On February 4, 2015, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) released private sector data tables for fiscal year 2014 (October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014). The total number of charges filed with the agency decreased from 93,727 in FY 2013 to 88,778 in FY 2014. The EEOC attributed this decrease in part to the government shutdown in October 2013.
The data released by the EEOC contains a detailed breakdown of the types of claims asserted in the charges received. Notably, charges asserting retaliation reached an all-time high, composing 42.8% of all charges filed. The top five claims include:
The EEOC noted that the percentages provided in data tables add up to more than 100% since some charges asserted multiple bases for discrimination (e.g., sex and retaliation).
The largest number of charges were filed in Texas (8,035 charges or 9.10% of total US charges), followed by Florida (7,528 charges or 8.50% of total US charges) and California (6,363 charges or 7.20% of total US charges). When looking at Minnesota in particular, there were 981 charges filed in FY 2014, or 1.1% of total US charges.
Source(s): http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/2-4-15.cfm; http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/enforcement/index.cfm