Cite as: 507 U. S. 604 (1993)
Opinion of the Court
plaintiff has accumulated entitles him to no better or worse treatment in an age discrimination suit"), cert. denied, 455 U. S. 943 (1982); EEOC v. Clay Printing Co., 955 F. 2d 936, 942 (CA4 1992) (emphasizing distinction between employee's age and years of service). We now clarify that there is no disparate treatment under the ADEA when the factor motivating the employer is some feature other than the employee's age.
We long have distinguished between "disparate treatment" and "disparate impact" theories of employment discrimination.
" 'Disparate treatment' . . . is the most easily understood type of discrimination. The employer simply treats some people less favorably than others because of their race, color, religion [or other protected characteristics.] Proof of discriminatory motive is critical, although it can in some situations be inferred from the mere fact of differences in treatment. . . .
"[C]laims that stress 'disparate impact' [by contrast] involve employment practices that are facially neutral in their treatment of different groups but that in fact fall more harshly on one group than another and cannot be justified by business necessity. Proof of discriminatory motive . . . is not required under a disparate-impact theory." Teamsters v. United States, 431 U. S. 324, 335- 336, n. 15 (1977) (citation omitted) (construing Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964).
The disparate treatment theory is of course available under the ADEA, as the language of that statute makes clear. "It shall be unlawful for an employer . . . to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual's age." 29 U. S. C. § 623(a)(1) (emphasis added). See Thurston, supra, at 120-125 (affirming ADEA
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