EEO Codes: Job Categories, Race and Ethnicity, and Employer Use

EEO codes are the standardized labels the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission uses to classify every worker counted on the annual EEO-1 report. There are two sets: ten job category codes that sort positions by responsibility and skill level, and seven race and ethnicity codes that capture demographic makeup. Together they produce a grid — ten categories across, seven demographic groups down, split by sex — that forms the substance of the EEO-1 filing.¹

The Ten Job Category Codes

Every employee on the report is assigned to one of ten job categories. The categories group positions by skill level, responsibility, and function so the EEOC can compare demographic patterns across similar roles at different companies.²

Executive/Senior-Level Officials and Managers. Top executives who set company-wide policy and direction, such as CEOs, CFOs, and senior vice presidents.
First/Mid-Level Officials and Managers. People who oversee day-to-day operations and report to the senior tier, including department heads and branch managers.
Professionals. Positions that typically require a four-year degree or equivalent expertise, like engineers, accountants, and attorneys.
Technicians. Roles requiring specialized technical knowledge, such as lab technicians, IT support specialists, and paralegals.
Sales Workers. Employees involved in direct selling, retail transactions, or business development.
Administrative Support Workers. Clerical and office support positions handling record-keeping, scheduling, and similar tasks.
Craft Workers. Skilled trades requiring apprenticeships or formal training, including electricians, carpenters, and machinists.
Operatives. Semi-skilled positions involving machine operation, assembly, or vehicle operation in production settings.
Laborers and Helpers. Manual roles that do not require specialized training, such as warehouse workers and groundskeepers.
Service Workers. Positions in food service, janitorial work, personal care, and protective services.

The Seven Race and Ethnicity Codes

Each employee is also classified into one of seven demographic groups. These categories follow the federal standards used across multiple agencies, not just the EEOC.³

Hispanic or Latino. A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish-culture origin, regardless of race.
White. A non-Hispanic person with origins in Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.
Black or African American. A non-Hispanic person with origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.
Asian. A non-Hispanic person with origins in the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent.
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. A non-Hispanic person with origins in Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
American Indian or Alaska Native. A non-Hispanic person with origins in North or South America who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.
Two or More Races. A non-Hispanic person who identifies with more than one of the racial categories above.

The Hispanic or Latino category is treated as ethnicity, so it takes precedence over the racial categories: an employee who identifies as Hispanic is reported in that group regardless of race. The other six are racial categories reserved for non-Hispanic employees.

How Employers Assign the Codes

Job category assignment is the employer’s call. You look at what an employee actually does — the level of responsibility, the skill required, the kind of work performed — and match it to whichever of the ten categories fits best. Two people with the same job title at different companies may end up in different categories if their actual duties differ.

Race and ethnicity coding works differently. The EEOC’s preferred method is voluntary self-identification: employers invite employees to report their own race and ethnicity, making clear that the request is voluntary and that declining will not lead to negative consequences. If an employee refuses to self-identify, the employer can fall back on employment records, personal knowledge, or visual observation. Every employee has to be reported in one of the seven categories regardless of whether the employee participated in self-identification.

Why Coding Accuracy Matters

The grid the EEOC receives is the raw material for pattern analysis. If an employer consistently codes Black employees as Laborers and Helpers while coding White employees in similar roles as Operatives, that discrepancy shows up in EEOC analysis and can trigger an inquiry. Sloppy or inconsistent category assignments create the same statistical shadows as intentional segregation, so the categories are worth taking seriously even when the choice between two feels close.

Who Uses These Codes

The codes exist because certain employers have to file the EEO-1 Component 1 report each year. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, every private-sector employer with 100 or more employees must submit the report to the EEOC.¹ The statute gives the EEOC broad authority to require employers to keep records and submit reports needed to enforce anti-discrimination law.⁴

Federal contractors historically faced a lower threshold — 50 or more employees plus a contract or subcontract worth at least $50,000 — under Executive Order 11246, signed in 1965. On January 21, 2025, Executive Order 14173 revoked E.O. 11246, and the Department of Labor rescinded the implementing regulations at 41 CFR Parts 60-1 through 60-50.⁵ Federal contractors with 100 or more employees still file under Title VII. The separate contractor mandate covering employers with 50 to 99 employees no longer has a regulatory basis, though as of early 2026 the EEOC’s data collections page still references E.O. 11246 as a filing authority, so employers in that range should watch for updated guidance before treating the obligation as ended.

The Same Codes in Other Collections

The EEO-1 is the private-sector report, but the same race, ethnicity, and sex categories are used across the EEOC’s other data collections: the EEO-3 for local referral unions, the EEO-4 for state and local government employers, and the EEO-5 for public school districts.⁶ The job category structure is specific to the EEO-1; the other collections use classifications suited to their sectors, such as job assignment classifications for school staff.

Confidentiality of the Coded Data

Section 709(e) of Title VII makes it unlawful for any EEOC officer or employee to publicly disclose information obtained through the agency’s reporting authority before formal proceedings begin.⁴ When the EEOC releases aggregate data for research purposes, it applies statistical methods so no individual employer or employee can be identified.⁷ Coded workforce data goes to the government; individual company grids do not become public.

1
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Legal Requirements
2
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. EEO-1 Job Classification Guide
3
U.S. Department of Labor. Unemployment Insurance Program Letter No. 08-01 – Section: 4. Category Definitions
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 U.S. Code 2000e-8 – Investigations
5
Federal Register. Rescission of Executive Order 11246 Implementing Regulations
6
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. EEO Data Collections
7
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. EEO-1 Employer Information Report Statistics