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Race or Ethnic Groups

For Census 2000 the question on race was revised to allow respondents to report one or more races to indicate their racial identities.

Race Categories
The Census 2000 data on race were taken from answers to the question on race that was asked of all people. The race data yield seven basic categories:

  1. White alone
  2. Black or African American alone
  3. American Indian and Alaska Native alone
  4. Asian alone
  5. Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone
  6. Some Other Race alone
  7. Two or more races
The two or more races category includes all respondents who reported two or more races, such as "White and Asian" and "White and Asian and Black or African American".

Tabulations for Individual Race Categories
Since respondents were able to select one or more races, some tabulation approaches for Census 2000 provide tallies for each of the races. These are tallies of responses rather than respondents. They are called the alone or in combination totals. For example, people who reported "White and Asian" were counted both in the "White alone or in combination" population and also in the "Asian alone or in combination" population. Consequently, the sum of the alone or in combination groups will be greater than the total population.

Nearly 98% of all respondents reported only one race.

Ethnic Groups
For Census 2000 there are two minimum categories for ethnicity: Hispanic or Latino and Not Hispanic or Latino. The federal government considers race and Hispanic origin to be two separate and distinct concepts. Hispanics and Latinos may be of any race.

The responses in the 1990 census showed that the placement of the question on Hispanic origin may have contributed to some confusion about the federal government's distinction between race and ethnicity. In 1990 the question on race appeared before the question on Hispanic origin, with two intervening questions, and about 40% of the respondents who selected "Other Race" wrote in a Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. To highlight the distinction between race and Hispanic origin for Census 2000, the question on race was placed after the question on Hispanic origin. Also, there was a note to respondents instructing them to answer both questions.

Comparability of Census 2000 and 1990 Data
The Census 2000 data on race are not directly comparable to data from the 1990 census for a number of reasons. In Census 2000:

  • respondents had the option of reporting one or more races, while in 1990 they did not.
  • the three separate response categories, American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut, were combined into a single American Indian or Alaska Native response category.
  • the single Asian or Pacific Islander category was split into two categories: the Asian category and the Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander category.
  • terminology and formatting changes were made to the question for "Asian or Pacific Islander (API)" groups.
When attempting to compare 1990 and 2000 census data for a particular race, the race alone and the race alone or in combination totals provide the upper and lower limits for the change in the population of that race. When making 1990 to 2000 comparisons either the alone or the alone or in combination totals can be used. The Census Bureau provides both these tabulations options
so that users may decide which best satisfies their needs.

The Census Bureau is conducting research to develop a data file that users may use to implement bridging methods for data systems that continue to use the one race reporting methodology
and Census 2000 data on race. The results from the Census Quality Survey is scheduled to be released summer or fall 2002.

How Data on Race and Hispanic Origin are Used
Many federal programs are put into effect based on the race data obtained from the decennial census (i.e., promoting equal employment opportunities; assessing racial disparities in health and environmental risks). Race data are also critical for the basic research behind many policy decisions. States require these data to meet legislative redistricting requirements. The data are needed to monitor compliance with the Voting Rights Act by local jurisdictions.

Data on ethnic groups are important for putting into effect a number of federal statutes (i.e., enforcing bilingual election rules under the Voting Rights Act; monitoring and enforcing equal employment opportunities under the Civil Rights Act). Data on Ethnic Groups are also needed by local governments to run programs and meet legislative requirements (i.e., identifying segments of the population who may not be receiving medical services under the Public Health Act; evaluating whether financial institutions are meeting the credit needs of minority populations under the Community Reinvestment Act).

Race and Ethnic Standards for Federal Statistics and Administrative Reporting
The Race and Ethnic standards were developed by the Office of Management and Budget in cooperation with Federal agencies to provide consistent data on race and ethnicity throughout the Federal Government. The development of the data standards stem in large measure from new responsibilities to enforce civil rights laws.

The categories are designed for collecting data on the race and ethnicity of broad population groups in this country. They are based on social and political considerations -- not anthropological or scientific ones. Furthermore, the race categories include both racial and national-origin groups.