Workplace Enforcement by State
According to enforcement records published by the U.S. Department of Labor, PlainWorker tracks 391,598 OSHA inspections and 885,759 violations across 234,020 employers in all 56 U.S. states and territories, alongside 99,959 Wage & Hour Division cases as of May 2026. Select a state below to see its top violators, statewide penalty totals, and national rank, or read our methodology for how the figures are sourced and computed.
Coverage status: all 56 U.S. states and territories are listed, sourced from the federal OSHA enforcement and DOL Wage & Hour record only. States that operate their own OSHA-approved plans report some enforcement separately, so federal totals for those states are partial.
Volume vs dollars
New York leads federal OSHA violation counts (79,647), while California leads assessed penalty dollars ($121.6M). Rankings below sort the same extract both ways, complementary axes, not a safety score.
Most OSHA violations
| # | State | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 79,647 |
| 2 | Michigan | 67,640 |
| 3 | California | 62,917 |
| 4 | New Jersey | 51,588 |
| 5 | Tennessee | 38,865 |
| 6 | Illinois | 38,576 |
| 7 | Texas | 37,481 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 34,307 |
| 9 | Ohio | 33,085 |
| 10 | Virginia | 29,121 |
| 11 | Washington | 28,812 |
| 12 | Maryland | 24,360 |
Highest OSHA penalties
| # | State | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $121.6M |
| 2 | New Jersey | $116.4M |
| 3 | Texas | $112.7M |
| 4 | Ohio | $106.2M |
| 5 | Illinois | $97.2M |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $72.9M |
| 7 | New York | $67.8M |
| 8 | Wisconsin | $63.0M |
| 9 | Florida | $58.6M |
| 10 | Georgia | $57.2M |
| 11 | Virginia | $48.1M |
| 12 | Michigan | $45.4M |
All states directory
| State | Employers | Inspections | Violations | Penalties | Back Wages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 19,429 | 36,301 | 62,917 | $121.6M | $285.8M |
| New Jersey | 9,221 | 17,373 | 51,588 | $116.4M | $108.1M |
| Texas | 19,468 | 18,606 | 37,481 | $112.7M | $352.5M |
| Ohio | 6,993 | 12,879 | 33,085 | $106.2M | $68.2M |
| Illinois | 9,364 | 18,232 | 38,576 | $97.2M | $82.5M |
| Pennsylvania | 9,159 | 16,082 | 34,307 | $72.9M | $143.4M |
| New York | 18,169 | 35,034 | 79,647 | $67.8M | $201.6M |
| Wisconsin | 4,100 | 9,627 | 23,614 | $63.0M | $29.8M |
| Florida | 11,661 | 11,187 | 20,137 | $58.6M | $199.8M |
| Georgia | 6,232 | 8,956 | 23,607 | $57.2M | $78.6M |
| Virginia | 8,028 | 14,670 | 29,121 | $48.1M | $150.6M |
| Michigan | 11,840 | 24,804 | 67,640 | $45.4M | $56.5M |
| Alabama | 3,643 | 6,039 | 14,683 | $43.4M | $32.8M |
| Nevada | 4,326 | 11,465 | 18,844 | $33.5M | $27.5M |
| Missouri | 4,048 | 5,584 | 12,358 | $30.7M | $37.6M |
| Massachusetts | 4,105 | 5,934 | 12,091 | $29.0M | $60.3M |
| Connecticut | 2,349 | 5,627 | 23,647 | $28.1M | $21.8M |
| Kansas | 3,329 | 5,361 | 9,514 | $27.1M | $25.4M |
| Tennessee | 6,061 | 11,286 | 38,865 | $24.6M | $57.0M |
| Colorado | 3,986 | 6,496 | 11,833 | $22.8M | $28.2M |
| Iowa | 2,595 | 4,770 | 10,267 | $19.4M | $21.8M |
| Nebraska | 1,468 | 2,189 | 4,514 | $16.2M | $14.7M |
| Oklahoma | 2,723 | 2,821 | 5,020 | $13.1M | $37.2M |
| Maryland | 3,268 | 5,438 | 24,360 | $13.1M | $99.3M |
| Hawaii | 2,205 | 3,949 | 9,120 | $12.7M | $21.3M |
| Washington | 5,430 | 11,410 | 28,812 | $12.2M | $40.2M |
| Alaska | 1,275 | 3,999 | 11,441 | $12.0M | $5.6M |
| Mississippi | 2,212 | 2,311 | 4,912 | $11.2M | $28.9M |
| North Carolina | 6,078 | 7,124 | 18,017 | $10.7M | $73.2M |
| Arkansas | 1,788 | 1,364 | 3,343 | $10.5M | $20.2M |
| Maine | 1,295 | 2,569 | 8,054 | $10.0M | $5.8M |
| Puerto Rico | 3,269 | 6,881 | 11,369 | $9.7M | $80.5M |
| Delaware | 464 | 721 | 1,884 | $9.4M | $6.1M |
| Louisiana | 2,408 | 2,368 | 3,408 | $8.6M | $49.2M |
| North Dakota | 631 | 1,298 | 1,761 | $8.4M | $4.2M |
| New Hampshire | 1,214 | 1,490 | 3,281 | $7.7M | $15.2M |
| Idaho | 1,348 | 2,073 | 3,829 | $7.1M | $12.0M |
| West Virginia | 1,258 | 1,679 | 3,289 | $7.0M | $17.5M |
| Utah | 2,434 | 3,841 | 6,414 | $6.7M | $24.4M |
| Rhode Island | 1,024 | 1,640 | 3,528 | $6.4M | $11.5M |
| Indiana | 2,174 | 2,598 | 4,225 | $6.0M | $30.0M |
| South Dakota | 675 | 901 | 1,901 | $5.9M | $4.8M |
| Oregon | 5,103 | 11,981 | 21,930 | $5.8M | $14.7M |
| Kentucky | 1,613 | 1,881 | 3,171 | $5.7M | $24.8M |
| Montana | 843 | 1,786 | 2,718 | $5.6M | $2.6M |
| Minnesota | 2,844 | 4,594 | 9,173 | $5.5M | $30.5M |
| New Mexico | 1,425 | 1,685 | 2,690 | $5.3M | $24.7M |
| Wyoming | 529 | 969 | 2,936 | $4.6M | $2.8M |
| Guam | 783 | 1,642 | 3,356 | $4.6M | $10.9M |
| Vermont | 824 | 1,444 | 3,044 | $4.6M | $5.0M |
| Arizona | 3,133 | 4,227 | 8,689 | $4.5M | $68.9M |
| District of Columbia | 667 | 1,517 | 2,002 | $3.2M | $11.0M |
| South Carolina | 2,549 | 2,833 | 5,382 | $3.0M | $35.0M |
| American Samoa | 189 | 434 | 829 | $2.9M | $2.0M |
| Virgin Islands | 436 | 1,222 | 2,592 | $1.9M | $873K |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 332 | 397 | 943 | $1.3M | $18.6M |
State enforcement FAQ
- Which state has the most OSHA violations in this extract?
- New York leads with 79,647 federal OSHA violations across 35,034 inspections (18,169 employers). Counts are federal-record totals, state-plan OSHA activity is not fully mirrored here.
- Which state has the highest OSHA penalty dollars?
- California leads this extract at $121.6M in assessed federal OSHA penalties. Penalty dollars and violation counts are complementary axes, a high-count state is not always the highest-dollar state.
- Which state shows the most Wage & Hour back wages?
- Texas leads Wage & Hour back-wage findings in this extract at $352.5M. WHD back wages are a different enforcement channel from OSHA penalties, both appear in the directory table below.
- Where does PlainWorker source state enforcement totals?
- Totals compile U.S. Department of Labor OSHA inspection/violation releases and Wage & Hour Division case findings covering 391,598 inspections and 99,959 WHD cases as of May 2026. See methodology, PlainWorker does not publish compliance advice.
Download the OSHA/WHD enforcement extract cited on this page: osha-whd-enforcement-statistics.csv (DOL public records · CC BY 4.0).