This output provides population numbers for the various race groups and Hispanic ethnicity. Hispanic is considered an ethnicity and not a race; thus, someone can be a white Hispanic, a black Hispanic, etc.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial population counts and annual population estimates

Frequently Asked Questions

• How is race defined?
  The U.S. Census Bureau complies with the Office of Management and Budget's standards for maintaining, collecting, and presenting data on race. These guidelines generally reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country. They do not conform to any biological, anthropological, or genetic criteria.
• Can data users compare data by race from Census 2000 and subsequent estimates with previous census data?
  Data on race from Census 2000 are not directly comparable with those from the 1990 census and previous censuses due, in large part, to giving respondents the option to report more than one race. Other factors, such as reversing the order of the questions on race and Hispanic origin and changing question wording and format, also may affect comparability.
• Why didn't the Census Bureau allow respondents to report more than one race in previous censuses?
  The decision to use the instruction "mark one or more races" was reached by the Office of Management and Budget in 1997 after noting evidence the increase in children from interracial unions and the need to measure the increased diversity in the United States.
• What are the race groups that federal agencies are to use to comply with the Office of Management and Budget's guidance for civil rights monitoring and enforcement?
  The categories (made available in OMB Bulletin No. 00-02, "Guidance on Aggregation and Allocation of Data on Race for Use in Civil Rights Monitoring and Enforcement") to be used are:
  • American Indian and Alaska Native
  • Asian
  • Black or African American
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
  • White
  • American Indian and Alaska Native and White
  • Asian and White
  • Black or African American and White
  • American Indian and Alaska Native and Black or African American
  • Greater than 1 percent: Fill in if applicable with multiracial combinations greater than 1 percent of the population
  • Balance of individuals reporting more than one race