Average annual under- payment if full-year | Average annual wages received if full-year | Share of earned wages not paid | Total earned annual wages not paid to workers | |
| Florida | 5,515,000 | 404,000 | 7.30% | 24.90% | $54 | $213 | $2,800 | $11,100 | 20.10% | $1,124,000,000 |
| Georgia* | 3,769,000 | 82,000 | 2.20% | 9.40% | $71 | $203 | $3,700 | $10,600 | 25.90% | $301,000,000 |
| North Carolina | 3,111,000 | 84,000 | 2.70% | 12.30% | $72 | $179 | $3,800 | $9,300 | 28.80% | $316,000,000 |
| Texas | 9,743,000 | 265,000 | 2.70% | 10.80% | $85 | $182 | $4,400 | $9,500 | 31.70% | $1,165,000,000 |
| Average | 22,138,000 | 835,000 | 3.77% | 14.35% | $71 | $194 | $3,675 | $10,125 | 26.63% | $2,906,000,000 |
*Workers in Georgia covered by the FLSA are subject to the federal minimum wage of $7.25. Workers exempt from the FLSA but covered under Georgia's state minimum wage law have a minimum wage of $5.15.
Note: Full-year annual wages are calculated by multiplying weekly wages by 52 weeks per year. Numbers may not add due to rounding. Shares are computed based on unrounded numbers. “Eligible low-wage workers” includes all minimum-wage-eligible workers in the bottom quintile of wage earners in each state. Sample includes workers ages 16 to 85.
Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group data, 2013–2015. Table adapted from Table 1 (including only Southern states) in David Cooper and Teresa Kroeger, Employers Steal Billions from Workers’ Paychecks Each Year, Economic Policy Institute, May 2017.