Racial Classification in the United States (Nov 18, 2005)

How your race is determined in the United States Census and other government documents.

In the United States of America, several factors contribute to your ethnicity. On the United States Census, you will first be asked if you are of Hispanic/Latino heritage.

The Office of Management and Budget defines Hispanic or Latino as a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race. Federal agencies are required by law to use a minimum of two ethnicities when asking questions about race or ethnicity: "Hispanic or Latino" and "Not Hispanic or Latino".

The OMB also requires federal agencies to use a minimum of five racial categories. Here is how the OMB classifies each race:

White refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicate their race or races as "White" or wrote in entries such as Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Near Easterner, Arab, or Polish.

Black or African American refers to people having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicate their race or races as "PLack, African Am., or Negro" or wrote in entries such as African American, Afro American, Nigerian, or Haitian.

American Indian and Alaska Native refers to people having origins any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attatchment. It includes people who indicate their race or races by marking this category or writing in their principal or enrolled tribe, such as Rosebud Sioux, Chippewa, or Navajo.

Asian refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. It includes people who indicate their race or races as "Asian Indian", "Chinese", "Filipino", "Korean", "Japanese", "Vietnamese", or "Other Asian", or wrote in entries such as Burmese, Hmong, Pakistani, or Thai.

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. It includes people who indicated their race or races as "Native Hawaiian", "Guamanian or Chamorro", "Samoan", or "Other Pacific Islander", or wrote in entries such as Tahitian, Mariana Islander, or Chuukese.

Some other race is used for those who are unable to identify with the five Office of Management and Budget race categories. This includes people who provide write-in entries such as Moroccan, South African, Belizean, or a Hispanic origin (for example, Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban).

If you are filling out the US Census, here is how the racial classification section will look:

Although there appear to be 15 options, the Census Bureau categorizes all Asian races into "Asian", and all Pacific Islander races into "Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander". This is how Census data appears:

On the above table, "Two or more races" includes anyone who checked more than one race. The highest percentage of Multiracial respondents in the 2000 US Census said they were White and "Some other race", making up 32.3% of the Multiracial population. Studies also show that most of those who indicated "Some other race" are of Hispanic or Latino origin. This means that most respondents who indicated "Two or more races" are half "White", and half "Hispanic or Latino".

Suggested guidelines for Multiracial respondents: If you are 12.5% or more of a certain race, then you should mark it as one of your races. If you are less then 12.5% of a race, you should not indicate it as one of your races. e.g. If you are 12.5% "White", this would mean that you have one great-grandparent who was 100% "White".

When determining your own race for the US Census, keep in mind that you can put down whatever you truly consider your race to be. If you are "Asian", but consider yourself "American Indian", you will be counted as an "American Indian" in all Census data. Remember, however, that you are now lying to the US Government and corrupting all US Census data. If you think that your race is "Italian", then you are totally permitted to write in "Italian" as your race. Keep in mind that you will be automatically sorted into the "White" category.

Some "other race" write-ins, after being identified by the US Census Bureau, are left in the "Some other race" category. "Belizean", which truly is a race that does not fit into the other categories, is left as "Some other race", while other entries such as "American", "Moroccan" or "South African" must be left alone simply because a person from the United States, South Africa or Morocco may be of any race. Most respondents in the 2000 US Census who consider themselves "Some other race" wrote in entries such as "Mexican" (which should properly be classified as "American Indian"), "Puerto Rican" (which should properly be classified as "White"), or "Cuban" (which, depending on the respondent, should properly be classified as either "White" or "Black").

However, some "other race" write-ins are sorted into other racial categories. e.g. A respondent who indicates their race as "Italian" will be automatically sorted into the "White" category by the US Census Bureau.

While 47.9% of the Hispanic or Latino population indicated their race as "White", and 2% indicated their race as "Black or African American", 42.4% consider themselves to be "Some other race". The truth is, Hispanic is not a race, it's an ethnicity- just like German, Polish, or Jamaican. However, 42.4% of the Hispanic population are incorrectly considering their race to be "Hispanic" "Latino", "Mexican", "Puerto Rican", or "Cuban", and are therefore put into the "Some other race" category.

This document should help you for a better understanding of racial classification in the United States. All information in this document is based on the most recent US Census, which in this case happens to be the Census taken in 2000.

Links to other sites on the Web

Forward Upward home page

Suggested citation: Koehler, Robert. "Racial Classification in the United States". Forward Upward. Nov 18, 2005. http://www.deadendinternet.com/forwardupward/racial.html (Access date.)

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