Data & evidence
What the EEOC's own numbers show.
These statistics do not, by themselves, prove systemic failure. They provide the baseline against which claims about accessibility, timeliness, investigative rigor and enforcement can be tested.
Charge receipts are rising again.
EEOC charge receipts, FY2018–FY2025.
EEOC reports 61,331 charge receipts in FY2021 and 88,201 in FY2025, an increase of about 44% over that period.
Inventory
Nearly 50,000 charges remained pending.
The EEOC ended FY2025 with 49,807 pending private-sector charges, down from 52,080 at the end of FY2024.
Read the performance report ↗Merit-factor outcomes
17.5% of resolved charges had outcomes favorable to charging parties.
The EEOC calls these “merit factor resolutions.” The category includes resolutions favorable to charging parties and should not be confused with a finding that discrimination legally occurred in every case.
EEOC explanation ↗Litigation
FY2025 merits suits included disability and retaliation claims.
According to the Office of General Counsel, FY2025 merits-suit filings alleged disability discrimination in 35 filings, retaliation in 31, and reasonable-accommodation issues in 40.
OGC annual report ↗Demand
The EEOC handled almost 270,000 inquiries in FY2025.
The agency reported 269,755 field-office inquiries, up 8.7% from FY2024, with approximately 93% filed through online systems.
EEOC source ↗What the national reports do not answer.
National totals do not tell the public how long each charging party waited for intake, how many identified witnesses were contacted, whether requested evidence was obtained, how frequently investigations consisted primarily of position statements, or whether delay materially affected a person's ability to obtain relief.
See what this project will measure