The Census Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Tabulation was created by the U.S. Census Bureau, in conjunction with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and a consortium of other federal agencies, to provide a single resource for data necessary to perform equal opportunity analysis. The Census EEO Tabulation provides statistical data on race, ethnicity, sex and other demographic data that allows for an examination of the labor force in the local area. OFCCP also uses the Census EEO Tabulation to evaluate the effectiveness of Affirmative Action Programs (AAPs) when it reviews contractors. Below is a series of FAQs related to the EEO Tabulation, including questions about the most recent 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation. More information can also be found in the Census Bureau FAQs at https://www.census.gov/topics/employment/equal-employment-opportunity-tabulation/about/faq.html.
- How do federal contractors use the EEO Tabulation and why is it important?
- How can I access the EEO Tabulation?
- When did the Census Bureau make the new tabulation data available?
- Why was the 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation released in 2021 when the Census Bureau collected the data between 2014 and 2018?
- What race and ethnicity categories are included in the 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation?
- The 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation has a column for "Balance of not Hispanic or Latino." Is this included in my availability analysis?
- What is "worksite geography"?
- What is "residence geography"?
- What are "worksite-to-residence commuting flows"?
- Why did the number of occupation codes decrease from the 2010-2014 EEO Tabulation?
- Why are the geographies different in the 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation compared to the 2010-2014 EEO Tabulation?
- When must federal contractors begin using the new 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation?
- How will OFCCP review availability analysis? What does availability mean, specifically?
- Does the requirement to use the new EEO tabulation apply to construction contractors?
- What should a contractor do if it is having challenges using the new EEO tabulation data for its availability analysis?
- Does the change in race categories mean that contractors can no longer include "Two or More Races (Not Hispanic or Latino)" on the self-identification form?
- What should federal contractors use to calculate availability for individuals who identify as Two or More Races?
- Please address the FAQ on OFCCP's website that says, “some geographies are not available due to population thresholds for select sub-state geographies.” What does OFCCP want contractors to do if data on their Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) is not available?
- How should a contractor decide whether to use the worksite or residence geography tables?
- What would cause a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) to be suppressed?
- Can contractors still search occupations by NAICS codes?
- Should contractors use Table 1R (residence geography) or Table 1W (worksite geography) for determining availability in AAPs?
- Did educational attainment data change from EEO-ALL09W to EEO-ALL08W?
- Can users access the data by state?
- Will the county set data for worksites be available?
- Is there any map site information about what counties are in what MSA?
- Is a new EEO-1 Job Classification Guide being created? If so, when will it be available?
- Do we have downloadable files formatted like the 2014 census data where all data are in one line such as:
year14_cbsa.txt
year14_cbsa_nac2.txt
year14_cbsa_nac3.txt
year14_state.txt - Where can I find the transcript for the September 15, 2021 webinar?
- Where can I find the presentation and/or recording from the September 15, 2021 webinar?
1. How do federal contractors use the EEO Tabulation and why is it important?
OFCCP regulations require federal supply and service contractors to prepare and maintain AAPs designed to ensure equal employment opportunity. One key requirement of an AAP is the determination of the availability of qualified racial and ethnic minorities and women for the contractor’s job openings. Availability determinations are used to “establish benchmark[s] against which the demographic composition of the contractor’s incumbent workforce can be compared in order to determine whether barriers to equal employment opportunity may exist within particular job groups.” 41 CFR 60-2.14(a).
To determine availability estimates, OFCCP requires contractors to “use the most current and discrete statistical information available,” which includes “census data, data from local job service offices, and data from colleges or other training institutions.” 41 CFR 60-2.14(d). To assist contractors in this task, and because OFCCP uses Census Bureau data to assess contractors’ compliance with its regulations, OFCCP co-sponsored the development of the 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation, as part of a consortium of federal agencies. The consortium of federal agencies consists of OFCCP, the Department of Justice, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
For more information on determining availability, visit OFCCP’s website (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/census-data), review OFCCP’s sample AAP (https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/regs/compliance/AAPs/Sample_AAP_final_JRF_QA_508c.pdf) showing how to use the EEO Tab data in conducting utilization analysis, or see OFCCP’s regulations at 41 CFR 60-2.14.
2. How can I access the EEO Tabulation?
To access the Census Bureau’s EEO Tabulation main website for pre-made tables, FAQs and other resources, visit https://www.census.gov/topics/employment/equal-employment-opportunity-tabulation.html. To access the 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation Search Tool for detailed occupational statistics by race and gender status, visit https://www.census.gov/acs/www/data/eeo-data/eeo-tables-2018/.
3. When did the Census Bureau make the new tabulation data available?
On March 2, 2021, the Census Bureau released a series of tables for the 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation to the public. However, additional data tools and documentation are still being developed, including an Application Programming Interface that is projected to be released at a later date.
4. Why was the 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation released in 2021 when the Census Bureau collected the data between 2014 and 2018?
According to the Census Bureau, the 2014-2018 5-year American Community Survey (ACS) dataset was the most recent 5-year dataset available at the time of the new tabulation release on March 2, 2021 (https://www.census.gov/topics/employment/equal-employment-opportunity-tabulation/about/faq.html#7). More information on how the data was collected and developed is available on the Census.gov Frequently Asked Questions page.
5. What race and ethnicity categories are included in the 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation?
The Census Bureau collects race data in accordance with guidelines provided by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Except for the total, all race and ethnicity (Hispanic origin) categories are mutually exclusive. "Black" refers to Black or African American; "AIAN" refers to American Indian and Alaska Native; and "NHPI" refers to Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. "Balance of Not Hispanic or Latino" includes the balance of non-Hispanic individuals who reported multiple races or reported Some Other Race alone.
In this tabulation, there are a total of 7 race and ethnicity (Hispanic origin) categories:
1. Hispanic or Latino origin
Not Hispanic or Latino, one race-
2. White alone
3. Black or African American alone
4. American Indian and Alaska Native alone
5. Asian alone
6. Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone
And-
7. Balance of not Hispanic or Latino
6. The 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation has a column for "Balance of not Hispanic or Latino." Is this included in my availability analysis?
The 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation includes a column labeled “Balance of not Hispanic or Latino,” which includes the balance of non-Hispanic individuals who reported multiple races or reported some other race alone. For OFCCP AAP purposes, when determining minority availability, contractors must include the information from the “Balance of not Hispanic or Latino” column. However, when the percentage of a particular minority group is substantially less than would be reasonably expected given the availability of that particular group, OFCCP may require the contractor to establish separate goals for that particular group. Therefore, when determining the availability of disaggregated race or ethnicity groups, do not use the information included in the “Balance of not Hispanic or Latino” column. For more information on disaggregated goal-setting, visit OFCCP's FAQ website for Disaggregating Minority Groups for AAP Placement Goals (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/faqs/placement-goals)
7. What is "worksite geography"?
The 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation presents data according to where people worked at the time of survey. These tables provide the number of people who were employed “at work,” that is, those who did any work at all during the reference week as paid employees, worked in their own business or profession, worked on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers on a family farm or in a family business in a given county or place. Contractors should consider this data when establishing the reasonable recruitment area for determining availability, see 41 CFR 60-2.14(b)(1).
8. What is "residence geography"?
The 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation presents data according to where people lived, regardless of where they worked. These tables include people who were employed at work; employed but not at work, because they were temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, industrial dispute, vacation, or other personal reasons; and the unemployed, who were actively looking for work in the last four weeks and available to start a job, whose last job was not a military-specific job. Contractors should consider this data when establishing the reasonable recruitment area for determining availability, see 41 CFR 60-2.14(b)(1).
9. What are "worksite-to-residence commuting flows"?
The worksite-to-residence commuting flows focus on where people work (worksite) and provide additional information on where people commute from (place of residence). County-to-county flows are included in tables EEO 1w through EEO 7w. Contractors should consider this data when establishing the reasonable recruitment area for determining availability, see 41 CFR 60-2.14(b)(1).
10. Why did the number of occupation codes decrease from the 2010-2014 EEO Tabulation?
In an effort to reduce the number of empty (suppressed) cells and to increase the reliability of the estimates, the federal consortium reduced the number of detailed occupations from 488 in the 2006-2010 EEO Tabulation to 237 in the 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation. (The number of industrial estimates was also reduced from 90 to 20.) The process was influenced by many factors including, revisions to the 2018 ACS PUMS Occupation Code and more stringent data disclosure rules. More technical information and a crosswalk of occupations from the 2006-2010 EEO Tabulation and the 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation can be found at the Census EEO website here: https://www.census.gov/acs/www/data/eeo-data/eeo-tables-2018/
11. Why are the geographies different in the 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation compared to the 2010-2014 EEO Tabulation?
The Census Bureau releases data at various levels of geography and detail, in partnership with different agencies. What is now the Office of Management and Budget issued standard definitions for metropolitan areas in 1949. The term "Core-Based Statistical Area" (CBSA) became effective in 2000 and refers collectively to metropolitan statistical areas and micropolitan statistical areas. CBSAs consist of the county or counties (or equivalent entities) associated with at least one core (urbanized area or urban cluster) of at least 10,000 population, plus adjacent counties having a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured through commuting ties.
Although tables are shown for five geographic levels - nation, state, CBSA, county, and place - some geographies are not available due to population thresholds for select sub-state geographies. In addition, a subset of CBSAs and places are not included in the 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation because to identify them in conjunction with identifying County Sets would result in showing data for an area of under 50,000 population. OFCCP and the federal consortium are working with Census to provide supplemental data available for some of the larger CBSAs. Contingent on a supplemental data release, OFCCP will provide guidance on the selection of appropriate geographies. A list of available and suppressed geographies is available at the Census EEO website: https://www.census.gov/acs/www/data/eeo-data/eeo-tables-2018/.
12. When must federal contractors begin using the new 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation?
Contractors must begin using the 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation to develop all AAPs that commence on or after January 1, 2022. However, contractors may begin to use the 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation in the development of their AAPs immediately if they wish to do so. Accordingly, OFCCP will begin using the 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation to evaluate the reasonableness of AAPs when 2014-2018 EEO Tabulation is used by contractors and for all AAPs commencing on or after January 1, 2022.
13. How will OFCCP review availability analysis? What does availability mean, specifically?
During a compliance review, OFCCP will review a contractor’s availability analysis for reasonability. As described in 41 CFR 60-2.14, availability is an estimate of the number of qualified minorities or women available for employment in a given job group, expressed as a percentage of all qualified people available for employment in the given job group. The purpose of the availability determination is to establish a benchmark against which the demographic composition of the contractor’s incumbent workforce can be compared to determine whether barriers to equal employment opportunity may exist within particular job groups. More information on determining availability can be found on OFCCP's website at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/census-data.
14. Does the requirement to use the new EEO tabulation apply to construction contractors?
No. The 2014-2018 EEO tabulation data is used by supply and service contractors to determine availability and set goals. Construction contractors’ participation goals are already predetermined and listed in the Construction Technical Assistance Guide in Appendix P.
15. What should a contractor do if it is having challenges using the new EEO tabulation data for its availability analysis?
If a contractor encounters difficulties using the 2014-2018 EEO tabulation data when determining availability, it should include a brief summary of the issues it encountered in the relevant AAP(s).
16. Does the change in race categories mean that contractors can no longer include "Two or More Races (Not Hispanic or Latino)" on the self-identification form?
No. Self-identification forms can still include the "Two or More Races (Not Hispanic or Latino)" category. Individuals in this category are now included in the "Balance of not Hispanic or Latino" category of the 2014-2018 EEO Tab.
17. What should federal contractors use to calculate availability for individuals who identify as Two or More Races?
The Census Bureau categorizes ethnicity into two categories: (1) Hispanic or Latino and (2) not Hispanic or Latino. If employees identified themselves as Hispanic and a race, then they should be classified as "Hispanic or Latino." If employees identified themselves as not Hispanic or Latino and Two or More Races, then those employees should be classified as "Balance of Not Hispanic or Latino."
18. Please address the FAQ on OFCCP's website that says, "…some geographies are not available due to population thresholds for select sub-state geographies." What does OFCCP want contractors to do if data on their Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) is not available?
OFCCP and the federal consortium are working with the U.S. Census Bureau to provide additional data on CBSAs. If the data is not available by the time a contractor is supposed to develop its AAP, the contractor can use the 2006-2010 EEO Tab data, and note this information in its AAP.
19. How should a contractor decide whether to use the worksite or residence geography tables?
The major difference between worksite and residence tables is the treatment of the long-term unemployed (occupation code 9920). Code 9920 is included only in the residence tables and not included in the worksite or worksite/residence tables. Other differences include summarization by county versus county set (county sets are available only for table EEO-ALL01R-EEO 1r. Detailed Census Occupation by Sex and Race/Ethnicity for Residence Geography), and the criteria established for the suppression of certain geographies. The use of either table is acceptable for an AAP depending on the circumstances of the establishment at issue (e.g., a remote workforce versus a factory or warehouse).
20. What would cause a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) to be suppressed?
See EEO Tab FAQ #11 on OFCCP’s Determining Availability webpage (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/faqs/EEO-Tab-FAQs#Q11).
21. Can contractors still search occupations by NAICS codes?
Yes, but not through the EEO Tab Search Tool. Table “EEO-ALL09W” is the “Detailed Census Occupation (236) by Industry (20), Race/Ethnicity (7), Sex (2)” table. However, since the Census Bureau has not made the table available for the online search tool, users will need to download the table, by geography, from the Census FTP site (https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/data/eeo_tabulation/EEO_2014_2018/).
22. Should contractors use Table 1R (residence geography) or Table 1W (worksite geography) for determining availability in AAPs?
Contractors may use either Table 1W or Table 1R for their availability analyses.
23. Did educational attainment data change from EEO-ALL09W to EEO-ALL08W?
No. Table “EEO-ALL08W” is about “Detailed Census Occupation by Educational Attainment,” while table “EEO-ALL09W” is about “Detailed Census Occupation by Industry.” The two tables tabulate different information and are not related.
24. Can users access the data by state?
Yes, users can select “State” as the geography when using the Census Search Tool. Tables organized by state are also available through the FTP site (https://www2.census.gov/EEO_2014_2018/).
25. Will the county set data for worksites be available?
No, "county sets" are available only in Residence tables.
26. Is there any map site information about what counties are in what MSA?
As of November 26, 2021, the Census provides a MSA geography reference for the 2017-2018 timeframe on its website at https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/technical-documentation/references/metro-area-geography-reference/msa_county_reference17.txt.
27. Is a new EEO-1 Job Classification Guide being created? If so, when will it be available?
The EEO-1 Job Classification Guide was created by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Any information regarding changes will be issued by EEOC. The current guide is available on EEOC’s website.
28. Do we have downloadable files formatted like the 2014 census data where all data are in one line such as:
year14_cbsa.txt
year14_cbsa_nac2.txt
year14_cbsa_nac3.txt
year14_state.txt
No. The U.S. Census Bureau changed the layouts and the 2014 format is no longer used.
29. Where can I find the transcript for the September 15, 2021 webinar?
The transcript is available on OFCCP’s Public Webinars page: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/compliance-assistance/outreach/webinars
30. Where can I find the presentation and/or recording from the September 15, 2021 webinar?
The presentation and recording are available on OFCCP’s Public Webinars page: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/compliance-assistance/outreach/webinars
The contents of this document do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public in any way. This document is intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies.
Last updated on January 5, 2022