More than half of Fortune 500 companies dropped out of a critical LGBTQ+ survey

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

More than half of Fortune 500 companies dropped out of a critical LGBTQ+ survey this year

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/02/more-than-half-of-fortune-500-companies-dropped-out-of-a-critical-lgbtq-survey-this-year/ 🔗

Greg Owen (11 Feb 2026)

The Human Rights Campaign just released its annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI), assessing corporate diversity, equality, and inclusion initiatives among the biggest U.S. companies in 2025.

The report recorded a significant drop in the number of companies willing to report their work on non-discrimination policies, equitable benefits, an inclusive workplace culture, and corporate social responsibility – the four pillars of the CEI – as the current administration publicly disparaged DEI programs and rooted out initiatives across the federal government.

The CEI saw a dramatic 65% drop in participation this year, falling from 377 Fortune 500 companies in 2025 to just 131 such companies in 2026. Many of the companies that dropped out hold federal contracts, HRC noted.

But a year‑over‑year analysis of 2025 and 2026 submissions shows that implementation of policies and practices measured by the CEI was sustained or increased, with no declines across any criterion, the group reported.

Several of the biggest Fortune 500 companies – Tractor Supply, Ford, Lowe's, and Walmart among them – made a public show during the 2024 presidential campaign and in the early months of the president's second term of walking back DEI efforts, including not participating in HRC's annual report. Not reporting on those efforts, however, doesn't mean they're not happening.

1,450 companies overall participated in the 2026 survey. Of those, 534 earned a score of 100, representing nearly 6 million U.S. employees enjoying the benefits of the most equitable workplace culture, according to HRC.