Unpaid Wage Cases in Illinois
Since 2005 the U.S. Department of Labor has found $144.3M in back wages owed to 158,021 Illinois workers, in 6,216 cases, and assessed $7.5M in penalties. 409 cases involved child labor violations covering 938 minors.
What workers weren't paid
Industries with the most back wages
Cases with back wages by year
By city
| City | Back wages | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $41.8M | 34,621 |
| Springfield | $7M | 29,824 |
| Peoria | $4.2M | 4,900 |
| Naperville | $2.7M | 1,634 |
| Schaumburg | $2.5M | 2,500 |
| Elgin | $2.2M | 1,931 |
| Arlington Heights | $2.1M | 596 |
| Bensenville | $2M | 856 |
| Franklin Park | $1.9M | 543 |
| Elk Grove Village | $1.7M | 1,054 |
| Des Plaines | $1.6M | 1,163 |
| Skokie | $1.4M | 2,279 |
| Lombard | $1.4M | 635 |
| Elmhurst | $1.4M | 1,667 |
| Aurora | $1.3M | 1,369 |
| New Lenox | $1.2M | 1,377 |
| Westmont | $1.1M | 546 |
| Roselle | $1.1M | 616 |
| Bloomington | $1.1M | 1,632 |
| Champaign | $1M | 1,053 |
| Belleville | $962K | 948 |
| Yorkville | $960K | 435 |
| North Aurora | $905K | 182 |
| Villa Park | $896K | 707 |
| Decatur | $882K | 1,341 |
| Niles | $850K | 675 |
| Park Ridge | $814K | 1,002 |
| Chicago Heights | $805K | 1,190 |
| Rolling Meadows | $789K | 202 |
| Oak Brook | $786K | 511 |
| Rockford | $751K | 1,197 |
| Glenview | $731K | 2,651 |
| Joliet | $729K | 796 |
| Hoffman Estates | $712K | 399 |
| Palatine | $704K | 1,426 |
| Berwyn | $685K | 515 |
| Buffalo Grove | $684K | 2,222 |
| Robinson | $667K | 948 |
| Wood Dale | $654K | 579 |
| Morton Grove | $649K | 432 |
| Mount Prospect | $646K | 332 |
| Waukegan | $624K | 395 |
| Downers Grove | $600K | 415 |
| Mokena | $590K | 375 |
| Deerfield | $573K | 560 |
| Bolingbrook | $571K | 484 |
| Saint Charles | $568K | 292 |
| Lisle | $548K | 640 |
| Moline | $543K | 757 |
| Olney | $542K | 137 |
| Melrose Park | $535K | 204 |
| Plainfield | $526K | 389 |
| East Saint Louis | $526K | 435 |
| Rock Island | $523K | 355 |
| Northbrook | $522K | 637 |
| Cicero | $519K | 374 |
| Bloomingdale | $510K | 2,765 |
| Homer Glen | $503K | 231 |
| Gurnee | $488K | 401 |
| Harvey | $486K | 420 |
| Calumet City | $486K | 238 |
| Woodridge | $473K | 191 |
| Evanston | $462K | 255 |
| La Grange | $449K | 420 |
| Addison | $440K | 344 |
| Marion | $412K | 275 |
| Tinley Park | $412K | 886 |
| Libertyville | $412K | 389 |
| Danville | $412K | 425 |
| Fairview Heights | $374K | 171 |
| Alsip | $365K | 211 |
| Orland Park | $360K | 213 |
| Oak Park | $358K | 379 |
| Midlothian | $357K | 156 |
| Carol Stream | $348K | 230 |
| Schiller Park | $337K | 229 |
| Romeoville | $337K | 244 |
| Lansing | $315K | 416 |
| Collinsville | $315K | 436 |
| Wheeling | $313K | 387 |
| West Chicago | $311K | 222 |
| Westchester | $304K | 421 |
| Streamwood | $304K | 116 |
| Elmwood Park | $301K | 197 |
| Batavia | $290K | 258 |
| Quincy | $284K | 391 |
| Edwardsville | $282K | 259 |
| Barrington | $274K | 290 |
| Lake Zurich | $263K | 229 |
| Hanover Park | $254K | 462 |
| Normal | $253K | 456 |
| Bridgeview | $245K | 250 |
| Lincolnwood | $240K | 218 |
| Wilmette | $238K | 352 |
| Granite City | $232K | 203 |
| Frankfort | $230K | 224 |
| Willowbrook | $224K | 214 |
| East Peoria | $215K | 180 |
| Forest Park | $215K | 125 |
| Harwood Heights | $210K | 91 |
| Kankakee | $210K | 67 |
| Hinsdale | $206K | 186 |
| Woodstock | $200K | 259 |
| Charleston | $198K | 182 |
| Oswego | $191K | 299 |
| Mchenry | $187K | 197 |
| South Holland | $177K | 230 |
| Alton | $176K | 278 |
| Evergreen Park | $175K | 103 |
| South Elgin | $171K | 295 |
| Burbank | $165K | 292 |
| Oak Lawn | $164K | 354 |
| Belvidere | $152K | 184 |
| Mattoon | $146K | 335 |
| Mundelein | $142K | 186 |
| Warrenville | $141K | 62 |
| Loves Park | $136K | 163 |
| Anna | $135K | 280 |
| Urbana | $135K | 158 |
| Geneva | $133K | 65 |
| Effingham | $133K | 180 |
| O Fallon | $132K | 257 |
| Ottawa | $129K | 209 |
| Crystal Lake | $125K | 164 |
| Matteson | $125K | 164 |
| Litchfield | $125K | 159 |
| Jacksonville | $121K | 99 |
| Palos Heights | $118K | 141 |
| Centralia | $113K | 167 |
| Taylorville | $112K | 186 |
| Carbondale | $109K | 228 |
| Wauconda | $107K | 55 |
| Pekin | $106K | 384 |
| Glendale Heights | $104K | 115 |
| Dolton | $95,485 | 86 |
| Round Lake | $94,685 | 127 |
| Hillside | $92,659 | 279 |
| Blue Island | $89,879 | 203 |
| Galesburg | $88,750 | 255 |
| Wheaton | $88,159 | 165 |
| Canton | $87,208 | 90 |
| Bellwood | $80,922 | 71 |
| Homewood | $68,679 | 58 |
| Lemont | $67,149 | 108 |
| Waterloo | $61,498 | 195 |
| Oak Forest | $57,422 | 71 |
| East Moline | $56,832 | 148 |
| Algonquin | $29,897 | 32 |
Cities with at least 10 cases with back wages.
Labor and employment lawyers in Illinois
Lawbamba lists 20 labor and employment lawyers with an office in Illinois, the practice area that deals with the wage theft cases on this page. These 4 come first in that listing (how the order is set).
Matched by practice area and office location only. These lawyers are not connected to the records on this page and have not reviewed or endorsed it.
Owed wages by a Illinois employer?
Compare employment lawyers in IllinoisSource: the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division enforcement data (every concluded compliance action since fiscal year 2005), from the DOL Open Data Portal, loaded November 9, 2026. “Back wages” is the amount employers agreed to pay workers after an investigation found they were underpaid; dates are the end of the period the investigation covered. Employer names and addresses are as DOL publishes them. Federal cases only: state labor departments and private lawsuits recover more that isn't counted here.
Lawbamba is not affiliated with the Department of Labor, and this page is general information, not legal advice.