According to data analyzed by Protecht, U.S. organizations paid more than $345 billion in corporate fines between 2020 and 2024. The most common fines were for safety-related offenses, including workplace safety or health violations (88,404) and employment issues such as wage and hourly pay violations (36,266). While financial violations made up only 7% of all fines, they were the most costly, totaling over $69 billion and averaging over $27 million per fine.
Union Pacific and Berkshire Hathaway saw the highest number of violations with 607 and 503, respectively, while 3M Company accumulated the highest total cost with almost $19 billion in fines for 48 violations, followed by Johnson & Johnson with more than $18 billion in fines for 24 violations. 3M was penalized with two of the 10 biggest fines during the time period, including a $12.5 billion fine following allegations that it contaminated public water systems with PFAS chemicals, and a $6 billion payout to settle claims that its earplugs failed to protect the hearing of service members.
"Corporate fines are not just a cost of doing business; they are signals of systemic risk and governance breakdowns," said Jared Siddle, vice president of risk and compliance at Protecht. "Companies that fail to embed risk awareness and accountability at every level ultimately expose themselves to reputational, financial and legal fallout."