Diversity and inclusion in the workplace are among the most important topics facing HR, people teams and recruiting professionals.
Knowing a wide range of statistics related to workplace diversity and inclusion might help you and your team better understand the complex nature of the topics. Using this knowledge, you can work toward building a diverse and inclusive workforce that will ultimately yield higher revenue and boost employee performance.
General Population Statistics
The U.S. Is Becoming More Diverse
The Population of White People Is Decreasing
People who identify as white and non-Hispanic in the United States (the current largest U.S. racial population) declined in numbers for the first time on record in 2020, falling at 57.8 percent of the country’s population for that year. This population decreased from 63.7 percent in 2010.
White People Will No Longer Be U.S. Racial Majority by 2045
Non-Hispanic white people are no longer projected to account for the majority of Americans by 2045, making the U.S. more racially and ethnically pluralistic by this time.
1 in 3 Americans Will Be Non-White by 2060
One in three Americans is projected to belong to a race other than white by 2060, with the fastest-growing U.S. racial or ethnic group being those who are two or more races.
Generation Z and Millennials Include More Racial and Ethnic Minorities
48 Percent of Generation Z Are Racial or Ethnic Minorities
Generation Z is the most racially diverse U.S. generation, with approximately 48 percent identifying as non-white.
Millennials Are 19 Percent More Diverse Than Baby Boomers
As of 2015, Census data shows that around 56 percent of Millennials are white, whereas Baby Boomers are 75 percent white. Additionally, there are now more Millennials than Baby Boomers in the U.S. population today, as 18 to 44-year-olds make up the largest age bracket in the United States.
DEI experts offer solutions to create a radically inclusive workplace.
Diverse Demographics Employment Statistics
Minority Populations Are More Likely to Be Unemployed
Unemployment Rate Is Higher Among Black and Hispanic or Latine Populations
As of February 2024, the average U.S. unemployment rate is 3.9 percent. Breaking it down based on race, the unemployment rates for people who are Black (5.6 percent) and Hispanic or Latine (5 percent) remain higher than those who are white (3.4 percent) and Asian (3.4 percent).
7.2 Percent of People With Disabilities Were Unemployed in 2023
In 2023, 7.2 percent of people with a disability in the U.S. were unemployed. Across all age groups, people with disabilities are less likely to be employed than people without disabilities.
3.4 Percent of Foreign-Born Workers Were Unemployed in 2022
In 2022, 3.4 percent of foreign-born U.S. workers were unemployed — down from 5.6 percent in 2021 , but up from 3.1 percent in 2019. For reference, 18.1 percent of the U.S. workforce is foreign-born as of 2022.
6.1 Percent of People With Less Than a High School Diploma Are Unemployed in 2024
Those in the U.S. who are 25 and older and hold no high school diploma experienced an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent in February 2024 — the highest rate in comparison to those with a high school diploma or more education. Within the same age and education group, the highest unemployment rate was found amongst Black people at 9.3 percent.
Families and Couples Often Face Significant Financial Hardship
19.9 Percent of Families Didn’t Have One Family Member Employed in 2022
In 2022, 19.9 percent of families had no members employed. Additionally, that percentage goes up to 20 percent for Black families and 20.6 percent for white families.
24.5 Percent of Heterosexual Married-Couple Families Live on a Single Income
24.5 percent of heterosexual married-couple families live on a single income, slightly less than the 25.3 percent in 2021.
Heterosexual Married-Couple Families Are More Likely to Have an Employed Member if the Man Is Employed
As of 2022, 78.5 percent of heterosexual married-couple families supported by women have an employed member. That falls short of the 84.8 percent of heterosexual married-couple families supported by men that have an employed member.
Gender Diversity in the Workplace Statistics
More Than Half of U.S. Employees Are Women
As of February 2023, women 16 years and over make up 55.4 percent of all U.S. employees, but there’s still a long way to go to make it a more equitable environment and break the glass ceiling.
Women Are More Likely to Experience Workplace Bias
Women’s Wages Equal 83.6 Percent of Men’s Wages
The gender pay gap persists as of 2023, as the median weekly earnings of full-time working women equaled 83.6 percent of the median weekly earnings by full-time working men.
Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Remains Prevalent for Women at Work
Women are twice as likely as men to be mistaken for someone more junior and 1.5 times as likely to have their judgment questioned. Women also filed over 78 percent of sexual harassment charges received by the U.S. EEOC between 2018 and 2021.
10.6 Percent of Fortune 500 CEOs Are Women
As of January 2023, women make up 10.6 percent of the CEO workforce at Fortune 500 companies. This led the amount of women CEOs in this area to total 53, which is the highest it’s ever been.
87 Women Are Promoted For Every 100 Men Promoted to Manager
Only 87 women, and 73 women of color, are promoted for every 100 men promoted to manager. As a result, men significantly outnumber women in managerial positions.
Women Ask for Pay Raises at the Same Rate as Men, but Receive Them Less Often
Women ask for pay raises almost just as often as men at similar positions (at 11 percent for both) — but women receive them about 7 percent less often than men do.
Women Are Less Likely to Be in C-Suite Roles
1 in 4 C-Suite Leaders Is a Woman
Only one in four C-suite or senior leadership roles are held by women. (That’s why some companies are focused on increasing the amount of women in tech leadership positions.)
1 in 16 C-Suite Leaders Is a Woman of Color
Women of color make up just one in 16 C-suite leaders. In nearly every category, women of color are the most underrepresented population in corporate America, compared to white men, white women and men of color.
Additionally, the same report found that between entry-level and the C-suite, the representation of women of color drops off by 12 percentage points.
Women Are Achieving Higher Levels in the Workforce
Women Obtain 4-Year College Degrees More Than Men
Women are getting higher education degrees more often than men, making them more competitive candidates in the workforce compared to their counterparts who do not have a degree.
Senior-Level Women Are Twice as Likely as Senior-Level Men to Focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
In a 2022 report, McKinsey found that women in senior management were twice as likely as men in similar roles to spend “substantial time” on DEI work falling outside their normal job responsibilities, such as supporting employee resource groups.
Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Workplace Statistics
White People Are the Majority of the U.S. Workforce
76.5 Percent of the U.S. Workforce Is White
76.5 percent of the U.S. workforce is made up of white people. Hispanic or Latine people make up 18.8 percent of the workforce, Black people make up 12.8 percent of the workforce and Asian people make up 6.9 percent of the workforce, as of 2023.
8 Fortune 500 Companies Have a Black CEO
As of 2024, eight Fortune 500 companies have a chief executive officer who is Black.
People of Color Are More Likely to Experience Workplace Bias
About 40 Percent of Black Workers Report Experiencing Discrimination at Work
About 40 percent of Black workers report experiencing discrimination at some point in hiring, pay or promotions due to their race or ethnicity. This compares to 25 percent of Asian workers and 20 percent of Hispanic or Latine workers who report discrimination.
Candidates With “Distinctively Black Names” Are Less Likely to Move Forward in Interview Process
Researchers found that job candidates who have “distinctively Black names” have a lower probability of hearing back from companies they applied to in comparison to candidates with “distinctively white names”.
Less Than One-Third of Fortune 500 Companies Publish Annual DEI Reports
Of the Fortune 500 companies, 154 released DEI reports in 2023, up from 79 in 2022. Still, this is less than one-third of all Fortune 500 companies, and many companies failed to collect data on open positions being filled by women and people of color, employees with disabilities and other categories.
Diversity and Inclusion Business Impact Statistics
Diverse Companies Are More Likely to Be Profitable
Diverse Companies Have 2.5 Times Higher Cash Flow Per Employee
Companies with highly diverse teams noticed a significant increase in cash flow — to the tune of 2.5 times per employee.
Diverse Management Outperforms Less-Diverse Management
Companies in the top quartile for women representation on executive teams are 18 percent more likely to financially outperform competitors. Meanwhile, companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity on executive teams are 27 percent more likely to outperform competitors, and companies in the top quartile for both gender and ethnic diversity on executive teams are 9 percent more likely to outperform competitors.
Companies With Diverse Boards Can See Higher Profits
Companies that score in the top quartile for gender diversity on their executive boards are 27 percent more likely to financially outperform those in the bottom quartile. And companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity on their executive boards are 13 percent more likely to outperform their peers in the bottom quartile.
Diverse Companies Are More Likely to Be Collaborative and Engaged
Diverse Decision-Making Teams Lead to Better Performance
Through 2022, 75 percent of organizations having diverse and inclusive decision-making teams were projected to exceed their financial targets by Gartner.
Inclusive Company Cultures Lead to Higher Work Engagement
Employees who feel included within their organizations are about three times more likely than other peers to feel excited by and committed to organization missions, according to McKinsey.
Gender-Diverse Teams Are More Likely to Be Profitable
Gender-Diverse Companies Outperform Less-Diverse Peers
The most gender-diverse companies see a 48 percent difference in outperformance compared to the least gender-diverse companies.
Gender-Diverse Executive Teams Can Increase Profitability
Gender-diverse companies that are in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams are 25 percent more likely than fourth-quartile companies to have above-average profitability.
Global GDP Could Increase $13 Trillion By Making Workforce Equally Gender-Diverse
If the global workforce became equally gender-diverse by 2030, global GDP could increase by $13 trillion, according to McKinsey.
Racially and Ethnically Diverse Teams Are More Likely to Be Profitable
Racially and Ethnically Diverse Companies Outperform Less-Diverse Peers
Top-quartile companies for racial and ethnic diversity are 36 percent more likely to outperform fourth-quartile companies. The likelihood for outperformance also increases higher for diversity in ethnicity than diversity in gender.
Ethnically Diverse Sales Teams Tend to Be More Profitable
About 60 percent of respondents in a 2021 Forrester survey claimed the success of their sales teams is tied to the diversity of their teams. In fact, 88 percent of the top sales organizations have racially or ethnically diverse sales teams.
Importance of Diversity Among Job Seekers and Employees Statistics
Discrimination in the Workplace Still Occurs
Over 90 Percent of U.S. Employees Have Experienced Discrimination at Work
Over 90 percent of U.S. workers have experienced some form of discrimination in the workplace, based on race, gender, disability status, age and other factors.
Over 20 Percent of U.S. Workers Experience Harassment at Work
Over 20 percent of U.S. workers experienced harassment at work in 2023. It’s no surprise then that 57 percent of workers have suffered from negative impacts of work-related stress, and 23 percent felt the desire to quit their jobs.
Workers Prefer Diverse and Inclusive Companies
Over 40 Percent of Job Seekers Care About Diversity and Inclusion When Considering Job Offers
Over 40 percent of U.S. employees consider whether a company is diverse and inclusive to all types of people to be an important factor when weighing a job offer.
80 Percent of Employees Want Inclusive Companies
According to a CNBC survey, 80 percent of respondents said they want to work for a company that values diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
A Majority of Employees Welcome and Want Diversity and Inclusion at Work
About 56 percent of workers view investing in DEI at work positively, and over 60 percent of workers say it’s at least somewhat important for them to work in a place with people of different races and ethnicities.
U.S. Employees Are More Likely to Work for LGBTQ+-Friendly Companies
U.S. employees are more than four times more likely to work at a company that publicly supports and commits to expanding and protecting LGBTQ+ rights.
44 Percent of Women Wouldn’t Work for a Non-Inclusive Company
In a McKinsey survey, 44 percent of women respondents said they have decided against pursuing or accepting a job position due to the belief that the organization wouldn’t be inclusive.
Companies Are Prioritizing Diversity and Inclusion
Global Business Leaders See Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as a Priority
According to a Workday survey, 78 percent of global business leaders claim DEI has become more important over the course of 2023, and 85 percent assert having budgets for DEI initiatives.
44 Percent of Organizations Have Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at a C-Level Priority
While diversity and inclusion seem to consistently be important topics to employees at each seniority level, 44 percent of organizations in a Traliant report say their executive team “owns” their DEI strategy.
DEI experts offer solutions to create a radically inclusive workplace.