High rates of race discrimination charges in Missouri
MISSOURI (KSNF) — A new analysis has revealed the states with the most substantial rates of race discrimination charges in the workplace over a 14-year period.
Alabama emerged at the forefront, while Missouri ranked among the top ten states for the highest rates of race discrimination charges. At the opposite end sits New Hampshire, where employment discrimination were least related to race.
However, Jamie Goodwin, Attorney at Duddy, Goodwin, and Pollard explains that less race-related charges does not necessarily mean less racism, but a result of tougher legislation, with Missouri as a prime example.
“While our findings appear generally consistent with litigiousness and racial demographic diversity, the one state that stands out is Missouri. In our ranking, it is the state with the tenth highest rate of race discrimination charges, 2.7% above the national average. However, litigiousness and demographic diversity are not prominent factors there compared to other states,” said Goodwin.
Top 10 States with the Highest Rates of Race Discrimination Charges
Rank | State | Total Discrimination Charges | Race Discrimination Charges | Percentage of Discrimination Charges That Are Race Related |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Alabama | 37,388 | 18,530 | 49.6% |
2 | Louisiana | 22,503 | 10,194 | 45.3% |
3 | Mississippi | 22,815 | 10,263 | 45.0% |
4 | Arkansas | 20,128 | 8,474 | 42.1% |
5 | Georgia | 68,804 | 28,062 | 40.8% |
6 | South Carolina | 16,364 | 6,460 | 39.5% |
7 | North Carolina | 57,235 | 22,151 | 38.7% |
8 | Tennessee | 39,978 | 15,465 | 38.7% |
9 | Maryland | 30,566 | 11,472 | 37.5% |
10 | Missouri | 26,350 | 9,733 | 36.9% |
| These Missouri Cities Are Named The State’s Filthiest >
The study, carried out by employment law experts Duddy, Goodwin, and Pollard, scrutinized data on the number of employment discrimination charges filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) across each of the 50 states from April 2009 to March 2023. The data was specifically analyzed to determine the percentage of those charges related to race discrimination.
As to why these results are surprising, Goodwin says it’s likely the result of state legislation, especially in Missouri.
“It could be the case that the pertinent Missouri legislation used to include fairer wording. However, in 2017, changes to the Missouri Human Rights Act made race a reason for workplace discrimination instead of it being a contributing factor. Before the change, claimants pursuing legal action against their employer had higher chances of succeeding in going to trial. We can see a sudden drop of race discrimination charges starting from 2018 by about a third. Since our study covers a wider period, it would have included the period before the law change in 2017,” said Goodwin.
Meanwhile, Arkansas — Missouri’s neighbor to the south — reports an even higher race discrimination rate of 42%, with 8,474 out of 20,128 total discrimination charges falling under this category, putting it in fourth place nationally.
