Americans, we are told, believe in competition. But a shockingly large number of workers — 30 million, according to a report from the Treasury Department — are shackled by what are called “noncompetes,” which are agreements forbidding employees to leave their job to work for a competitor or to start their own competing business. And the number is growing fast.

Once reserved for a corporation’s most treasured rainmakers, noncompetes are now routinely applied to low-wage workers like warehouse employees, fast-food workers and even dog sitters. One out of every six workers without a college degree have signed one. By including them in employee contracts, employers can use the threat of litigation to constrict wages and employee mobility.

Noncompete agreements, like other anti-competitive practices, poison our economy in larger, less tangible ways. There is strong data showing that they reduce employee motivation, entrepreneurship and sharing of knowledge, the fundamental building blocks of innovation and economic growth.

At a minimum every state should ban noncompetes for all low-wage workers, for all workers in occupations that promote public safety and health, such as physicians and nurses, and for all workers who are laid off or terminated without cause. Looking forward, the research suggests that noncompetes should be banned for all employees, regardless of skill, industry or wage; they simply do more harm than good.