Black and African American CEO’s and upper level managers are paid less than CEO’s and upper level managers of other races across the board in all industries and businesses according to government reporting agencies.
The persistence of wage disparities by race in the United States is a central concern in legal, economic, and social discourse. While federal civil rights laws and state statutes have sought to eradicate pay discrimination for over half a century, comprehensive review of official government statistics reveals that Black and African American individual (see New Jersey Ethnic Discrimination Lawyer) continue to be paid less across nearly all occupational categories, including at the highest levels of corporate leadership, in professional and technical spheres, and upper management.
DON’T SIT ON YOUR RIGHTS. Call today for a free consultation. If you think your employer has begun discriminating against you, you should contact this office immediately for a free consultation. I have represented public and private employees who were discriminated against and was successful in recovering financial compensation for their emotional pain and suffering and moneys for past lost wages and projected future lost wages. I accept cases from all over the state and have locations in northern, central and southern NJ to meet with clients. Call today for a free consultation.
The Top Earners’ Income Is Particularly Starkly at the Very Top of Occupational Hierarchies for Black CEOs and Upper Management
Of the Top Earners in the US, Those Who Are African American Earners Are Only Compensated at 58% of the Amount That Top White Earners Are Compensated:
The persistence and breadth of these disparities have been confirmed by both the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest income report for 2024 and the annual demographic and earnings reports by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Top 1% White, Non-Hispanic individual earners have a median annual income of $489,209.
Top 1% African American, individual earners have a median annual income of $283,953.
Top 1% Asian, individual earners have a median annual income of $530,105.
See Unequal Pay and Wage Claims - Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Act.
Persistent Wealth Gaps and Reduced Opportunities for Career Advancement
The implications of this pay disparity are profound, from persistent wealth gaps to reduced opportunities for career advancement. Even among upper level management, this presents an unmistakable pattern: Black or African American workers earn less in median weekly pay than their White and Asian counterparts, regardless of gender. See NJ Employment Attorney, Black Female Employees and Discrimination at Work. The earnings gap persists across age groups, levels of educational attainment, and particularly starkly at the very top of occupational hierarchies. New Jersey Race Discrimination Lawyer.
REPRESENTATION IN MANAGEMENT, BUSINESS, AND EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
Despite accounting for 12-13% of the national workforce, Black individuals constitute a single-digit percentage of the highest paid executive and management roles. Where they are present, they are typically compensated at lower average rates than their non-Black peers. See NJ Employment Discrimination Attorney, I’m an African American Manager Passed over in Promotions.
Chief Executives and General and Operations Managers
Data from the BLS 2024 Annual Averages by Detailed Occupation and Race reveal that Chief Executives are:
86% White,
6.1% African American,
6.4% Asian,
6.1% Hispanic/Latino
But note: If you are transferred without your consent, it is not necessary to have it be accompanied with reduced pay or a lower title, to have an actionable discrimination claim in certain instances. Forced transfers and job reassignments can be illegal employment discrimination in certain instances according to the United States Supreme Court in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, 601 U.S. 346 (2024). This recent Supreme Court decision increasingly permits claims for even modest but “identifiable” workplace disadvantages, lowering the threshold for legal challenges to discrimination or arbitrary transfers. Although the Muldrow case was based on the protected class of “sex” under Title VII, the legal analysis holds true for other protected classes such as “race”. To read more on this case, see NJ Employment Attorney, Can Forced Transfer or Changing One’s Duties Be Discrimination? US Supreme Court on Forced Transfers and Title VII.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
I have represented public and private employees who were illegally discriminated against and was successful in recovering financial compensation for their emotional pain and suffering and moneys for lost wages, both for past lost wages and projected future lost wages. If you think your employer is illegally discriminating against you, you should contact this office immediately for a free consultation. I accept discrimination and whistleblower cases from all over New Jersey and have locations in Southern, Central and Northern NJ to meet with clients.
If You Quit Your Job, You May Lose Right to Prevail in a Lawsuit
In many instances of discrimination, if you quit your job, you may lose right to prevail in a lawsuit unless you first take certain legally required measures to preserve your job while you are still employed. If you are thinking of handing in a resignation letter, or think you will be fired (or have already been terminated), you should contact this office immediately for a free consultation to discuss your options.
Hope A. Lang, Attorney at Law represents workers throughout the entire state, including Hackensack, Jersey City, Newark, Irvington, Orange, East Orange, Trenton, Paterson, Montclair, Elizabeth, North Brunswick, Cherry Hill, Vineland, Union, Plainfield, Hamilton Township, Lakewood, Edison, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Franklin, Lakewood, and every NJ County, including Bergen, Hudson, Middlesex, Essex, Monmouth, Somerset, Ocean, Union, Camden, Passaic, Morris, Gloucester, Atlantic, Burlington, Camden Counties.