Local

New study finds Ohio has third most wage theft violations in country

By WHIO Staff
Tips to pay the bills during coronavirus financial crisis
By WHIO Staff

OHIO — A new study by the Shirazi Law Firm has found that Ohio has the third most wage theft violations in the country.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The study uses the past five years’ worth of data on wage and hour compliance violations from the U.S. Department of Labor to rank all 50 states.

Ohio has approximately 919.33 violations per 100,000 residents, which comes to a total of 109,247 violations, according to the study.

These violations affect approximately 31,727 employees in Ohio.

TRENDING STORIES:

Employers have since agreed to pay back over $14 million in back wages to nearly 28,000 workers, according to the study.

Ohio enacted the Pay Stub Protection Act, House Bill 106, in April 2025. It requires employers to provide detailed pay stubs to their workers.

Some of the details include total earnings for the pay period, itemized deductions, and net pay after deductions are applied, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce.

The bill helps workers make sure they “have access to clear and accurate information about their wages and any deductions,” the department said.

The full study by the employment law firm found that the following 10 states have the highest wage theft violations per 100,000 residents:

  1. Indiana: 6,536.93
  2. Tennessee: 3,407.57
  3. Ohio: 919.33
  4. North Carolina: 766.08
  5. Arkansas: 522.54
  6. New Hampshire: 471.32
  7. Maryland: 346.53
  8. Virginia: 321.25
  9. New York: 297.29
  10. Vermont: 294.84

According to the study, the following 10 states have the lowest wage theft violations per 100,000 residents:

  1. North Dakota: 34.52
  2. Montana: 34.91
  3. Wyoming: 39.82
  4. Colorado: 59.71
  5. Washington: 62.98
  6. Delaware: 74.06
  7. Minnesota: 74.19
  8. South Dakota: 77.54
  9. Nebraska: 80.43
  10. Oregon: 80.68

“Workers should be vigilant about their rights and understand that legal remedies exist when employers fail to pay proper wages,” Emanuel Shirazi, founder of Shirazi Law Firm P.C., said.

[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

©2025 Cox Media Group

0

Most Read