Wage recovery by state departments of labor and attorneys general, 2017–2020
| State | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Total | 2021 employment level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | NW | NW | NW | NW | — | 2,060,300 |
| Alaska | $244,832 | $314,680 | $330,898 | $235,424 | $1,125,834 | 310,300 |
| Arizona | NA | NA | NA | NA | — | 2,987,000 |
| Arkansas | $945,230 | $178,836 | $290,335 | $356,367 | $1,770,767 | 1,276,800 |
| California | $50,842,698 | $51,969,798 | $63,402,049 | $54,803,213 | $221,017,758 | 16,774,600 |
| Colorado | $910,777 | $1,117,450 | $947,756 | $1,307,716 | $4,283,699 | 2,756,300 |
| Connecticut | $4,936,685 | $5,525,387 | $2,875,265 | $4,363,912 | $17,701,248 | 1,616,800 |
| Delaware | NW | NW | NW | NW | — | 452,300 |
| District of Columbia | $2,802 | $39,475 | $209,090 | $2,384,056 | $2,635,423 | 759,500 |
| Florida | NW | NW | NW | NW | — | 8,902,400 |
| Georgia | NW | NW | NW | NW | — | 4,605,600 |
| Hawaii | $1,060,062 | $357,174 | $465,106 | $414,668 | $2,297,010 | 576,900 |
| Idaho | $464,004 | $373,340 | $366,724 | $333,935 | $1,538,004 | 785,700 |
| Illinois | $3,355,585 | $3,207,469 | $4,398,372 | $4,059,077 | $15,020,503 | 5,856,100 |
| Indiana | $257,397 | $297,142 | $347,312 | $512,485 | $1,414,336 | 3,079,200 |
| Iowa | $161,739 | $174,063 | $196,774 | $202,864 | $735,440 | 1,539,900 |
| Kansas | $833,675 | $701,534 | $744,173 | $744,251 | $3,023,631 | 1,388,700 |
| Kentucky | $1,934,011 | $1,089,287 | $4,934,106 | $770,218 | $8,727,622 | 1,885,000 |
| Louisiana | NW | NW | NW | NW | — | 1,854,500 |
| Maine | $236,954 | $200,767 | $254,736 | $423,490 | $1,115,948 | 613,600 |
| Maryland | $1,186,367 | $1,597,341 | $1,791,509 | $864,716 | $5,439,933 | 2,687,900 |
| Massachusetts | $3,630,861 | $5,001,019 | $5,225,035 | $6,038,949 | $19,895,864 | 3,542,800 |
| Michigan | $2,026,461 | $1,952,589 | $942,622 | $1,959,003 | $6,880,675 | 4,223,900 |
| Minnesota | $665,000 | $1,198,689 | $2,119,551 | $842,957 | $4,826,197 | 2,875,800 |
| Mississippi | NW | NW | NW | NW | — | 1,146,900 |
| Missouri | $31,780 | $74,081 | $29,533 | $62,430 | $197,824 | 2,851,500 |
| Montana | $423,956 | $380,212 | $505,827 | $374,802 | $1,684,797 | 482,000 |
| Nebraska | $423,586 | $440,509 | $471,503 | $547,314 | $1,882,912 | 1,024,100 |
| Nevada | $1,448,877 | $1,911,581 | $953,528 | NA | $4,313,986 | 1,363,800 |
| New Hampshire | $1,363,131 | $1,047,531 | $1,395,887 | NA | $3,806,549 | 664,000 |
| New Jersey | $6,129,121 | $4,881,373 | $6,634,903 | $3,743,700 | $21,389,097 | 4,025,300 |
| New Mexico | NA | NA | $95,804 | $684,586 | $780,390 | 817,100 |
| New York | $35,400,000 | $35,100,000 | $34,800,000 | $24,600,000 | $129,900,000 | 9,030,000 |
| North Carolina | $1,183,811 | $1,186,343 | $1,360,031 | $1,145,178 | $4,875,363 | 4,554,300 |
| North Dakota | $660,424 | $440,149 | $464,816 | $474,076 | $2,039,464 | 417,600 |
| Ohio | $200,637 | $709,021 | $463,669 | $465,882 | $1,839,209 | 5,381,300 |
| Oklahoma | $404,155 | $615,135 | $781,673 | NA | $1,800,963 | 1,652,100 |
| Oregon | NA | NA | NA | NA | — | 1,886,200 |
| Pennsylvania | $2,530,600 | $3,249,464 | $4,045,227 | $2,448,455 | $12,273,746 | 5,760,800 |
| Rhode Island | NA | $189,391 | $1,322,300 | $700,094 | $2,211,785 | 479,200 |
| South Carolina | NW | NW | NW | NW | — | 2,157,500 |
| South Dakota | NW | NW | NW | NW | — | 439,500 |
| Tennessee | $26,965 | $30,915 | $25,277 | $18,740 | $101,896 | 3,099,200 |
| Texas | $6,491,997 | $5,978,792 | $6,492,690 | $6,734,722 | $25,698,200 | 12,909,900 |
| Utah | $813,754 | $830,953 | $732,627 | $825,423 | $3,202,757 | 1,627,800 |
| Vermont | $87,810 | $211,141 | $157,972 | $13,198 | $456,924 | 295,400 |
| Virginia | $263,557 | $270,485 | $303,181 | $235,363 | $1,072,587 | 3,957,700 |
| Washington | $3,948,713 | $3,481,705 | $3,204,476 | NA | $10,634,894 | 3,442,200 |
| West Virginia | $421,532 | $209,012 | $299,843 | $434,877 | $1,365,264 | 691,300 |
| Wisconsin | $2,027,973 | $1,465,787 | $942,622 | $1,730,822 | $6,167,204 | 2,876,800 |
| Wyoming | $346,554 | $272,009 | $224,049 | $217,234 | $1,059,847 | 275,100 |
| TOTAL | $138,324,073 | $138,271,629 | $155,548,850 | $126,074,196 | $558,205,551 | 146,720,500 |
Notes: The eight states that do not recover wages for employees are marked as NW in the corresponding table. In addition, NA signifies that data was either unavailable or not recorded.
The eight states that do not recover wages for employees are marked as NW in the corresponding table. In addition, NA signifies that data was either unavailable or not recorded. Oregon was unable to provide the requested data, as the state’s Bureau of Labor and Industries was undergoing procedural and technological changes that impeded its ability to share information. Arizona officials were also unable to provide the amount of wages recovered, as the relevant agency was similarly updating its system. We also collected information on the number of employees receiving recovered wages, complaints received, and cases resolved. Additionally, we requested data about enforcement levels from each state. Not all states collect or report on the data we requested. *These data include the $180,277 recovered by the North Dakota attorney general from 2017–2019 in an estimated disaggregate form, in addition to North Dakota Department of Labor and Human Rights data.
Sources: EPI survey of state labor departments and attorneys general; employment data are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, December 2, 2021.