State & County Processing Time Delays

OVERVIEW/INTRODUCTION

Drastic unemployment rates in April 20201 kickstarted a tailspin for the economy, with the recent surge in November 2020 causing some states to shut their economies back down2.

With the stalled economy and the start-stop nature of hiring, we set out on a mission to uncover possible pitfalls in the recruiting and onboarding process our clients may be experiencing.

Our objective — to determine if criminal record background checks are experiencing processing time delays.

ABOUT SCOUTLOGIC

We are a background check screening company with an emphasis on making recruiters’ lives easier.

Our aim is to always put time back in the hands of recruiters who should do what they do best — find the best talent possible. We assign ‘Scouts’ to every account to guarantee that we become an extension of our clients’ team and provide proactive services.

APPROACH

ScoutLogic screens thousands of background checks everyday. We gathered our own company data for criminal records checks’ processing time across the United States of America from 16th of November to 16th of December in order to generate these findings.

FINDINGS

This case study analyzed criminal records delay data. It considers criminal record processing times from November 16 – December 16 2020.

A criminal background check searches national databases, state and federal criminal records, county criminal courts, domestic and global watchlists, and sex offender registries.

HIGHEST REPORTING DELAYS BY COUNTY PER STATE

We collected criminal record check processing data in all 50 states. This data reported the lowest to highest county specific data in each state.

The following map shows the highest reporting county in each state for processing criminal record checks.

TOP 5 HIGHEST REPORTING COUNTIES IN HIGHEST STATES

MICHIGAN — CRAWFORD – 48.623 days, SAINT JOSEPH – 33.328 days, KALKASKA – 11.109 days, BARAGA – 10.945 days, HOUGHTON – 9.788 days

KENTUCKY — HOPKINS – 24.890 days, PERRY – 12.460 days, BREATHITT – 12.050 days, LESLIE – 9.445 days, CLAY – 9.048 days

WEST VIRGINIA — HAMPSHIRE – 22.50 days, BRAXTON – 9.389 days, MCDOWELL – 6.312 days, MERCER – 6.285 days, RANDOLPH – 5.276 days

GEORGIA — STEWART – 20.908 days, MCINTOSH – 13.688 days, TALIAFERRO – 13.294 days, WAYNE – 12.525 days, JENKINS – 12.425 days

NEVADA — LANDER – 15.630, WHITE PINE – 14.161, EUREKA – 13.693, MINERAL – 13.390, PERSHING – 13.097

MAINE — PISCATAQUIS – 14.711, WASHINGTON – 13.570, YORK – 13.114, FRANKLIN 12.796, LINCOLN – 11.975

TEXAS — COTTLE – 13.736, YOAKUM – 9.851, IRION – 9.528, CROSBY – 9.504, LEE – 9.276

CRIMINAL RECORD PROCESSING TIMES — AVERAGE EXTRA DAYS PER STATE

We collected data on all 50 states and their processing times for criminal record checks.

The following map demonstrates the number of extra days, on average, states are taking to process criminal background checks.

HIGHEST REPORTING STATES – ON AVERAGE

MAINE — 11.695 extra days
NEVADA – 5.653 extra days
MICHIGAN — 4.618 extra days
GEORGIA — 4.483 extra days
NEW HAMPSHIRE — 4.403 extra days

CONCLUSIONS

• Processing time for criminal record checks are delayed in many states throughout the US. While there is a delay in many states, there is minimal delay (on average) in most states.
• 14 states are experiencing an average of 3+ extra day delays in processing criminal background checks:

1. 1. AR – 4.164
   2. GA – 4.483
   3. KY – 3.338
   4. ME – 11.695
   5. MA – 4.397
   6. MI – 4.618
   7. MS – 3.851
   8. MT – 3.207
   9. NV – 5.653
   10. NH – 4.403
   11. ND – 3.74
   12. TN – 3.014
   13. DC – 3.982
   14. WV – 3.568

• County level data offers more specific depiction of the delays that are happening throughout the United States.
• 17 states have counties that are experiencing delays above 7 extra days. 

* Washington was misreported using their average hours instead of days. Post has been updated to reflect this change.

1 https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf
2 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/states-reopen-map-coronavirus.html