Frequently Asked Questions

How Does the U.S. Government Define "Minority" Populations?

Reporting and presentation of data on the race and ethnicity of U.S. populations are governed by rules of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). On October 30, 1997, the OMB revised these rules, called "Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity".

It was the first revision to the government standards in more than 20 years, and it was done in response to criticism from those who believe that the categories previously used by the government did not reflect the increasing diversity of our Nation's population.

The revisions were based on a four-year review of the old standards, which included study by a committee drawn from agencies throughout the government, research and testing designed to evaluate the impact of changes, and an extensive set of public hearings and public comments.

The new standards were used by the Bureau of the Census in the 2000 decennial census. The rules require other Federal programs to adopt the standards as soon as possible, but not later than January 1, 2003, for use in household surveys, administrative forms and records, and other data collections.

What Are the Categories?

The revised standards have five minimum categories for data on race: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and White. They have two categories for data on ethnicity: "Hispanic or Latino" and "Not Hispanic or Latino."

How Are The Standards Used?

The standards will be used in federally sponsored statistical data collections that include data on race and/or ethnicity, except when the collection involves a sample of such size that the data on the smaller categories would be unreliable, or when the collection effort focuses on a specific racial or ethnic group.

They will be used for Federal administrative reporting or record keeping requirements that include data on race and ethnicity.

They will be used by Federal agencies for civil rights and other compliance reporting from the public and private sectors and all levels of government.

They will also be used in presenting statistical, administrative, and compliance data on race and ethnicity.

More detail on the rules and subsequent guidance on how the rules will be applied can be found through other links on this website.

Why Do I See Other Terms Used?

You may see other terms used on federal websites and in Federal documents depending on when they were written or how a particular law or program was designed. For example, the law that authorizes appropriations for the Office of Minority Health includes the following definition of the term "racial and ethnic minority groups" – "American Indians (including Alaska Natives, Eskimos, and Aleuts); Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; Blacks; and Hispanics." (Health Professions Education Partnerships Act of 1998, 42 U.S.C. 300u-6). Despite this variation in language, the Office of Minority Health still follows the rules and uses the categories set out by OMB for data collection, analysis, and reporting.

OMB Bulletins:

[October 30, 1997] Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity

[March 9, 2000] Guidance on Aggregation and Allocation of Data on Race for Use in Civil Rights Monitoring and Enforcement

[Jan. 16, 2001]Provisional Guidance for the Implementation of the 1997 Standards for Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity