92% of employers use some form of background check during the hiring process, according to a recent SHRM study. While you probably already know screening is standard practice for most employers, you may have more specific questions about how your process stacks up, like, “What are other employers screening for?”, or “How does my screening process compare?”
We thought you might, and those are exactly the kinds of questions that we cover below, and more in depth in our latest Industry Trends Report. Verified Credentials analyzed data from over 1,000 employers from 2022 to 2025 to learn how employer background screening is changing.
Some things rarely change. Year over year, as we collect data and analyze background check order trends, we have seen county record criminal searches continue to top the charts. Reviewing all order data throughout 2025 showed that 89% of employers across all categories ordered county criminal searches. While the popularity of criminal county searches is unlikely to wane any time soon, the way employers are leveraging criminal searches overall is changing.
County criminal records provide many employers with a great starting point that contains the most up-to-date and comprehensive criminal record information in a given area. Some roles and regulations require a criminal history check, and because county criminal records contain the most accurate and up to data local information, they can serve as a relevant choice to meet this requirement. However, as the name suggests, a county criminal search only finds criminal history within the county, so any relevant criminal information outside of this area won’t be found. Many employers have been layering additional sources on top of county criminal searches to cover more ground, especially National Criminal Plus database searches.
Our 2022-2025 data showed:
The chart above shows that as the percentage of employers that order National Criminal Plus searches has steadily risen each year since 2022, there is a fluctuating, but overall gradual upward trend in the percentage of employers that use county and statewide criminal history searches too.
It’s not just domestic criminal searches that are changing; we are seeing shifts in international screening as well. The number of total orders for all international searches in 2024 and 2025 is higher than in previous years, but it is driven primarily by international criminal history searches. While criminal history searches have long been the most common in International Screening, we noticed a clear heightened shift in focus in 2024 and 2025. The total orders for Canadian and other international criminal history searches exploded in 2024, with order volume staying elevated far above prior years throughout 2025.
Canadian Criminal History Searches (shown in the chart above) experienced some of the most dramatic changes in order volume compared to previous years. Overall, criminal history made up the grand majority of international searches at 70.69% in 2025.
Academic and employment history searches made up 15.06% and 14.25% of international orders, respectively. More often, these checks are used as a second step after criminal history screening in international searches.
National Sex Offender Public Registry (NSOPR) searches have surged over the past few years, with total orders rising by 11.9% since 2018. While healthcare leads the way in using NSOPR searches, we’re also seeing significant growth in education, HR, financial, manufacturing, and Government sectors as we move from 2024 to 2025. The financial industry had the most significant spike in orders since 2024, at 241%.
Total number of NSOPR and National Criminal Searches from 2023 to 2025
As shown in the chart above, National Sex Offender Public Registry and National Criminal Plus searches have followed a similar pattern for total order volume from 2023 to 2025. As we discussed in criminal screening trends and source layering, we are seeing a continued rise in the percentage of employers layering searches each year. In fact, we found that nearly 6 out of 10 employers that used a National Criminal Plus database search also used a National Sex Offender Public Registry search.
It seems that the overall mindset of how employers view the role that background checks play in employment is continuously shifting from a to-do list of legal obligations to a tool that can help employers maintain a safe and productive workplace.
While county criminal record searches remain at the top of our list of background checks that employers order, we saw even higher order volume in 2024 and 2025, and the way employers are layering them with other searches is changing, too. Looking back at orders throughout 2025, we see a continued trend of layering additional criminal search sources on top of county criminal records, such as a National Criminal Plus search to cast a wide net paired with an NSOPR search.
In addition to criminal screening, we saw an increase in total orders for employment verifications and the way employers are stacking searches and verifications in 2025. As a larger picture, this indicates a greater interest in casting a wider net and leveraging screening and verification as tools that can help increase productivity, enhance workplace safety meaningfully, protect company reputation, and go beyond meeting minimal legal screening requirements.
The information we just covered is an overview of stats and comparisons that we cover in depth in our 2025 Background Screening Trends Report. Interested in more information on how other employers are leveraging academic history, professional verifications, the most common orders by industry, and other screening data insights? Get the full report here.
The content above is for informational purposes only. Please consult with your legal counsel to determine your organization's background screening compliance requirements.