Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Annual Report 2020
At Code for America, we work hard each day to create lasting change and to build equitable, people-centered government systems that work well for everyone. Equity is not just a core value, but also at the center of our work. We don’t just talk about the promise of an America built on equity, respect, dignity, and freedom—we create and measure it.
To that end, in addition to our work changing government systems, we have also prioritized an overall vision for what it means to be a truly equitable, diverse, and inclusive organization—where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and feel a sense of shared belonging. Transformative change requires a comprehensive and sustained commitment in all aspects of the organization—from people power, to operations, to leadership, to messaging, to shaping the future.
Building a diverse workforce, ensuring equitable practices, and enabling an inclusive culture has no end point; it is the constant work of running an organization that strives to reach its full potential. And as you’ll read below, we continue to make progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work and look forward to improving in the future, especially in how we serve and represent people with multiple intersecting identities that have been marginalized. We also need to improve beyond representation by creating more equitable systems within the organization—and prioritizing respect, dignity, inclusion, and belonging in the employee experience.
Over 50% of our team identifies as people of color, up from 40% two years ago.
Race and Ethnicity by Department
At the end of 2020, 68% of Directors and above identified as people of color, up from 16.6% in 2018— including 80% of our executive (C-Level) leadership.
Race and Ethnicity by Seniority
Note: The entry-level percentages in the above chart represent relatively small numbers. In 2020, there were 8 entry-level employees.
Code for America continues to be a women-led organization, and women are a majority at all levels of the organization and on the board.
Gender by Seniority
Note: The entry-level percentages in the above chart represent relatively small numbers. In 2020, there were 8 entry-level employees.
While women and people of color are often alarmingly underrepresented in technical organizations, 48% of our Engineering and Data Science team members identify as women or non-binary—and 40% as people of color.
Gender by Department
The area in which we have the most room to grow is in our Latinx representation, which is 11% among all staff, compared to 22% of the population in the Bay Area or 18% nationally.
To see more breakdowns of gender, race, and sexuality throughout Code for America, please visit our blog.
The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Report
Code for America publishes an annual report that we use as a benchmark for our work on diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are committed to not only building a diverse workforce, but also ensuring transparency around our efforts to do so. The report outlines our investments in DEI work, key learnings, and next steps for the year ahead.