Racial discrimination statistics measure several different things: what people believe, what people report experiencing, how paired housing tests turn out, and what federal enforcement agencies record. Those measures are not interchangeable. The figures below identify the population, comparison, geography, and measurement period for each result.
Contents
- What Americans say about discrimination in 2025
- Political and racial differences in perception
- Personal experiences and family conversations
- Housing discrimination against renters
- Housing discrimination against homebuyers
- Earlier paired-test evidence
- Employment enforcement statistics
What Americans say about discrimination in 2025
In a Pew Research Center survey published May 20, 2025, 74% of Americans said Black people face at least some discrimination. That was lower than the 80% recorded in 2024. The 2025 result describes public perception, not a count of individual incidents.
Views differed by race and ethnicity when respondents were asked whether Black people face a lot of discrimination. Seventy percent of Black adults gave that response, compared with 40% of Hispanic adults, 39% of Asian adults, and 28% of White adults. These figures describe how respondents assessed discrimination against Black people, rather than whether respondents personally experienced it.
The same Pew survey asked about discrimination against Asian people using the broader category of “a lot of or some discrimination.” Eighty-two percent of Asian Americans selected that category, as did 69% of Black adults, 66% of Hispanic adults, and 64% of White Americans.
Respondents also assessed discrimination against White people. Forty-five percent of White adults said White people face at least some discrimination, compared with 27% of Hispanic adults, 24% of Black adults, and 20% of Asian adults.
These results show why the wording of a survey question matters. “A lot of discrimination,” “at least some discrimination,” and “a lot of or some discrimination” are different measures. A percentage from one wording should not be treated as directly equivalent to a percentage from another.
Political and racial differences in perception
Pew’s May 2025 results also show a wide partisan gap in assessments of discrimination. Ninety-four percent of Democrats said Black people face at least some discrimination, compared with 54% of Republicans. For Hispanic people, 90% of Democrats and 54% of Republicans said the same. When asked whether Asian people face widespread discrimination, 83% of Democrats and 51% of Republicans agreed.
The pattern reversed for perceptions about discrimination against White people. Fifty-five percent of Republicans said White people face at least some discrimination, compared with 21% of Democrats.
The 2025 results included differences within Republican racial groups. Among Hispanic Republicans, 65% said Hispanic people face at least some discrimination. The corresponding figures were 53% of White Republicans and 71% of Asian Republicans. For discrimination against White people, 62% of White Republicans said White people face a lot of or some discrimination, compared with 39% of Hispanic Republicans and 35% of Asian Republicans.
Pew also reported year-over-year changes. Among Republicans, the share saying Black people face at least some discrimination fell from 66% in 2024 to 54% in 2025. Among Democrats, the share was 94% in 2025, compared with 92% in 2024. The Republican share saying White people face at least some discrimination fell from 66% in 2024 to 55% in 2025.
| Measure in Pew’s 2025 survey | Democrats | Republicans |
|---|---|---|
| Black people face at least some discrimination | 94% | 54% |
| Hispanic people face at least some discrimination | 90% | 54% |
| Asian people face widespread discrimination | 83% | 51% |
| White people face at least some discrimination | 21% | 55% |
The comparison table uses the question wording reported for each measure. It should be read as a description of differences in opinion, not as a direct estimate of the frequency of discrimination itself.
Pew’s Race in America 2019 report asked a different question: whether the bigger problem is people failing to see racial discrimination where it exists or people seeing discrimination where it does not exist. Fifty-seven percent of U.S. adults chose the first view, while 42% chose the second.
The racial differences were substantial. Eighty-four percent of Black adults, 67% of Hispanics, and 72% of Asians said the bigger problem is people not seeing discrimination where it really exists. Among White adults, 48% chose that answer and 52% said the bigger problem is seeing discrimination where it does not exist. Seventy-seven percent of Republicans chose the latter view. Among White Democrats, 78% said the bigger problem is failing to see discrimination where it exists.
Personal experiences and family conversations
Perception statistics differ from self-reported experience. In Pew’s Race in America 2019 report, 76% of Black adults said they had experienced discrimination or been treated unfairly because of race or ethnicity at least from time to time. The same share, 76%, was reported by Asian adults. Among Hispanic adults, 58% said this had happened to them.
The report also measured whether race or ethnicity was discussed in families during childhood. Sixty-four percent of Black adults said their family talked to them at least sometimes about challenges they might face because of race or ethnicity while growing up; 32% said those conversations happened often. By comparison, 91% of White adults said their family rarely or never had those conversations while they were growing up.
These measures capture reported experience and preparation for possible racial barriers. They do not establish that every respondent experienced the same type, severity, or setting of treatment. They also come from 2019 and should not be combined with the 2025 perception results as if they were one survey.
Pew’s Race and Inequality 2016 report provides additional context for White adults’ self-reports. Thirty percent said they had been discriminated against or treated unfairly because of race or ethnicity at least sometimes, while 2% said this happened regularly. Five percent said their race or ethnicity had made it harder for them to succeed in life. Sixty-two percent said their race had not made much difference to their ability to succeed, and 31% said their race made things easier for them.
The 2016 figures concern White adults and use several distinct response categories. The 30% measure of treatment at least sometimes should not be interpreted as equivalent to the 2% measure of regular treatment or the 5% measure concerning life success.
Housing discrimination against renters
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Discrimination Study 2012 used paired inquiries involving testers with comparable qualifications. The results describe differences in treatment during rental and homebuying searches; they are not estimates of every housing interaction in the United States.
For renters, White testers experienced more favorable treatment than equally well-qualified Black testers in 28.4% of inquiries. Black renters were favored in 19.6% of inquiries relative to the White comparison. Black renters learned about 11.4% fewer available units and were shown 4.2% fewer units than equally qualified White renters.
White renters experienced more favorable treatment than Hispanics in 28.9% of inquiries, while Hispanics were favored in 18.9%. Hispanic renters learned about 12.5% fewer available units and were shown 7.5% fewer units than equally qualified White renters.
For Asian renters, White renters experienced more favorable treatment in 32.0% of inquiries, while Asian renters were favored in 22.6%. Asian renters learned about 9.8% fewer available units and were shown 6.6% fewer units than equally qualified White renters.
| Rental-search measure | Black renters | Hispanic renters | Asian renters |
|---|---|---|---|
| White comparison favored more often | 28.4% | 28.9% | 32.0% |
| Minority tester favored | 19.6% | 18.9% | 22.6% |
| Fewer units learned about than White renters | 11.4% | 12.5% | 9.8% |
| Fewer units shown than White renters | 4.2% | 7.5% | 6.6% |
The paired-test design makes the comparison specific: the percentages refer to inquiries in which testers were matched as equally qualified for the study. “Favored” and the unit differences are separate outcomes, so they should not be added together or treated as a single rate.
Housing discrimination against homebuyers
HUD’s 2012 study found larger disparities in several homebuying outcomes. White homebuyers experienced more favorable treatment than equally qualified Black homebuyers in 40.7% of inquiries, while Black homebuyers were favored in 30.9%. Black homebuyers learned about 17.0% fewer available homes and were shown 17.7% fewer homes than equally qualified White homebuyers.
White homebuyers experienced more favorable treatment than Asian homebuyers in 44.0% of inquiries. Asian homebuyers were favored in 33.1%, learned about 15.5% fewer available homes, and were shown 18.8% fewer homes than equally qualified White homebuyers.
Neighborhood recommendations were another measured outcome. When the comparison neighborhoods differed, White homebuyers were shown neighborhoods about 17 percentage points higher in White residents than those shown to equally qualified Black or Asian homebuyers. Across all tests, neighborhoods recommended to White testers were less than 2 percentage points more White on average than neighborhoods recommended to Black or Asian homebuyers.
Black homebuyers were 2.4 percentage points more likely than comparable White homebuyers to be denied an appointment. In 8 of every 10 Black homebuyer tests, more homes were recommended to one tester than the other. In those tests, White homebuyers were 13.4 percentage points more likely than comparable Black homebuyers to be favored. When Black homebuyers were favored in the same paired-test context, they learned about 0.50 more available homes per test than White homebuyers.
About two-thirds of in-person homebuying visits showed more units to one tester than the other. In the study’s summary, Black and Asian homebuyers were shown about one fewer home for every three and every two in-person visits, respectively. The same study reported an average White-Black homebuyer disparity of 0.32 units shown per inquiry.
Earlier paired-test evidence
The Housing Discrimination Study 2000 used 4,600 paired tests in 23 metropolitan areas nationwide. Because this is an earlier study, its results provide historical evidence and should not be read as a current national estimate.
Asian and Pacific Islander prospective renters experienced consistent adverse treatment relative to comparable White renters in 21.5% of tests. Asian and Pacific Islander prospective homebuyers experienced consistent adverse treatment in 20.4% of tests. In rental tests across Minnesota, Montana, and New Mexico, Native Americans received consistently unfavorable treatment relative to White testers in 28.5% of tests.
The 2000 study and the 2012 study use related paired-testing approaches, but they are separated by geography, field period, and study design details. Comparing their percentages directly would imply a trend that these figures alone do not establish.
Employment enforcement statistics
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s FY 2024 Annual Performance Report recorded 88,531 new discrimination charges received during fiscal year 2024. The EEOC ended that fiscal year with 52,080 pending charges and resolved 87,219 charges. During the administrative process, it secured more than $469.6 million in monetary relief for individuals and obtained targeted, equitable relief in 99.4% of conciliation agreements.
The EEOC filed 111 merits suits in FY 2024, including 110 employment discrimination lawsuits and one suit challenging breach of a conciliation agreement. It also filed 13 systemic lawsuits. The counts concern agency activity and case processing, not the total number of discrimination incidents or all incidents experienced by workers.
The EEOC Office of General Counsel FY 2024 Annual Report reported that race was alleged in 15 EEOC lawsuits, accounting for 13.5% of suits filed. In those 15 race-discrimination suits, discharge or constructive discharge appeared in 9 suits, or 60.0%; harassment appeared in 7, or 46.7%; terms and conditions appeared in 3, or 20.0%; hiring appeared in 2, or 13.3%; and promotion appeared in 1, or 6.7%.
The EEOC’s 13 systemic lawsuits in FY 2024 included race-based hiring claims, race-based harassment claims, and discharge claims based on race. In the same FY 2024 filing summary, race was alleged in 15 cases, compared with sex in 52, disability in 48, and retaliation in 43. These are lawsuit-base counts, and a single case can involve more than one allegation category.
Together, the enforcement figures show the activity recorded by one federal agency in one fiscal year. They should be interpreted alongside the survey and paired-test measures, while keeping their different units—respondents, inquiries, tests, charges, suits, and relief—separate.