U.S. Census Bureau Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin Survey

12-03-01

The United States population has become increasingly diverse over the past ten years, thanks in large measure to a 58-percent increase in the Hispanic population for a current total of about 35.3 million people, the U.S. Census Bureau has announced.

The Bureau, which is in the process of releasing the results of its Census 2000 survey, found that non-Hispanic whites remain the largest single group in the United States, with approximately 195 million people -- or 69 percent of the 281.4 million people in the country. This group grew more slowly than others, however, and claims a smaller share of the total population than in 1990, when it accounted for 76 percent of the U.S. population.

In contrast, the Hispanic or Latino population grew from 22.4 million in 1990 to more than 35 million in 2000, and now accounts for 13 percent of the population of the United States. Among Hispanics, 48 percent identified themselves as white, 42 percent as "some other race," 6 percent as "two or more races," and 2 percent as black or African American.

The 2000 Census differed from previous surveys in that it included 63 racial categories and allowed respondents to identify themselves by more than one race.

However, only 2.4 percent of respondents, or 6.8 million people, said they belonged to more than one race.

The Census Bureau also found that blacks or African Americans accounted for 12.3 percent of the population; Asians 3.6 percent of the population; and American Indian and Alaska Natives 0.9 percent of the population.

Following is the text of the Census Bureau's March 12 news release on the first in a series of Census 2000 briefs, titled "Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin":

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2001

Census 2000 Shows America's Diversity

Census 2000 results released by the Census Bureau today show a racially diverse America. However, relatively few -- about 2.4 percent nationally -- took advantage of a first-ever option for respondents to identify themselves as belonging to more than one race.

The first of a series of Census 2000 briefs, titled Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin, showed the following for the 274.6 million people who reported only one race:

The Census Bureau also reported that Hispanics, who may be of any race, totaled 35.3 million, or about 13 percent of the total population. This information was obtained from a separate question on Hispanic or Latino origin.

Of the 6.8 million people who reported more than one race, 93 percent reported two races. The most common combinations were:

Of all respondents who reported more than one race, about 7 percent indicated three or more races.

Those who reported only one race are described as "alone," those who selected one or more races as "alone or in combination." The "alone or in combination" percentages are shown below:

Because anyone who reported two or more races is included in the tally for each of those races when using the "alone or in combination" concept, the sum of all these groups exceeds 100 percent of the population.

Nearly 48 percent of Hispanics identified as White alone and about 42 percent reported "Some other race" alone. About 6 percent of all Hispanics reported two or more races compared with less than 2 percent of non-Hispanics. Hispanics accounted for 97 percent of those who reported "Some other race" only.

The race categories for Census 2000 (except for "some other race," which the Census Bureau added) and the "two or more races" category were promulgated in federal race-reporting guidelines by the Office of Management and Budget in 1997. The changes were designed to reflect more accurately the nation's racial diversity.

The question on race for Census 2000 was different from the race question used for the 1990 census, making direct comparisons between the two censuses difficult. The major difference derives from instructing respondents to mark "one or more races" for the first time in a U.S. population census. Other differences include splitting the Asian and Pacific Islander category into two separate race categories in 2000; combining the three separate identifiers Indian (Amer.), Eskimo, Aleut in the category "American Indian or Alaska Native population"; and reversing the order of the questions on race and Hispanic origin, with the one on Hispanic origin placed first in 2000.

To view the Census 2000 brief in its entirety, including 11 national-level tables, go to www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs.html.

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(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.)