The numbers at a glance
- 4,750 charges filed in California with the EEOC in fiscal 2025
- 7,399 in fiscal 2012, the peak of the series
- 3,865 in fiscal 2021, the low
- 5.4% California share of all U.S. charges in fiscal 2025, down from 7.4 percent in fiscal 2013
- 270,000 inquiries the EEOC received nationwide in fiscal 2025, which produced about 90,000 charges
The EEOC publishes charge receipts by state back to fiscal 2009. This page is the complete California series. Read it with one fact in mind: it counts charges filed with the federal agency only. California workers file more with the state Civil Rights Department, and that stream is on our CRD by year page.
All charges, California and the nation
| Fiscal year | California | Change | U.S. | California share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,750 | -7% | 88,201 | 5.4% |
| 2024 | 5,099 | -1% | 88,531 | 5.8% |
| 2023 | 5,143 | 17% | 81,055 | 6.3% |
| 2022 | 4,404 | 14% | 73,485 | 6.0% |
| 2021 | 3,865 | -6% | 61,331 | 6.3% |
| 2020 | 4,130 | -3% | 67,448 | 6.1% |
| 2019 | 4,276 | -2% | 72,675 | 5.9% |
| 2018 | 4,344 | -20% | 76,418 | 5.7% |
| 2017 | 5,423 | -8% | 84,254 | 6.4% |
| 2016 | 5,870 | -5% | 91,503 | 6.4% |
| 2015 | 6,199 | -3% | 89,385 | 6.9% |
| 2014 | 6,363 | -8% | 88,778 | 7.2% |
| 2013 | 6,892 | -7% | 93,727 | 7.4% |
| 2012 | 7,399 | 3% | 99,412 | 7.4% |
| 2011 | 7,166 | 0% | 99,947 | 7.2% |
| 2010 | 7,161 | 8% | 99,922 | 7.2% |
| 2009 | 6,654 | 93,277 | 7.1% |
California charges rose to 7,399 in fiscal 2012, then fell in nine of the next ten years to 3,865 in fiscal 2021, a drop of 48 percent. National charges fell too, but by less, so California's share of the country's charges went from 7.4 percent to 5.4 percent. The three years since 2021 recovered part of the ground, with fiscal 2023 the recent high at 5,143.
California charges by basis and year
| Fiscal year | Retaliation | Disability | Race | Sex | Age | National origin | Color | Religion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,926 | 2,066 | 1,572 | 1,350 | 1,057 | 684 | 387 | 312 |
| 2024 | 2,592 | 1,978 | 1,797 | 1,480 | 1,089 | 754 | 449 | 286 |
| 2023 | 2,549 | 1,716 | 1,651 | 1,778 | 971 | 655 | 351 | 428 |
| 2022 | 2,259 | 1,338 | 1,030 | 905 | 659 | 499 | 229 | 1,550 |
| 2021 | 2,158 | 1,381 | 1,370 | 1,130 | 1,010 | 626 | 272 | 184 |
| 2020 | 2,306 | 1,502 | 1,397 | 1,260 | 985 | 634 | 248 | 197 |
| 2019 | 2,319 | 1,487 | 1,421 | 1,321 | 1,065 | 697 | 185 | 175 |
| 2018 | 2,183 | 1,499 | 1,365 | 1,330 | 1,062 | 619 | 191 | 170 |
| 2017 | 2,752 | 1,915 | 1,811 | 1,500 | 1,374 | 786 | 190 | 270 |
| 2016 | 2,937 | 1,912 | 1,905 | 1,560 | 1,517 | 930 | 192 | 274 |
| 2015 | 2,926 | 1,975 | 2,015 | 1,729 | 1,572 | 1,058 | 239 | 293 |
| 2014 | 3,088 | 1,988 | 2,176 | 1,705 | 1,569 | 1,101 | 270 | 282 |
| 2013 | 3,223 | 2,125 | 2,285 | 1,824 | 1,799 | 1,170 | 279 | 335 |
| 2012 | 3,406 | 2,236 | 2,299 | 2,036 | 1,833 | 1,350 | 269 | 345 |
| 2011 | 3,195 | 2,110 | 2,372 | 1,925 | 1,852 | 1,355 | 249 | 394 |
| 2010 | 2,939 | 2,017 | 2,239 | 1,846 | 1,856 | 1,354 | 228 | 329 |
| 2009 | 2,707 | 1,586 | 2,251 | 1,893 | 1,855 | 1,319 | 250 | 287 |
Three bases moved against the tide. Retaliation was 2,707 in fiscal 2009 and 2,926 in fiscal 2025, holding up while the total fell by nearly a third, so its share rose from 41 to 62 percent. Disability went from 24 to 43 percent. Color charges, a small line, more than doubled in share. Religion produced the one spike, 1,550 in fiscal 2022 over vaccine mandates.
A note on how to read the EEOC figures. The EEOC counts a charge under every basis it alleges, so a single charge that claims sex discrimination and retaliation shows up in both columns and the columns add up to more than the total. The state figures cover charges filed with the EEOC itself, not the tens of thousands of complaints California workers file with the state Civil Rights Department, which we cover separately.
Why the federal line fell
Nothing in the table says California workplaces got fairer between 2012 and 2021. Three things changed where the complaints went. The state agency issues right to sue notices online, immediately, which makes the state filing the faster route to court. In 2020 the state deadline went from one year to three, while the federal deadline stayed at 300 days. And the state statute grew: uncapped damages, coverage of small employers, personal liability for harassers, broader definitions of disability and of harassment. A charge filed with the EEOC in California is cross filed with CRD, and the other way round, but the EEOC state count only includes charges that started with the EEOC.
What these numbers mean if it happened to you
- Filing with either agency preserves your claim under both laws through cross filing, but the state filing gives you three years and an immediate right to sue.
- Use the EEOC route when your employer is federal, when you want a federal court, or when the federal statute is the better fit, for example an Equal Pay Act claim.
- The EEOC found reasonable cause in 2.6 percent of the charges it resolved nationwide in fiscal 2025. Most cases that win do so after a right to sue, not inside the agency.
Deadlines that decide these cases
A California worker has three years from the last act of harassment or discrimination to file with the Civil Rights Department, and one year after a right to sue notice to file in court. The federal deadline is much shorter, 300 days to file a charge with the EEOC. The counts on this page only include people who filed inside those windows. Everyone who waited too long is missing from every table here.
Ready to file?
A free, confidential review will tell you which agency and which claims fit your facts.
Sources
The figures on this page were taken from the following publications, as released by the agencies. Percentages, changes, sums and rates per 100,000 workers are our own arithmetic from those figures.
- EEOC, Table E1b, charge receipts by state and basis, FY 2009 to FY 2025, www.eeoc.gov
- EEOC, Table E1c, charge receipts and resolutions by type, FY 1997 to FY 2025, www.eeoc.gov
- EEOC, Fiscal Year 2025 Agency Financial Report, www.eeoc.gov
Frequently asked questions
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Attorney advertising. The figures on this page come from the public sources listed above and are reproduced or computed as described. They are provided for general information and do not constitute legal advice, nor does reading this page create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different. If you believe your rights were violated, consult a California employment attorney promptly, filing deadlines apply.