Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010 Issued March 2011 2010 Census Briefs C2010BR-02 INTRODUCTION By Figure 1. Karen R. Humes, Reproduction of the Questions on This report looks at our nation’s chang- Nicholas A. Jones, and Roberto R. Ramirez Hispanic Origin and Race From ing racial and ethnic diversity. It is part the 2010 Census of a series that analyzes population and housing data collected from the 2010 Census, and it provides a snap- shot of race and Hispanic origin in the United States. Racial and ethnic popula- tion group distributions and growth at the national level and at lower levels of geography are presented. This report also provides an overview of race and ethnicity concepts and defi- nitions used in the 2010 Census. The data for this report are based on the 2010 Census Redistricting Data ( Public Law 94-171 ) Summary File , which is among the first 2010 Census data products to be released and is pro- vided to each state for use in drawing boundaries for legislative districts. 1 1 The 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File provides data on Hispanic origin and race, including information on the popula- tion reporting more than one race as well as detailed Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census questionnaire. race combinations (e.g., White and Asian; White and Black or African American and American Indian and Alaska Native). In this report, the multiple-race combi- UNDERSTANDING RACE AND nation categories are denoted with the conjunction and in bold and italicized print to indicate the specific race HISPANIC ORIGIN DATA FROM groups that comprise the particular combination. This THE 2010 CENSUS report discusses data for the 50 states and the District of Columbia but not Puerto Rico. The 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law The 2010 Census used established 94-171) Summary File does not contain data for detailed federal standards to collect and Hispanic origin groups (e.g., Mexican or Puerto Rican) or present data on race and detailed information about race or tribes (e.g., Chinese, Samoan, or Choctaw). Therefore, these specific groups Hispanic origin. are not discussed in this report. Data on detailed Hispanic origin groups and detailed information about For the 2010 Census, the questions on race and tribes will be released on a state-by-state basis race and Hispanic origin were asked of as part of the 2010 Census Demographic Profjle and the 2010 Census Summary File 1 . Additional reports on the individuals living in the United States Hispanic or Latino population and selected race popula- (see Figure 1). An individual’s responses tion groups will be released as part of the 2010 Census Briefs series. For a detailed schedule of 2010 Census to the race question and to the Hispanic products and release dates, visit <www.census.gov origin question were based upon /population/www/cen2010/glance/index.html>. U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
self-identification. The U.S. Census The 2010 Census question on Data on race have been collected Bureau collects race and Hispanic Hispanic origin included five since the first U.S. decennial origin information following the separate response categories and census in 1790. 5 For the first time guidance of the U.S. Office of one area where respondents could in Census 2000, individuals were Management and Budget’s (OMB) write-in a specific Hispanic origin presented with the option to self- 1997 Revisions to the Standards group. The first response cat- identify with more than one race for the Classification of Federal egory is intended for respondents and this continued with the 2010 Data on Race and Ethnicity . 2 These who do not identify as Hispanic. Census, as prescribed by OMB. federal standards mandate that The remaining response catego- There are 57 possible multiple race and Hispanic origin (ethnicity) ries (“Mexican, Mexican Am., or race combinations involving the are separate and distinct concepts Chicano”; “Puerto Rican”; “Cuban”; five OMB race categories and Some and that when collecting these data and “Another Hispanic, Latino, Other Race. via self-identification, two different or Spanish origin”) and write-in The 2010 Census question on race questions must be used. answers can be combined to create included 15 separate response the OMB category of Hispanic. 4 categories and three areas where Hispanic Origin respondents could write-in detailed Race The OMB definition of Hispanic or information about their race. 6 The Latino origin used in the The OMB definitions of the race cat- response categories and write-in 2010 Census is presented in the egories used in the 2010 Census, answers can be combined to create text box “Definition of Hispanic or plus the Census Bureau’s definition the five minimum OMB race cat- Latino Origin Used in the of Some Other Race, are presented egories plus Some Other Race. In 2010 Census.” OMB requires fed- in the text box “Definition of addition to White, Black or African eral agencies to use a minimum Race Categories Used in the 2010 American, American Indian and of two ethnicities: Hispanic or Census.” Starting in 1997, OMB Alaska Native, and Some Other Latino and Not Hispanic or Latino. required federal agencies to use a Race, 7 of the 15 response catego- Hispanic origin can be viewed as minimum of five race categories: ries are Asian groups and 4 are the heritage, nationality group, White, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific lineage, or country of birth of the American Indian or Alaska Native, Islander groups. 7 person or the person’s parents or Asian, and Native Hawaiian or ancestors before their arrival in the Other Pacific Islander. For respon- United States. People who identify dents unable to identify with any 5 For information about comparability of their origin as Hispanic, Latino, or of these five race categories, OMB 2010 Census data on race and Hispanic origin Spanish may be any race. 3 approved the Census Bureau’s to data collected in previous censuses, see inclusion of a sixth category—Some the 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File—Technical Other Race—on the Census 2000 Definition of Hispanic or Documentation at <www.census.gov/prod Latino Origin Used in the and 2010 Census questionnaires. /cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf>. 6 There were two changes to the question 2010 Census on race for the 2010 Census. First, the word- ing of the race question was changed from “Hispanic or Latino” refers to 4 There were three changes to the “What is this person’s race? Mark one or a person of Cuban, Mexican, Hispanic origin question for the 2010 Census. more races to indicate what this person con- First, the wording of the question changed siders himself/herself to be” in 2000 to “What Puerto Rican, South or Central from “Is this person Spanish/Hispanic/ is this person’s race? Mark one or more American, or other Spanish Latino?” in 2000 to “Is this person of Hispanic, boxes” for 2010. Second, in 2010, examples culture or origin regardless of Latino, or Spanish origin?” in 2010. Second, were added to the “Other Asian” response in 2000, the question provided an instruc- category (Hmong, Laotian, Thai, Pakistani, race. tion, “Mark the ‘ No ’ box if not Spanish/ Cambodian, and so on) and the “Other Pacifjc Hispanic/Latino.” The 2010 Census question Islander” response category (Fijian, Tongan, provided no specifjc instruction for non- and so on). In 2000, no examples were given Hispanic respondents. Third, in 2010, the in the race question. 2 The 1997 Revisions to the Standards 7 The race categories included in the “Yes, another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish for the Classifjcation of Federal Data on origin” category provided examples of census questionnaire generally refmect a social Race and Ethnicity , issued by OMB, is six Hispanic origin groups (Argentinean, defjnition of race recognized in this country available at <www.whitehouse.gov/omb Colombian, Dominican, Nicaraguan, and are not an attempt to defjne race biologi- /fedreg/1997standards.html>. Salvadoran, Spaniard, and so on) and cally, anthropologically, or genetically. In addi- 3 The terms “Hispanic or Latino” and instructed respondents to “print origin.” In tion, it is recognized that the categories of 2000, no Hispanic origin examples were “Hispanic” are used interchangeably in this the race question include race and national report. given. origin or sociocultural groups. 2 U.S. Census Bureau
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