This Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) notice informs covered federal contractors that they must begin using the 2014–2018 EEO Tabulation (2018 EEO Tab) to develop all written affirmative action programs (AAPs) that commence on or after January 1, 2022.

On March 2, 2021, the United States Census Bureau released the 2018 EEO Tab to the public. The 2018 EEO Tab replaces the 2006–2010 EEO Tabulation that OFCCP and covered federal contractors currently use.

OFCCP regulations require covered 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 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, 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 data to assess contractors’ compliance with its regulations, OFCCP co-sponsored the development of the 2018 EEO Tab 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, and the Office of Personnel Management.

The 2018 EEO Tab provides occupation data by detailed census occupations in four aggregations: EEO Occupational Groups, EEO-1 Job Categories, Federal Sector Job Groups, and State and Local Government Job Groups. Additional characteristics include U.S. citizenship, educational attainment, age, industry, earnings, and unemployment status. The tabulation also provides three geographic types: worksite, residence-to-worksite commuting flow, and residence. Tables are available for one or more of the following geographic summary levels:

  • U.S. total
  • All states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico
  • Core Based Statistical Areas
  • Counties
  • County sets (counties with residence populations of 50,000 or more or aggregations of counties that together have a population of 50,000 or more)
  • Places (Population thresholds of either 50,000 or 100,000 apply to all geographic areas, depending on specific table content)

Contractors must begin using the 2018 EEO Tab to develop all AAPs that commence on or after January 1, 2022. OFCCP will, likewise, begin using the 2018 EEO Tab to evaluate contractors’ AAPs commencing on or after January 1, 2022. OFCCP believes that allowing contractors to defer the use of the 2018 EEO Tab until the development of AAPs commencing on or after January 1, 2022, will facilitate a smooth transition to the 2018 EEO Tab. Contractors may, however, begin immediately to use the 2018 EEO Tab in the development of their AAPs if they wish to do so.

The 2018 EEO Tab and supporting documentation are available on the Census Bureau’s website at https://www.census.gov/topics/employment/equal-employment-opportunity-tabulation.html.

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 September 3, 2021