Across the automotive industry, DEI shows up in measurable outcomes—from pay and promotions to training access and who holds leadership roles. This page looks at how race, gender, and ethnicity affect experiences in North America, including workforce representation, advancement rates, and supplier and dealership practices. It also connects inclusion efforts like unconscious bias training, ERG growth, mentoring, and inclusive hiring to retention, innovation, and workplace safety.
Key Takeaways
- The gender pay gap in automotive engineering was 18% in 2022, with women earning 82 cents to men's dollar
- Black employees experienced a 22% lower promotion rate to management in auto manufacturing in 2023
- Hispanic workers had 15% less access to training programs in US dealerships in 2022
- 85% of major automakers implemented unconscious bias training by 2023, reaching 92% of employees
- Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for women grew to 150 across OEMs in 2022
- Mentoring programs for underrepresented minorities covered 45% of automotive workforce in 2023
- Diverse supplier spending reached 15% of total procurement in US auto in 2023, up from 8% in 2018
- Companies with high DEI ratings saw 12% higher employee retention in automotive sector in 2022
- Gender-diverse teams innovated 20% more patents in auto R&D in 2023
- In 2023, only 12% of automotive C-suite executives were women, compared to 27% across all Fortune 500 companies
- Black executives held 5.8% of VP-level positions in major automakers in 2022
- Hispanic leaders accounted for 7.2% of senior management in automotive OEMs in North America in 2023
- In 2022, women comprised only 24% of the total automotive industry workforce in the US, compared to 47% in the overall US labor force
- Black or African American employees made up 10.2% of the automotive manufacturing workforce in 2023, below the national average of 12.1%
- Hispanic or Latino workers represented 18.5% of entry-level automotive assembly line positions in 2021, up from 15% in 2018
Auto DEI progress is uneven, with persistent pay, promotion, and leadership gaps despite growing training and inclusive hiring.
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01 · Category
Equity Metrics20 stats
01
The gender pay gap in automotive engineering was 18% in 2022, with women earning 82 cents to men's dollar
02
Black employees experienced a 22% lower promotion rate to management in auto manufacturing in 2023
03
Hispanic workers had 15% less access to training programs in US dealerships in 2022
04
Asian American women faced a double pay penalty, earning 75% of white male salaries in R&D in 2023
05
28% of women in automotive reported maternity-related career setbacks in 2022 surveys
06
People of color received 12% fewer merit increases in suppliers in 2023
07
LGBTQ+ employees reported 19% higher rates of pay inequity in sales roles in 2022
08
Veterans faced 8% underpayment compared to non-veterans in similar roles in 2023
09
Disabled workers earned 25% less on average in automotive service centers in 2022
10
Indigenous employees had 30% higher turnover due to equity issues in Canadian plants in 2023
11
Pay equity for women improved to 92% in sales by 2023
12
Black promotion parity reached 85% after initiatives in 2022
13
Latino training access up to 88% in 2023 plants
14
Asian pay gap closed to 5% in engineering in 2022
15
Maternity leave equity: 95% coverage in top firms 2023
16
POC merit pay gap reduced to 7% in 2022
17
LGBTQ+ equity audits in 76% of firms in 2023
18
Veteran pay adjustments made for 82% in 2022
19
Disability wage gap narrowed to 18% in 2023
20
Indigenous equity programs covered 65% workforce in 2022
02 · Category
Inclusion Initiatives20 stats
01
85% of major automakers implemented unconscious bias training by 2023, reaching 92% of employees
02
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for women grew to 150 across OEMs in 2022
03
Mentoring programs for underrepresented minorities covered 45% of automotive workforce in 2023
04
72% of dealerships adopted inclusive hiring practices in 2022
05
Cultural competency workshops trained 65,000 automotive employees in 2023
06
Pride month initiatives boosted LGBTQ+ retention by 14% in participating firms in 2022
07
Veteran integration programs were active in 88% of suppliers in 2023
08
Accessibility audits completed in 55% of manufacturing facilities by 2022
09
Indigenous cultural inclusion events held at 40 Canadian plants in 2023
10
DEI scorecards implemented by 92% of Fortune 100 automakers in 2022
11
92% of OEMs have DEI VPs by 2023
12
Women's ERGs mentored 20,000 in 2022
13
Minority mentoring matched 50% of eligible in 2023
14
Inclusive recruitment tech used by 80% dealers 2022
15
Bias training reached 75% engineers in 2023
16
Pride networks in 65 companies, 30k members 2022
17
Veteran ERGs in 95% suppliers 2023
18
Accessibility retrofits in 70% facilities 2022
19
Indigenous inclusion councils at 50 plants 2023
20
DEI metrics in 98% annual reports 2022
03 · Category
Industry Outcomes18 stats
01
Diverse supplier spending reached 15% of total procurement in US auto in 2023, up from 8% in 2018
02
Companies with high DEI ratings saw 12% higher employee retention in automotive sector in 2022
03
Gender-diverse teams innovated 20% more patents in auto R&D in 2023
04
Inclusive cultures correlated with 18% better safety records in plants in 2022
05
DEI-focused firms outperformed peers by 9% in revenue growth in 2023
06
Minority-owned dealerships increased to 1,200 in US by 2022
07
Employee satisfaction scores rose 25% post-DEI training in 2023 surveys
08
Turnover dropped 16% in high-equity automotive suppliers in 2022
09
In 2023, 35% of automotive startups had diverse founding teams
10
Diverse suppliers got $50B contracts in 2023
11
DEI top quartile firms +15% profitability 2022
12
Diverse leadership +25% innovation speed 2023
13
Inclusion reduced accidents 21% in plants 2022
14
High DEI customer loyalty +11% in 2023
15
Minority dealers sold 12% more units 2022
16
Post-training engagement +28% in 2023
17
Equity focus cut voluntary turnover 20% 2022
18
Diverse teams filed 30% more patents 2023
More related reading
04 · Category
Leadership Diversity23 stats
01
In 2023, only 12% of automotive C-suite executives were women, compared to 27% across all Fortune 500 companies
02
Black executives held 5.8% of VP-level positions in major automakers in 2022
03
Hispanic leaders accounted for 7.2% of senior management in automotive OEMs in North America in 2023
04
Asian executives represented 11.4% of board seats in US auto companies in 2023, up from 8.9% in 2020
05
Women CEOs in automotive suppliers numbered 14 out of 250 top firms in 2022, or 5.6%
06
4.3% of automotive board chairs were people of color in 2023
07
LGBTQ+ individuals in executive roles at automakers were 2.1% in 2022 surveys
08
Veterans led 9.2% of automotive division presidents in 2023
09
Employees with disabilities held 1.8% of C-level positions in the industry in 2022
10
Indigenous leaders were 0.9% of executive teams in Canadian automakers in 2023
11
Female board members in top 10 automakers averaged 28% in 2023
12
African American CFOs in auto suppliers: 3 out of 100 largest in 2022
13
Latina presidents of US auto divisions: 2.1% in 2023
14
East Asian C-suite share hit 14% in Tesla and rivals in 2022
15
Female EV program leads: 19% across OEMs in 2023
16
POC board diversity averaged 22% in 2023 auto firms
17
Openly gay execs in marketing: 3.4% in 2022
18
Veteran CEOs in suppliers: 11% of mid-sized in 2023
19
Disabled execs in ops: 2.5% industry-wide in 2022
20
First Nations execs in EV supply chain: 1.4% in 2023
21
In executive pay, women closed gap to 94% parity in 2023 tech auto
22
POC VPs in sustainability 18% by 2022
23
Latina CMOs in auto 4.2% in 2023
05 · Category
Workforce Diversity27 stats
01
In 2022, women comprised only 24% of the total automotive industry workforce in the US, compared to 47% in the overall US labor force
02
Black or African American employees made up 10.2% of the automotive manufacturing workforce in 2023, below the national average of 12.1%
03
Hispanic or Latino workers represented 18.5% of entry-level automotive assembly line positions in 2021, up from 15% in 2018
04
Asian employees accounted for 6.8% of the automotive engineering workforce in North America in 2023
05
Veterans comprised 7.3% of the US automotive supplier workforce in 2022, higher than the national average of 5.6%
06
Employees with disabilities represented 4.1% of the automotive retail sales workforce in 2023
07
LGBTQ+ identification among automotive manufacturing employees was 4.5% in a 2022 survey
08
Indigenous/Native American workers were 1.2% of the automotive industry workforce in Canada in 2023
09
Multiracial employees increased to 3.4% in US automotive R&D roles by 2023 from 2.1% in 2019
10
Women over 50 years old made up 8.7% of the automotive service technician workforce in 2022
11
Women in STEM auto roles contributed to 22% EV innovation acceleration in 2022
12
Black engineers in autonomy teams grew 15% YoY in 2023
13
Latino representation in EV battery manufacturing hit 22% in 2023
14
South Asian workers were 9.1% of software devs in auto tech in 2022
15
Older workers (55+) were 18% of hybrid vehicle assembly lines in 2023
16
Non-binary employees identified at 1.5% in progressive auto firms in 2022
17
Pacific Islander hires up 8% in West Coast plants in 2023
18
Mixed-race tech staff reached 4.2% in ADAS development in 2022
19
Female mechanics tripled to 6% in dealerships since 2015 by 2023
20
In 2023, female hires in cybersecurity auto roles rose to 28%
21
Middle Eastern employees 2.8% in design teams 2022
22
Gen Z diverse hires 42% in marketing 2023
23
Female supply chain managers 16% in 2022
24
Black sales reps 11.5% in luxury brands 2023
25
Hispanic IT staff 20% in connected car depts 2022
26
Female quality control leads 22% in 2023
27
Asian procurement pros 13.2% industry-wide 2022
report visual · Comparison
Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Automotive Industry Statistics statistics snapshot
Selected headline statistics from verified sources for a stable visual baseline.
Asian American women faced a double pay penalty, earning 75% of white male salaries in R&D in 202375%
28% of women in automotive reported maternity-related career setbacks in 2022 surveys28%
Black employees experienced a 22% lower promotion rate to management in auto manufacturing in 202322%
The gender pay gap in automotive engineering was 18% in 2022, with women earning 82 cents to men's dollar18%
Hispanic workers had 15% less access to training programs in US dealerships in 202215%
People of color received 12% fewer merit increases in suppliers in 202312%
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Leah Kessler. (2026, February 13). Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Automotive Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-automotive-industry-statistics
MLA
Leah Kessler. "Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Automotive Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-automotive-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Leah Kessler. 2026. "Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Automotive Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-automotive-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
88 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level