In the 10 most populous states, 2.4 million workers lose $8 billion annually to minimum wage violations: Statistics on minimum wage violations in the 10 most populous states

Minimum wage in 2015 Total number of minimum-wage-eligible workers Eligible workers experiencing minimum wage violations
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
Total 59,014,000 2,422,000 4.1% 17.2% $64 $203 $3,300 $10,500 23.9% $8,002,000,000
California $9.00 14,569,000 590,000 4.1% 19.2% $64 $224 $3,400 $11,700 22.3% $1,979,000,000
Florida $8.05 5,515,000 404,000 7.3% 24.9% $54 $213 $2,800 $11,100 20.1% $1,124,000,000
Georgia $7.25* 3,769,000 82,000 2.2% 9.4% $71 $203 $3,700 $10,600 25.9% $301,000,000
Illinois $8.25 5,185,000 243,000 4.7% 22.1% $53 $205 $2,800 $10,700 20.6% $675,000,000
Michigan $8.15 2,861,000 130,000 4.5% 17.2% $63 $169 $3,300 $8,800 27.3% $429,000,000
New York $8.75 6,047,000 300,000 5.0% 19.4% $62 $210 $3,200 $10,900 22.8% $965,000,000
North Carolina $7.25 3,111,000 84,000 2.7% 12.3% $72 $179 $3,800 $9,300 28.8% $316,000,000
Ohio $8.10 3,915,000 217,000 5.5% 22.7% $53 $185 $2,800 $9,600 22.4% $601,000,000
Pennsylvania $7.25 4,299,000 107,000 2.5% 10.4% $80 $164 $4,200 $8,500 32.9% $448,000,000
Texas $7.25 9,743,000 265,000 2.7% 10.8% $85 $182 $4,400 $9,500 31.7% $1,165,000,000

*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 age 16 to 85 in the 10 most populous states: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group data, 2013–2015

View the underlying data on epi.org.