A new OysterLink analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data shows that Black or African American professionals remain significantly underrepresented in management, business, and financial operations roles within the U.S. leisure and hospitality sector.
The analysis shows Black professionals hold just 9.5 percent of hospitality leadership roles in 2024, down from 11.3 percent in 2022. Leadership roles in leisure and hospitality grew 16 percent since 2020, but Black representation has stagnated or declined. White employees continue to dominate leadership at ~78 percent, while Asian representation is 8 percent, highlighting persistent inequity.
Last year, the industry employed 14.1 million workers, of whom 2.34 million held leadership positions. Yet only 222,000 (9.5 percent) of these roles were held by Black or African American professionals. While overall leadership roles have grown by 16 percent since 2020, Black representation has declined from a peak of 11.3 percent in 2022, highlighting a persistent gap at the top.
| Year | Leadership Roles in Hospitality | Black or African American | White | Asian |
| 2020 | 2.01 million | 190,000 (9.5 %) | 1.60 million (79.4%) | 151,000 (7.5 %) |
| 2021 | 2.09 million | 205,000 (9.8 %) | 1.63 million (77.8%) | 175,000 (8.4 %) |
| 2022 | 2.22 million | 251,000 (11.3 %) | 1.67 million (75%) | 204,000 (9.2 %) |
| 2023 | 2.37 million | 244,000 (10.3 %) | 1.82 million (76.8%) | 221,000 (9.3 % |
| 2024 | 2.34 million | 222,000 (9.5 %) | 1.83 million (78%) | 188,000 (8 %) |
These findings align with the 2025 Representation in Hotel Leadership report from the Penn State School of Hospitality Management, which analyzed more than 10,000 leaders across 1,439 companies. The study found that Black leaders hold only 2.1% of director-to-CEO positions in hotels, with representation dropping sharply as seniority increases—one Black C-suite leader for every 68 executives and one Black CEO or president for every 102 executives.
“The hospitality industry is one of the most diverse workforces in the United States, but that diversity isn’t reflected in its leadership,” Milos Eric, co-founder and general manager of OysterLink, said in a statement. “Black representation in management has barely moved in five years. If we don’t create clear pathways to leadership now, the industry risks losing talented professionals and perpetuating inequity at the top.”
These figures highlight the ongoing challenge in translating workforce diversity into leadership representation. The slow progress in increasing Black leadership raises questions about access to advancement and the potential impact on the sector’s ability to fully leverage its talent.
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