Business
Corporate DEI index sees 65% drop in participation from Fortune 500
People hold flags outside the US Supreme Court on December 4, 2024 in Washington, DC, during oral argument on whether states can ban certain gender transition medical treatments for young people.
Roberto Schmidt | AFP | Getty Images
New research from the LGBTQ+ group Human Rights Campaign showed a drastic drop in Fortune 500 companies willing to publicly disclose their diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
The HRC’s 2026 Corporate Equality Index saw a 65% drop in participation this year, falling from 377 Fortune 500 companies in 2025 to just 131 companies in 2026. HRC noted many of the companies that dropped out hold federal contracts.
“Our research shows the strength and the strain of this moment on LGBTQ+ workers, consumers and the companies that count on us,” HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement.
Of the 1,450 companies that participated, 534 earned a score of 100, representing nearly 6 million U.S. employees, according to HRC.
HRC’s index launched in 2002 and rates companies based on their social responsibility and equity in the workplace.
Over the past two years, the anti-DEI movement, championed by the White House, began to reframe the index, making it a conservative target.
The Corporate Equality Index has increasingly seen more companies exiting its orbit, beginning with Tractor Supply and including big names like Walmart, Ford and Lowe’s. Walmart, the largest U.S. retailer and grocer, said it had conversations with conservative activist Robby Starbuck, who has publicly advocated for a shift away from DEI, before the company pulled out.
It was a significant change from years prior, when companies like Ford and Walmart issued public statements supporting DEI and touting their achievements in their workplaces.
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