Unpaid Wage Cases in Oklahoma

Since 2005 the U.S. Department of Labor has found $53.8M in back wages owed to 75,885 Oklahoma workers, in 3,439 cases, and assessed $2.4M in penalties. 196 cases involved child labor violations covering 429 minors.

$53.8MBack wages employers agreed to pay
75,885Workers owed back wages
3,439Cases with back wages

What workers weren't paid

Overtime not paid$39.2M (73%)
Prevailing wage on government contracts$7.8M (15%)
Below minimum wage$4.8M (9%)
Other laws (farmworker, visa, leave and more)$2M (4%)

Industries with the most back wages

Full-Service Restaurants$5.9M (11%)
Support Activities for Oil and Gas Operations$5.6M (10%)
Nursing Care Facilities$1.6M (3%)
Security Guards and Patrol Services$1.4M (3%)
Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores$1.4M (3%)
Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels$1.3M (2%)
Employment Placement Agencies$1.1M (2%)
Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas Extraction$1.1M (2%)
All Other Specialty Trade Contractors$980K (2%)
Other Computer Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing$941K (2%)

Cases with back wages by year

01002003001042005117200611220071732008137200920720103002011255201225420132742014243201516220161942017187201814820191122020932021822022702023552024642025122026

By city

CityBack wagesWorkersCases
Oklahoma City$15.1M 19,931778
Tulsa$9M 17,557609
Sand Springs$4.1M 1,44430
Lawton$2.2M 4,013197
Broken Arrow$1.8M 2,24993
Norman$1.2M 1,15783
Owasso$817K 93940
Mcalester$726K 64746
Elk City$715K 35925
Muskogee$709K 1,31771
Edmond$680K 1,04086
Chickasha$622K 91542
Sapulpa$526K 61432
El Reno$508K 1,16815
Enid$489K 90748
Ada$463K 62429
Bixby$438K 23514
Shawnee$419K 1,45433
Stillwater$412K 52131
Mustang$357K 32910
Ardmore$333K 50724
Catoosa$315K 37518
Durant$305K 45623
Duncan$302K 52624
Altus$299K 1,02626
Fort Sill$283K 19013
Claremore$274K 65640
Woodward$256K 37627
Grove$253K 33524
Yukon$233K 29324
Anadarko$228K 19910
Jenks$198K 36716
Stigler$188K 10810
Clinton$166K 48811
Sulphur$153K 24615
Poteau$140K 23411
Bartlesville$130K 46726
Eufaula$128K 17115
Okmulgee$123K 19414
Miami$122K 8714
Ponca City$119K 86324
Tahlequah$118K 24320
Bethany$109K 13913
Pryor$76,128 15116
Madill$75,730 7310
Midwest City$50,087 10312
Sallisaw$43,445 23710
Sperry$39,803 3110
Glenpool$30,493 6711

Cities with at least 10 cases with back wages.

Labor and employment lawyers in Oklahoma

Lawbamba lists 14 labor and employment lawyers with an office in Oklahoma, 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).

Katherine R. Mazaheri-Franze
Mazaheri Law Firm, PLLC
Labor and Employment, Employment Law, Immigration Law
Oklahoma City · 4.8★ from 40 reviews
Jennifer K. Christian
Durbin Larimore & Bialick, P.C.
Labor and Employment, Commercial Real Estate, Business Law
Oklahoma City · 4.9★ from 14 reviews
Craig Roger Armstrong
Armstrong & Vaught PLC
Labor and Employment, Workers Compensation, Social Security
Tulsa · 4.7★ from 8 reviews
Sean P. Snider
Johnson Hanan & Vosler
Labor and Employment, Medical Malpractice Defense, Health Law
Oklahoma City · 4.4★ from 10 reviews

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 Oklahoma employer?

Compare employment lawyers in Oklahoma

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Source: 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.