Explore the interactive map of current state noncompete laws and a searchable tracker of proposed noncompete reform bills in state legislatures across the country.
Nearly one in five workers in the United States are bound by a noncompete agreement preventing them from finding a new job or starting a business in their field when they leave their employer. Noncompetes are currently governed at the state level, and as a growing body of research shows that noncompetes suppress wages, reduce job mobility, and stifle innovation, states are moving rapidly to restrict them. Currently, four states ban the use of noncompetes entirely and 33 states plus DC restrict their use.
Explore the state map below to see where noncompete agreements are currently fully banned, where their enforceability is limited, and where they are allowed.
The map above summarizes statutory restrictions placed on noncompetes in each state and sorts states into four broad categories. “Full ban” states do not allow any noncompetes in an employment context but may have exceptions for the dissolution of a partnership or the goodwill sale of a business. “Income ban” states use an income threshold to determine which employees may be subject to noncompetes and may or may not have additional restrictions. “Other restrictions” include any industry-specific bans, statutory limits to the scope of agreements, or any other limits on noncompetes short of a full ban that are not...
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