Nashville, Tenn. (TN Tribune)–New research, undertaken by Lensa, analysed the rates for unfair dismissal in different states as well as national figures, to find out how prevalent unfair dismissals are in different states, which causes for unfair dismissal are the most common, and which industries have the highest and lowest number of dismissals.
Tennessee ranks #6 among the worst states for unfair dismissal.
The full research can be found here: https://lensa.com/insights/discriminating-states-and-industries/
States with the most unfair dismissals
| Rank | State | Population | Charges of Unfair Dismissal | Charges per 100,000 |
| 1 | Delaware | 689,545 | 211 | 60.04 |
| 2 | Mississippi | 2,961,279 | 1,125 | 37.99 |
| 3 | Georgia | 10,711,908 | 4,025 | 37.58 |
| 4 | Arkansas | 3,011,524 | 1,093 | 36.29 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 13,002,700 | 4,599 | 35.37 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 6,910,840 | 2,359 | 34.13 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 10,439,388 | 3,439 | 32.94 |
| 8 | Alabama | 5,024,279 | 1,539 | 30.63 |
| 9 | Illinois | 12,812,508 | 3,682 | 28.74 |
| 10 | Florida | 21,538,187 | 5,868 | 27.24 |
The state with the most unfair dismissal charges is Washington, D.C., where there were 60.04 cases per 100,000 people. This makes it by far the worst state for unfair dismissal claims.
In second place is Mississippi, which recorded 37.99 unfair dismissal charges per 100,000 people.
Georgia takes third place with 37.58 unfair dismissal charges per 100,000, making it just a fraction better than Mississippi.
States with the lowest rate of unfair dismissal
| Rank | State | Population | Charges of Unfair Dismissal | Charges per 100,000 |
| 1 | Maine | 1,362,359 | 26 | 1.91 |
| 2 | Idaho | 1,839,106 | 57 | 3.10 |
| 3 | Montana | 1,084,225 | 37 | 3.41 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | 1,377,529 | 49 | 3.56 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | 1,097,379 | 46 | 4.19 |
Maine is the state with the lowest rate of unfair dismissals in the country, with only 1.91 per 100,000 people. This makes Maine the best place in the country for treating its employees fairly, making it an attractive location to look for work.
Idaho is the second best state in terms of unfair dismissal rates, with a rate of 3.10 charges per 100,000 people.
Montana is the third best state in the country for fair employers, with 3.41 unfair dismissal cases per 100,000 people. Interestingly this means that all of the top three best states are in the very north of the country.
Further findings:
- Claims of unfair dismissal based on national origin, race, age and religion were among those seeing the sharpest decline. However, several categories have seen an increase in the number of charges of unfair dismissal: GINA discrimination (a rise of 71.21%), and discrimination based on color (25.73%).
- Retaliation is by far the most common cause of unfair dismissal, cited as a reason in 37,632 cases in 2020.
- Disability is the second most common cause of unfair dismissal claims, with a total of 24,324 separate charges.