Federal & State Departments of Labor

U.S. Department of Labor

The Department of Labor (DOL) fosters and promotes the welfare of the job seekers, wage earners, and retirees of the United States by improving their working conditions, advancing their opportunities for profitable employment, protecting their retirement and health care benefits, helping employers find workers, strengthening free collective bargaining, and tracking changes in employment, prices, and other national economic measurements. In carrying out this mission, the Department administers a variety of Federal labor laws including those that guarantee workers’ rights to safe and healthful working conditions; a minimum hourly wage and overtime pay; freedom from employment discrimination; unemployment insurance; and other income support.

States Department of Labor

A state department of labor administers state employment and labor laws for which it's responsible and which might differ from the Federal equivalents. Typically, state department of labor Web sites provide employment and labor law or employee rights research resources, compliance assistance, and related contact information for asking questions and filing complaints, if the latter is applicable.

Some of the links below don't lead directly to state department of labor Web sites, but rather to state-government "gateways" that include or link to information about state labor and employment matters. That's because not every state department of labor has its own Web site or the gateway provides more extensive employment and labor research resources. In either case, browse the gateway to find the information you're seeking.