10 worst states for age discrimination on the job

Age discrimination on the job happens all over America, but a new analysis of federal data suggests that the state in which you are employed might make it more likely you’ll encounter ageism at work.

Seniorly, a company that provides an online directory of senior living communities, looked at 2020-2024 data from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to find out how many age discrimination complaints the federal agency received on a state-by-state basis (including the District of Columbia). To be fair to states that have more residents — meaning more opportunities for age discrimination complaints — Seniorly converted those complaints to a “per 100,000 eligible workers” basis.

With 437 complaints per 100,000 eligible workers, the District of Columbia reported more alleged age discrimination than any other place in the nation — a whopping 40 times more than Maine, which tallied just 10 age discrimination complaints per 100,000 residents.

“It is not surprising to me, having been a member of the workforce, that older adults are facing discrimination or lack of access to certain opportunities,” says Christine Healy, chief growth officer at Seniorly and one of the authors of the report. “What did surprise me was the range between the low and the high end.”

In fact, New England states logged among the fewest age discrimination complaints. New Hampshire (18 complaints per 100,000 eligible workers), Vermont (20 complaints), Massachusetts (32 complaints) and Connecticut (33 complaints) were among the states with the fewest charges of discrimination.

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