How has racial and ethnic diversity in newsrooms changed over time?
This data shows numbers and percentages of journalists of color in daily newspapers over multiple decades, capturing long-term trends in newsroom representation.
| Total Work Force | Professionals of Color In Work Force | % Professionals of Color In Work Force |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 43,000 | 1,700 | 3.95 |
| 1979 | 45,000 | 1,900 | 4.22 |
| 1980 | 47,000 | 2,300 | 4.89 |
| 1981 | 45,500 | 2,400 | 5.27 |
| 1982 | 49,000 | 2,700 | 5.51 |
| 1983 | 50,000 | 2,800 | 5.60 |
| 1984 | 50,400 | 2,900 | 5.75 |
| 1985 | 53,800 | 3,100 | 5.76 |
| 1986 | 54,000 | 3,400 | 6.30 |
| 1987 | 54,700 | 3,600 | 6.56 |
| 1988 | 55,300 | 3,900 | 7.02 |
| 1989 | 56,200 | 4,200 | 7.54 |
| 1990 | 56,900 | 4,500 | 7.86 |
| 1991 | 55,700 | 4,900 | 8.72 |
| 1992 | 54,500 | 5,100 | 9.39 |
| 1993 | 53,600 | 5,500 | 10.25 |
| 1994 | 53,700 | 5,600 | 10.49 |
| 1995 | 53,800 | 5,900 | 10.91 |
| 1996 | 55,000 | 6,100 | 11.02 |
| 1997 | 54,000 | 6,100 | 11.35 |
| 1998 | 54,700 | 6,300 | 11.46 |
| 1999 | 55,100 | 6,400 | 11.55 |
| 2000 | 56,200 | 6,700 | 11.85 |
| 2001 | 56,400 | 6,600 | 11.64 |
| 2002 | 54,400 | 6,600 | 12.07 |
| 2003 | 54,700 | 6,900 | 12.53 |
| 2004 | 54,200 | 7,000 | 12.95 |
| 2005 | 54,100 | 7,300 | 13.42 |
| 2006 | 53,600 | 7,400 | 13.73 |
| 2007 | 55,000 | 7,400 | 13.43 |
| 2008 | 52,600 | 7,100 | 13.52 |
| 2009 | 46,700 | 6,300 | 13.41 |
| 2010 | 41,500 | 5,500 | 13.26 |
| 2011 | 41,600 | 5,300 | 12.79 |
| 2012 | 40,600 | 5,000 | 12.32 |
| 2013 | 38,000 | 4,700 | 12.37 |
| 2014 | 36,700 | 4,900 | 13.34 |
| 2015 | 32,900 | 4,200 | 12.76 |
| *Numbers rounded to the nearest hundred. | |||
This data was captured before API’s ownership of the survey. Read more about data integrity.
