Americans - Wikipedia Americans This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 13 February 2018. This article is about the people of the United States of America. For other uses, see American ( disambiguation ). For the meanings of American in various contexts, see American ( word ). For a similar title, see The Americans. Americans Flag of the United States Total population c. 308 million 2010 United States Census c. 320 million 2015 estimate Regions with significant populations Mexico 738,100 -- 1,000,000 Canada 316,350 -- 1,000,000 Philippines 250,000 -- 600,000 Germany 324,000 Israel 200,000 United Kingdom 139,000 -- 197,143 South Korea 120,000 -- 158,000 Costa Rica 130,000 France 100,000 China 71,493 Brazil 28,000 - 70,000 Colombia 60,000 Hong Kong 60,000 India 60,000 Australia 56,276 Pakistan 52,486 Japan 51,321 Italy 50,000 United Arab Emirates 50,000 Haiti 45,000 Saudi Arabia 40,000 Argentina 37,000 Norway 33,509 Bahamas 30,000 Russia 30,000 Lebanon 25,000 Panama 25,000 El Salvador 19,000 New Zealand 17,751 Honduras 15,000 Chile 12,000 Taiwan 10,645 Austria 10,175 Czech Republic 8,763 Bermuda 8,000 Kuwait 8,000 Languages Primarily English, but also Spanish and others Religion Primarily Christian ( Protestantism, Catholicism, and Mormonism ) Various non-Christian religions ( Judaism and others ) Americans are citizens of the United States of America. The country is home to people of many different national origins. As a result, many Americans do not equate their nationality with ethnicity, but with citizenship and allegiance. Although citizens make up the majority of Americans, non-citizen residents, dual citizens, and expatriates may also claim an American identity. English - speakers, and even speakers of many other languages, typically use the term `` American '' to exclusively mean people of the United States ; this developed from its original use to differentiate English people of the American colonies from English people of England. The word `` American '' can also refer to people from the Americas in general ( see Names for United States citizens ). Contents 1 Overview 2 Racial and ethnic groups 2.1 White and European Americans 2.2 Hispanic and Latino Americans 2.3 Black and African Americans 2.4 Asian Americans 2.5 Middle Easterners and North Africans 2.6 American Indians and Alaska Natives 2.7 Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders 2.8 Two or more races 2.9 Some other race 3 National personification 4 Language 5 Religion 6 Culture 7 Diaspora 8 See also 9 Footnotes 10 References Overview Main articles : Race and ethnicity in the United States, Colonial United States, and Immigration to the United States The majority of Americans or their ancestors immigrated to America or are descended from people who were brought as slaves within the past five centuries, with the exception of the Native American population and people from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine Islands who became American through expansion of the country in the 19th century, and American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands in the 20th century. Despite its multi-ethnic composition, the culture of the United States held in common by most Americans can also be referred to as mainstream American culture, a Western culture largely derived from the traditions of Northern and Western European colonists, settlers, and immigrants. It also includes influences of African - American culture. Westward expansion integrated the Creoles and Cajuns of Louisiana and the Hispanos of the Southwest and brought close contact with the culture of Mexico. Large - scale immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from Southern and Eastern Europe introduced a variety of elements. Immigration from Asia, Africa, and Latin America has also had impact. A cultural melting pot, or pluralistic salad bowl, describes the way in which generations of Americans have celebrated and exchanged distinctive cultural characteristics. In addition to the United States, Americans and people of American descent can be found internationally. As many as seven million Americans are estimated to be living abroad, and make up the American diaspora. Racial and ethnic groups Main article : Race and ethnicity in the United States See also : Demographics of the United States 2010 U.S. Census Self - identified race Percent of population White alone 72.4 % Black or African American 12.6 % Asian 4.8 % American Indians and Alaska Natives 0.9 % Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders 0.2 % Two or more races 2.9 % Some other race 6.2 % Total 100.0 % The United States of America is a diverse country, racially, and ethnically. Six races are officially recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes : White, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and people of two or more races. `` Some other race '' is also an option in the census and other surveys. The United States Census Bureau also classifies Americans as `` Hispanic or Latino '' and `` Not Hispanic or Latino '', which identifies Hispanic and Latino Americans as a racially diverse ethnicity that comprises the largest minority group in the nation. White and European Americans Main articles : European Americans, White Americans, and White Hispanic and Latino Americans People of European descent, or White Americans ( also referred to as Caucasian Americans ), constitute the majority of the 308 million people living in the United States, with 72.4 % of the population in the 2010 United States Census. They are considered people who trace their ancestry to the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Of those reporting to be White American, 7,487,133 reported to be Multiracial ; with largest combination being white and black. Additionally, there are 29,184,290 White Hispanics or Latinos. Non-Hispanic Whites are the majority in 46 states. There are four minority - majority states : California, Texas, New Mexico, and Hawaii. In addition, the District of Columbia has a non-white majority. The state with the highest percentage of non-Hispanic White Americans is Maine. The largest continental ancestral group of Americans are that of Europeans who have origins in any of the original peoples of Europe. This includes people via African, North American, Caribbean, Central American or South American and Oceanian nations that have a large European diaspora. The Spanish were the first Europeans to establish a continuous presence in what is now the United States. Martín de Argüelles born 1566, San Agustín, La Florida, was the first person of European descent born in what is now the United States. Twenty - one years later, Virginia Dare born 1587 Roanoke Island in present - day North Carolina, was the first child born in the Thirteen Colonies to English parents. In the 2014 American Community Survey, German Americans ( 14.4 % ), Irish Americans ( 10.4 % ), English Americans ( 7.6 % ) and Italian Americans ( 5.4 % ) were the four largest self - reported European ancestry groups in the United States forming 37.8 % of the total population. However, the English - Americans and British - Americans demography is considered a serious under - count as the stock tend to self - report and identify as simply ' Americans ' due to the length of time they have inhabited America. Overall, as the largest group, European Americans have the lowest poverty rate and the second highest educational attainment levels, median household income, and median personal income of any racial demographic in the nation. White and European American population by ancestry group Rank Ancestry group % of total population Pop. estimates R. German 14.4 % 46,047,113 Irish 10.4 % 33,147,639 English 7.6 % 24,382,182 American 6.9 % 22,097,012 5 Italian 5.4 % 17,220,604 6 Mexican 5.4 % 16,794,111 7 Polish 2.9 % 9,249,392 8 French ( except Basque ) French Canadian 2.6 % 0.7 % 8,153,515 2,099,430 9 Scottish 1.7 % 5,365,154 10 Norwegian 1.4 % 4,444,566 11 Dutch 1.3 % 4,243,067 Total White and European American 59.34 % 231,040,398 2010 United States Census & 2014 American Community Survey Hispanic and Latino Americans Main article : Hispanic and Latino Americans Hispanic or Latino Americans ( of any race ) constitute the largest ethnic minority in the United States. They form the second largest group after non-Hispanic Whites in the United States, comprising 16.3 % of the population according to the 2010 United States Census. Hispanic / Latino Americans are very racially diverse, and as a result form an ethnic category, rather than a race. People of Spanish or Hispanic descent have lived in what is now the United States since the founding of St. Augustine, Florida in 1565 by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. In the State of Texas, Spaniards first settled the region in the late 1600s and formed a unique cultural group known as Tejanos ( Texanos ). Hispanic and Latino American population by national origin Rank National origin % of total population Pop. Mexican 10.29 % 31,798,258 Puerto Rican 1.49 % 4,623,716 Cuban 0.57 % 1,785,547 Salvadoran 0.53 % 1,648,968 5 Dominican 0.45 % 1,414,703 6 Guatemalan 0.33 % 1,044,209 7 Colombian 0.3 % 908,734 8 Spanish 0.2 % 635,253 9 Honduran 0.2 % 633,401 10 Ecuadorian 0.1 % 564,631 All other 2.64 % 8,162,193 Hispanic and Latino American ( total ) 16.34 % 50,477,594 2010 United States Census Black and African Americans Main articles : African Americans and Black Hispanic and Latino Americans Black and African Americans are citizens and residents of the United States with origins in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the Office of Management and Budget, the grouping includes individuals who self - identify as African American, as well as persons who emigrated from nations in the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa. The grouping is thus based on geography, and may contradict or misrepresent an individual 's self - identification since not all immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa are `` Black ''. Among these racial outliers are persons from Cape Verde, Madagascar, various Arab states and Hamito - Semitic populations in East Africa and the Sahel, and the Afrikaners of Southern Africa. African Americans ( also referred to as Black Americans or Afro - Americans, and formerly as American Negroes ) are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. According to the 2009 American Community Survey, there were 38,093,725 Black and African Americans in the United States, representing 12.4 % of the population. In addition, there were 37,144,530 non-Hispanic blacks, which comprised 12.1 % of the population. This number increased to 42 million according to the 2010 United States Census, when including Multiracial African Americans, making up 14 % of the total U.S. population. Black and African Americans make up the second largest group in the United States, but the third largest group after White Americans and Hispanic or Latino Americans ( of any race ). The majority of the population ( 55 % ) lives in the South ; compared to the 2000 Census, there has also been a decrease of African Americans in the Northeast and Midwest. Most African Americans are the direct descendants of captives from West Africa, who survived the slavery era within the boundaries of the present United States. As an adjective, the term is usually spelled African - American. The first West African slaves were brought to Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. The English settlers treated these captives as indentured servants and released them after a number of years. This practice was gradually replaced by the system of race - based slavery used in the Caribbean. All the American colonies had slavery, but it was usually the form of personal servants in the North ( where 2 % of the people were slaves ), and field hands in plantations in the South ( where 25 % were slaves ) ; by the beginning of the American Revolutionary War 1 / 5th of the total population was enslaved. During the revolution, some would serve in the Continental Army or Continental Navy, while others would serve the British Empire in Lord Dunmore 's Ethiopian Regiment, and other units. By 1804, the northern states ( north of the Mason -- Dixon line ) had abolished slavery. However, slavery would persist in the southern states until the end of the American Civil War and the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. Following the end of the Reconstruction Era, which saw the first African American representation in Congress, African Americans became disenfranchised and subject to Jim Crow laws, legislation that would persist until the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act due to the Civil Rights Movement. According to US Census Bureau data, very few African immigrants self - identify as African American. On average, less than 5 % of African residents self - reported as `` African American '' or `` Afro - American '' on the 2000 US Census. The overwhelming majority of African immigrants ( ~ 95 % ) identified instead with their own respective ethnicities. Self - designation as `` African American '' or `` Afro - American '' was highest among individuals from West Africa ( 4 % - 9 % ), and lowest among individuals from Cape Verde, East Africa and Southern Africa ( 0 % - 4 % ). African immigrants may also experience conflict with African Americans. Black and African American population by ancestry group Rank Ancestry group Percentage of total est. population Pop. estimates Jamaican 0.31 % 986,897 Haitian 0.28 % 873,003 Nigerian 0.08 % 259,934 Trinidadian and Tobagonian 0.06 % 193,233 5 Ghanaian 0.03 % 94,405 6 Barbadian 0.01 % 59,236 Sub-Saharan African ( total ) 0.92 % 2,864,067 West Indian ( total ) ( except Hispanic groups ) 0.85 % 2,633,149 Black and African Americans ( total ) 13.6 % 42,020,743 2010 United States Census 2009 -- 2011 American Community Survey Asian Americans Main articles : Asian Americans and Asian Hispanic and Latino Americans Another significant population is the Asian American population, comprising 17.3 million in 2010, or 5.6 % of the U.S. population. California is home to 5.6 million Asian Americans, the greatest number in any state. In Hawaii, Asian Americans make up the highest proportion of the population ( 57 percent ). Asian Americans live across the country, yet are heavily urbanized, with significant populations in the Greater Los Angeles Area, New York metropolitan area, and the San Francisco Bay Area. They are by no means a monolithic group. The largest sub-groups are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from Cambodia, Mainland China, India, Japan, Korea, Laos, Pakistan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Asians overall have higher income levels than all other racial groups in the United States, including whites, and the trend appears to be increasing in relation to those groups. Additionally, Asians have a higher education attainment level than all other racial groups in the United States. For better or worse, the group has been called a model minority. While Asian Americans have been in what is now the United States since before the Revolutionary War, relatively large waves of Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese immigration did not begin until the mid-to - late 19th century. Immigration and significant population growth continue to this day. Due to a number of factors, Asian Americans have been stereotyped as `` perpetual foreigners ''. Asian American ancestries Rank Ancestry Percentage of total population Pop. Chinese 1.2 % 3,797,379 Filipino 1.1 % 3,417,285 Indian 1.0 % 3,183,063 Vietnamese 0.5 % 1,737,665 5 Korean 0.5 % 1,707,027 6 Japanese 0.4 % 1,304,599 Other Asian 0.9 % 2,799,448 Asian American ( total ) 5.6 % 17,320,856 2010 United States Census Middle Easterners and North Africans This section may be too long to read and navigate comfortably. Please consider splitting content into sub-articles, condensing it, or adding or removing subheadings. ( March 2017 ) Main articles : Middle Eastern Americans, North Africans in the United States, Iranian Americans, Arab Americans, and Jewish Americans According to the American Jewish Archives and the Arab American National Museum, some of the first Middle Easterners and North Africans ( viz. Jews and Berbers ) arrived in the Americas between the late 15th and mid-16th centuries. Many were fleeing ethnic or ethnoreligious persecution during the Spanish Inquisition, and a few were also taken to the Americas as slaves. In 1909, the Superior Court and the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. ruled on a case that redefined Middle Eastern Americans and their racial distinction. According to the Arab American Historical Foundation and the Los Angeles Herald, a case in which George Shishim, a Lebanese policeman, arrested a `` white '' man, who claimed that because Shishim was Lebanese, he must not be racially `` white '', but rather `` Chinese - Mongolian ''. Shishim, his attorneys, and the Syrian - Lebanese and Arab American communities rallied to prove that Lebanese, Syrians, and all Arabs and Middle Easterners were in fact `` white '' to both gain official citizenship in the United States, as well as avoid other exclusive and restrictive penalties of being labeled as Asian. One of Shishim 's arguments appealed to the white justices ' desire to connect to their revered religious figure, Jesus. Shishim said : `` If I am a Mongolian, then so was Jesus, because we came from the same land. '' As noted in the 1909 publication of the `` Proceedings of the Asiatic Exclusion League '', the presiding Judge Hutton concluded that Syrians had descended from Hebrews, who descended from `` the Semitic family of the ' Indo - Aryan race ' '', but because the Mongol conquerors had killed the Syrian men, and interbred with the Syrian women, `` western nations have been unable to restore ( the Syrians ' ) original characteristics '' ( 6 ). Shishim won and was granted citizenship, and Middle Easterners were thereafter legally considered `` white '' in the United States. However, in 1910, Congress passed a bill that defined `` Armenians, Assyrians, and Jews '' as `` Asiatics '', while still approving their claims to citizenship. This declaration, while not taking away their citizenship, affirmed the ethnic origins and identities of Armenians, Assyrians, and Jews as `` non-white ''. Over the decades of the 20th century, as more Arab Americans, Jewish Americans and other Middle Eastern ethnic groups settled in the United States, the racial discrimination they faced also increased. Due to the ruling in Shishim 's case and the interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, United States citizens could not sue one another for discrimination if they belonged to `` the same race ''. However, in 1987, after an Iraqi - American associate professor was refused tenure due to his Arab origins and a synagogue was spray - painted with anti-Semitic insignia, the Supreme Court ruled `` unanimously today that Arabs, Jews and members of other ethnic groups may sue under a post-Civil War law 's broad prohibition against discrimination. '' According to the Pew Research Center 's Portrait of Jewish Americans, more than 90 % of Jews who responded to their survey described themselves as non-Hispanic whites, 2 % as black, 3 % as Hispanic, and 2 % of other racial or ethnic backgrounds. Additionally, as modern scientific data improved, more information on the true origins and ethnic distinctions emerged. For example, studies have shown that Jews share more genetic relativity to other Jews around the world than to the surrounding non-Jewish ethnic groups. Some studies have also suggested that other Middle Eastern ( non-Jewish ) ethnic groups remain one of the closest relations to Jews. The United States Census Bureau is presently finalizing the ethnic classification of MENA populations. In 2012, prompted in part by post-9 / 11 discrimination, the American - Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee petitioned the Department of Commerce 's Minority Business Development Agency to designate the MENA populations as a minority / disadvantaged community. Following consultations with MENA organizations, the Census Bureau announced in 2014 that it would establish a new MENA ethnic category for populations from the Middle East, North Africa and the Arab world, separate from the `` white '' classification that these populations had previously sought in 1909. The expert groups, felt that the earlier `` white '' designation no longer accurately represents MENA identity, so they successfully lobbied for a distinct categorization. This process does not currently include Sikhs, as the Bureau only tabulates them as followers of a religion rather than members of ethnic groups. As of December 2015, the sampling strata for the new MENA category includes the Census Bureau 's working classification of 19 MENA groups, as well as Turkish, Sudanese, Djiboutian, Somali, Mauritanian, Armenian, Cypriot, Afghan, Azerbaijani and Georgian groups. Middle Eastern Americans in the 2000 - 2010 U.S. Census, the Mandell L. Berman Institute, and the North American Jewish Data Bank Ancestry 2000 2000 ( % of US population ) 2010 ( % of US population ) Afghan 53,709 0.0191 % 79,775 0.0258 % Arab 1,160,729 0.4125 % 1,697,570 0.5498 % Armenian 385,488 0.1370 % 474,559 0.1537 % Assyrian / Chaldo - Assyrian 81,749 0.0290 % 106,821 0.0346 % Azerbaijani 14,205 0.0050 % % Cypriot 7,643 0.0027 % % Georgian 6,298 0.0022 % % Iranian 338,266 0.1202 % 463,552 0.1501 % Israeli 106,839 0.0380 % 129,359 0.0419 % Jewish 6,155,000 2.1810 % 6,543,820 2.1157 % Kurdish 9,423 0.0033 % % Syriac 606 0.0002 % % Tajik 905 0.0003 % % Turkish 117,575 0.0418 % 195,283 0.0633 % `` Middle Eastern '' 28,400 0.0101 % % `` North Caucasian '' 596 0.0002 % % `` North Caucasian Turkic '' 1,347 0.0005 % 290,893 0.0942 % TOTAL 8,568,772 3.036418 % 9,981,332 3.227071 % Although tabulated, `` religious responses '' were reported as a single total and not differentiated, despite totaling 1,089,597 in 2000. Independent organizations provide improved estimates of the total populations of races and ethnicities in the US using the raw data from the US Census and other surveys. For example, although any respondents who self - identified as Jewish were included under the religious responses in the census, as Jews are an ethnoreligious group with culture and ethnicity intertwined, estimates from the Mandell L. Berman Institute and the North American Jewish Data Bank put the total population of Jews between 5.34 and 6.16 million in 2000 and around 6.54 million in 2010. Similarly, the Arab - American Institute estimated the population of Arab Americans at 3.7 million in 2012. According to the Arab American Institute ( AAI ), countries of origin for Arab Americans include Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The majority of Arab Americans are Christian. Most Maronites tend to be of Lebanese, Syrian, or Cypriot extraction ; the majority of Christians of Cypriot and Palestinian background are often Eastern Orthodox. Estimated African MENA populations in the United States : Algerian American : 8,752 ( 2000 Census ) Canarian American : 45,000 - 75,000 ( 2000 statistics ) Djiboutian American : 300 ( 2000 Census ) Egyptian American : 190,078 ( 2010 census. In 2008 them were estimated in 800,000 - 2,000,000 ) Libyan American : 9,000 ( 2010 Census ) Mauritanian American : 992 ( 2000 Census ) Moroccan American : 82,073 ( 2010 Census ) Somali American : 85,700 ( 2012 ACS ) Sudanese American : 42,249 ( 2010 Census ) Tunisian American : 4,735 ( 2000 Census ) American indians and Alaska natives Main article : Native Americans in the United States See also : Blood quantum laws and Bureau of Indian Affairs According to the 2010 Census, there are 5.2 million people who are Native Americans or Alaska Native alone, or in combination with one or more races ; they make up 1.7 % of the total population. According to the Office of Management and Budget ( OMB ), an `` American Indian or Alaska Native '' is a person whose ancestry have origins in any of the original peoples of North, Central, or South America. 2.3 million individuals who are American Indian or Alaskan Native are multiracial ; additionally the plurality of American Indians reside in the Western United States ( 40.7 % ). Collectively and historically this race has been known by several names ; as of 1995, 50 % of those who fall within the OMB definition prefer the term `` American Indian '', 37 % prefer `` Native American '' and the remainder have no preference or prefer a different term altogether. Native Americans, whose ancestry is indigenous to the Americas, originally migrated to the two continents between 10,000 - 45,000 years ago. These Paleoamericans spread throughout the two continents and evolved into hundreds of distinct cultures during the pre-Columbian era. Following the first voyage of Christopher Columbus, the European colonization of the Americas began, with St. Augustine, Florida becoming the first permanent European settlement in the continental United States. From the 16th through the 19th centuries, the population of Native Americans declined in the following ways : epidemic diseases brought from Europe ; genocide and warfare at the hands of European explorers and colonists, as well as between tribes ; displacement from their lands ; internal warfare, enslavement ; and intermarriage. American Indian and Alaska Native population by selected tribal groups Rank National origin Percentage of total population Pop. Cherokee 0.26 % 819,105 Navajo 0.1 % 332,129 Choctaw 0.06 % 195,764 Mexican American Indian 0.05 % 175,494 5 Chippewa 0.05 % 170,742 6 Sioux 0.05 % 170,110 All other 1.08 % 3,357,235 American Indian ( total ) 1.69 % 5,220,579 2010 United States Census Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders Main article : Pacific Islands Americans As defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Office of Management and Budget, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders are `` persons having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands ''. Previously called Asian Pacific American, along with Asian Americans beginning in 1976, this was changed in 1997. As of the 2010 United States Census there are 1.2 million who reside in the United States, and make up 0.4 % of the nation 's total population, of whom 56 % are multiracial. 14 % of the population have at least a bachelor 's degree, and 15.1 % live in poverty, below the poverty threshold. As compared to the 2000 United States Census this population grew by 40 % ; and 71 % live in the West ; of those over half ( 52 % ) live in either Hawaii or California, with no other states having populations greater than 100,000. The largest concentration of Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, is Honolulu County in Hawaii, and Los Angeles County in the continental United States. Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander by ancestries Rank Ancestry Percentage Pop. Hawaiian 0.17 % 527,077 Samoan 0.05 % 184,440 Chamorro 0.04 % 147,798 Tongan 0.01 % 57,183 Other Pacific Islanders 0.09 % 308,697 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander ( total ) 0.39 % 1,225,195 2010 United States Census Two or more races Main article : Multiracial American The United States has a growing multiracial identity movement. Multiracial Americans numbered 7.0 million in 2008, or 2.3 % of the population ; by the 2010 census the Multiracial increased to 9,009,073, or 2.9 % of the total population. They can be any combination of races ( White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, `` some other race '' ) and ethnicities. The largest population of Multiracial Americans were those of White and African American descent, with a total of 1,834,212 self - identifying individuals. Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, is biracial with his mother being of English and Irish descent and his father being of Kenyan birth ; however, Obama only self - identifies as being African American. Population by selected Two or More Races Population Rank Specific Combinations Percentage of total population Pop. White ; Black 0.59 % 1,834,212 White ; Some Other Race 0.56 % 1,740,924 White ; Asian 0.52 % 1,623,234 White ; Native American 0.46 % 1,432,309 5 African American ; Some Other Race 0.1 % 314,571 6 African American ; Native American 0.08 % 269,421 All other specific combinations 0.58 % 1,794,402 Multiracial Americans ( Total ) 2.9 % 9,009,073 2010 United States Census Some other race Main article : Multiracial American According to the 2010 United States Census, 6.2 % or 19,107,368 Americans chose to self - identify with the `` some other race '' category, the third most popular option. Also, 36.7 % or 18,503,103 Hispanic / Latino Americans chose to identify as some other race as these Hispanic / Latinos may feel the U.S. Census does not describe their European and American Indian ancestry as they understand it to be. A significant portion of the Hispanic and Latino population self - identifies as Mestizo, particularly the Mexican and Central American community. Mestizo is not a racial category in the U.S. Census, but signifies someone who has both European and American Indian ancestry. National personification `` Uncle Sam '' is a national personification of the United States. The image bears resemblance to the real Samuel Wilson. The female personification, primarily popular during the 18th and 19th centuries, is `` Columbia ''. A national personification is an anthropomorphism of a nation or its people ; it can appear in both editorial cartoons and propaganda. Uncle Sam is a national personification of the United States and sometimes more specifically of the American government, with the first usage of the term dating from the War of 1812. He is depicted as a stern elderly white man with white hair and a goatee beard, and dressed in clothing that recalls the design elements of the flag of the United States -- for example, typically a top hat with red and white stripes and white stars on a blue band, and red and white striped trousers. Columbia is a poetic name for the Americas and the feminine personification of the United States of America, made famous by African - American poet Phillis Wheatley during the American Revolutionary War in 1776. It has inspired the names of many persons, places, objects, institutions, and companies in the Western Hemisphere and beyond, including the District of Columbia, the seat of government of the United States. Language Main articles : Languages of the United States, English language, American English, and English - only Languages spoken at home by more than 1 million persons in 2010 Language Percent of population Number of speakers English 80 % 233,780,338 Combined total of all languages other than English 20 % 57,048,617 Spanish ( excluding Puerto Rico and Spanish Creole ) 12 % 35,437,985 Chinese ( including Cantonese and Mandarin ) 0.9 % 2,567,779 Tagalog 0.5 % 1,542,118 Vietnamese 0.4 % 1,292,448 French 0.4 % 1,288,833 Korean 0.4 % 1,108,408 German 0.4 % 1,107,869 English is the de facto national language. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws -- such as U.S. naturalization requirements -- standardize English. In 2007, about 226 million, or 80 % of the population aged five years and older, spoke only English at home. Spanish, spoken by 12 % of the population at home, is the second most common language and the most widely taught second language. Some Americans advocate making English the country 's official language, as it is in at least twenty - eight states. Both English and Hawaiian are official languages in Hawaii by state law. While neither has an official language, New Mexico has laws providing for the use of both English and Spanish, as Louisiana does for English and French. Other states, such as California, mandate the publication of Spanish versions of certain government documents. The latter include court forms. Several insular territories grant official recognition to their native languages, along with English : Samoan and Chamorro are recognized by American Samoa and Guam, respectively ; Carolinian and Chamorro are recognized by the Northern Mariana Islands ; Spanish is an official language of Puerto Rico. Religion Main article : Religion in the United States Religious affiliation in the U.S. ( 2014 ) Affiliation % of U.S. population Christian 70.6 70.6 Protestant 46.5 46.5 Evangelical Protestant 25.4 25.4 Mainline Protestant 14.7 14.7 Black church 6.5 6.5 Catholic 20.8 20.8 Mormon 1.6 1.6 Jehovah 's Witnesses 0.8 0.8 Eastern Orthodox 0.5 0.5 Other Christian 0.4 0.4 Non-Christian faiths 5.9 5.9 Jewish 1.9 1.9 Muslim 0.9 0.9 Buddhist 0.7 0.7 Hindu 0.7 0.7 Other Non-Christian faiths 1.8 1.8 Unaffiliated 22.8 22.8 Nothing in particular 15.8 15.8 Agnostic 4.0 Atheist 3.1 3.1 Do n't know / refused answer 0.6 0.6 Total 100 100 Religion in the United States has a high adherence level compared to other developed countries, as well as a diversity in beliefs. The First Amendment to the country 's Constitution prevents the Federal government from making any `` law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ''. The U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted this as preventing the government from having any authority in religion. A majority of Americans report that religion plays a `` very important '' role in their lives, a proportion unusual among developed countries, although similar to the other nations of the Americas. Many faiths have flourished in the United States, including both later imports spanning the country 's multicultural immigrant heritage, as well as those founded within the country ; these have led the United States to become the most religiously diverse country in the world. The majority of Americans ( 76 % ) are Christians, mostly within Protestant and Catholic denominations ; these adherents constitute 51 % and 25 % of the population, respectively. Other religions include Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, which collectively make up about 4 % to 5 % of the adult population. Another 15 % of the adult population identifies as having no religious belief or no religious affiliation. According to the American Religious Identification Survey, religious belief varies considerably across the country : 59 % of Americans living in Western states ( the `` Unchurched Belt '' ) report a belief in God, yet in the South ( the `` Bible Belt '' ) the figure is as high as 86 %. Several of the original Thirteen Colonies were established by settlers who wished to practice their own religion without discrimination : the Massachusetts Bay Colony was established by English Puritans, Pennsylvania by Irish and English Quakers, Maryland by English and Irish Catholics, and Virginia by English Anglicans. Although some individual states retained established religious confessions well into the 19th century, the United States was the first nation to have no official state - endorsed religion. Modeling the provisions concerning religion within the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, the framers of the Constitution rejected any religious test for office, and the First Amendment specifically denied the federal government any power to enact any law respecting either an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise, thus protecting any religious organization, institution, or denomination from government interference. The decision was mainly influenced by European Rationalist and Protestant ideals, but was also a consequence of the pragmatic concerns of minority religious groups and small states that did not want to be under the power or influence of a national religion that did not represent them. The First Baptist Church in America in Providence, Rhode Island. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. is the largest Catholic church in the United States. Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral in Chicago 's Ukrainian Village Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist church in Oak Park, Illinois Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island is America 's oldest surviving synagogue. The Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan is the largest mosque in North America. Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, California is one of the largest Buddhist temples in the Western Hemisphere. Hindu Temple in Malibu, California. The Bahá'í House of Worship, Wilmette, Illinois. The Jain Center of Greater Phoenix ( JCGP ) Culture Main article : Culture of the United States Apple pie and baseball are icons of American culture. The American culture is primarily a Western culture, but is influenced by Native American, West African, Asian, Polynesian, and Latino cultures. The United States of America has its own unique social and cultural characteristics, such as dialect, music, arts, social habits, cuisine and folklore. Its chief early European influences came from English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish settlers of colonial America during British rule. British culture, due to colonial ties with Britain that spread the English language, legal system and other cultural inheritances, had a formative influence. Other important influences came from other parts of Europe, especially Germany, France, and Italy. Original elements also play a strong role, such as Jeffersonian democracy. Thomas Jefferson 's Notes on the State of Virginia was perhaps the first influential domestic cultural critique by an American and a reactionary piece to the prevailing European consensus that America 's domestic originality was degenerate. Prevalent ideas and ideals that evolved domestically, such as national holidays, uniquely American sports, military tradition, and innovations in the arts and entertainment give a strong sense of national pride among the population as a whole. American culture includes both conservative and liberal elements, scientific and religious competitiveness, political structures, risk taking and free expression, materialist and moral elements. Despite certain consistent ideological principles ( e.g. individualism, egalitarianism, faith in freedom and democracy ), the American culture has a variety of expressions due to its geographical scale and demographic diversity. Diaspora Americans have migrated to many places around the world, including Australia, Britain, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and the Philippines. A person born in Asia to one American and one Asian parent is called an Amerasian. Americans abroad and their descendants Africa Gambia Ghana Liberia Sierra Leone Americas Latin America Argentina Brazil Confederados New Texas Chile Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic ( African Americans ) Ecuador Guatemala Haiti Free Blacks Mexico Cherokee Kickapoo Mascogo Mormons New Virginia Uruguay Elsewhere Canada Black Nova Scotians New England Planters Six Nations United Empire Loyalists Asia China Hong Kong India Israel Black Hebrew Israelites Japan North Korea Pakistan Philippines Qatar United Arab Emirates Europe France African Americans Germany Ireland United Kingdom Oceania Australia New Zealand See also United States portal American ethnicity Americans and Canadians in Chile American studies Ancestry of the people of the United States Emigration from the United States Hispanic and Latino Americans Hyphenated American Immigration to the United States Making North America ( 2015 PBS film ) Names for United States citizens Race and ethnicity in the United States Stereotypes of Americans Footnotes Jump up ^ Of the foreign - born population from Europe ( 4,817 thousand ), in 2010, 61.8 % were naturalized. Jump up ^ Of the foreign - born population from Latin America and the Caribbean ( 21,224 thousand ), in 2010, 32.1 % were naturalized. Jump up ^ Of the foreign - born population from Africa ( 1,607 thousand ), in 2010, 46.1 % were naturalized. Jump up ^ Of the foreign - born population from Asia ( 11,284 thousand ), in 2010, 57.7 % were naturalized. Jump up ^ Of the foreign - born population from Northern America ( 807 thousand ), in 2010, 44.3 % were naturalized. Jump up ^ Of the foreign - born population from Oceania ( 217 thousand ), in 2010, 36.9 % were naturalized. References Jump up ^ `` U.S. Census Bureau Announces 2010 Census Population Counts -- Apportionment Counts Delivered to President '' ( Press release ). United States Census Bureau. December 21, 2010. Archived from the original on December 24, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2012. Jump up ^ `` U.S. and World Population Clock ''. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 22, 2015. Jump up ^ `` People live in Mexico, INEGI, 2010 ''. Jump up ^ Smith, Dr. Claire M. ( August 2010 ). `` These are our Numbers : Civilian Americans Overseas and Voter Turnout '' ( PDF ). OVF Research Newsletter. Overseas Vote Foundation. Retrieved December 11, 2012. Previous research indicates that the number of U.S. Americans living in Mexico is around 1 million, with 600,000 of those living in Mexico City. Jump up ^ `` Ethnic origins, 2006 counts, for Canada, provinces and territories - 20 % sample data ''. Statistics Canada. Government of Canada. June 10, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2013. Ethnic origins Americans Total responses 316,350 Jump up ^ Barrie McKenna ( June 27, 2012 ). `` Tax amnesty offered to Americans in Canada ''. The Globe and Mail. Ottawa. Retrieved December 17, 2012. There are roughly a million Americans in Canada -- many with little or no ties to the United States. Jump up ^ Evan S. Medeiros ; Keith Crane ; Eric Heginbotham ; Norman D. Levin ; Julia F. Lowell ( November 7, 2008 ). Pacific Currents : The Responses of U.S. Allies and Security Partners in East Asia to Chinaâ € TMs Rise. Rand Corporation. p. 115. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8330 - 4708 - 3. An estimated 4 million Filipino - Americans, most of whom are U.S. citizens or dual citizens, live in the United States, and over 250,000 U.S. citizens live in the Philippines. `` New U.S. ambassador to PH aims to ' strengthen ' ties ''. CNN Philippines. Metro Manila. December 2, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2017. According to his figures, there are about 4 million Filipino - Americans residing in the U.S., and 250,000 Americans living and working in the Philippines. Lozada, Aaron ( December 2, 2016 ). `` New U.S. envoy : Relationship with PH ' most important ' ''. ABS - CBN News. Manila. Retrieved March 20, 2017. According to Kim, the special relations between the U.S. and the Philippines is evident in the `` four million Filipino - Americans who are residing in the United States and 250,000 Americans living and working in the Philippines. '' Jump up ^ International Business Publications, USA ( August 1, 2013 ). Philippines Business Law Handbook : Strategic Information and Laws. Int'l Business Publications. p. 29. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4387 - 7078 - 9. An estimated 600,000 Americans visit the Philippines each year, while an estimated 300,000 reside in - country. Jump up ^ Cooper, Matthew ( November 15, 2013 ). `` Why the Philippines Is America 's Forgotten Colony ''. National Journal. Retrieved January 28, 2015. c. At the same time, person - to - person contacts are widespread : Some 600,000 Americans live in the Philippines and there are 3 million Filipino - Americans, many of whom are devoting themselves to typhoon relief. Jump up ^ `` BiB - Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung - Pressemitteilungen - Zuwanderung aus außereuropäischen Ländern fast verdoppelt ''. www.bib-demografie.de. Jump up ^ Daphna Berman ( January 23, 2008 ). `` Need an appointment at the U.S. Embassy ? Get on line ! ''. Haaretz. Retrieved December 11, 2012. According to estimates, some 200,000 American citizens live in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Jump up ^ Michele Chabin ( March 19, 2012 ). `` In vitro babies denied U.S. citizenship ''. USA Today. Jerusalem. Retrieved December 11, 2012. Most of the 200,000 U.S. citizens in Israel have dual citizenship, and fertility treatments are common because they are free. Jump up ^ `` Population by Country of Birth and Nationality Report, August 2012 '' ( PDF ). Office for National Statistics. August 30, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2012. Jump up ^ Simon Rogers ( May 26, 2011 ). `` The UK 's foreign - born population : see where people live and where they 're from ''. The Guardian. Retrieved February 17, 2013. County of birth and county of nationality. United States of America 197 143 Jump up ^ `` U.S. Citizen Services ''. Embassy of the United States Seoul, Korea. United States Department of State. Archived from the original on November 30, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2012. This website is updated daily and should be your primary resource when applying for a passport, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, notarization, or any of the other services we offer to the estimated 120,000 U.S. citizens traveling, living, and working in Korea. `` North Korea propganda video depicts invasion of South Korea, US hostage taking ''. Advertiser. Agence France - Presse. March 22, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2013. According to official immigration figures, South Korea has an American population of more than 130,000 civilians and 28,000 troops. Jump up ^ `` Background Note : Costa Rica ''. Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. United States Department of State. April 9, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2012. Over 130,000 private American citizens, including many retirees, reside in the country and more than 700,000 American citizens visit Costa Rica annually. Jump up ^ `` Americans in France ''. Embassy of the United States, Paris. United States Department of State. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015. Today, although no official figure is available it is estimated that over 100,000 American citizens reside in France, making France one of the top 10 destinations for American expatriates. Jump up ^ `` Major Figures on Residents from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and Foreigners Covered by 2010 Population Census ''. National Bureau of Statistics of China. April 29, 2011. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Immigrant and Emigrant Populations by Country of Origin and Destination ''. Migration Policy Institute. 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2017. Migrants from the United States in Brazil Number of migrants : 28,000 Jump up ^ `` Brazil ( 11 / 30 / 11 ) ''. Previous Editions of Brazil Background Note. United States Department of State. November 30, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2012. The consular section of the embassy, the consulates, and the consular agents provide vital services to the estimated 70,000 U.S. citizens residing in Brazil. Jump up ^ `` Colombia ( 03 / 28 / 13 ) ''. United States Department of State. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2014. Based on Colombian statistics, an estimated 60,000 U.S. citizens reside in Colombia and 280,000 U.S. citizens travel, study and do business in Colombia each year. Jump up ^ `` Hong Kong ( 10 / 11 / 11 ) ''. Previous Editions of Hong Kong Background Note. United States Department of State. October 11, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2012. There are some 1,400 U.S. firms, including 817 regional operations ( 288 regional headquarters and 529 regional offices ), and over 60,000 American residents in Hong Kong. Jump up ^ Barry Bearak ; Seth Mydans ( June 8, 2002 ). `` Many Americans, Unfazed, Go On Doing Business in India ''. New York Times. Retrieved December 17, 2012. The number of Americans living in India is often estimated at 60,000. Jump up ^ `` ibid, Ancestry ( full classification list ) by Sex -- Australia ''. Retrieved October 19, 2014. Jump up ^ Gishkori, Zahid ( July 30, 2015 ). `` Karachi has witnessed 43 % decrease in target killing : Nisar ''. The Express Tribune. Retrieved August 3, 2017. As many as 116,308 Afghan nationals are living as immigrants in the country, higher than any other country, '' Nisar told the House. Besides Afghans, 52,486 Americans, 79,447 British citizens and 17,320 Canadians are residing in the country, the interior minister added. Jump up ^ `` Table 10.1 Registered Foreigners by Nationality : 1950 - 2006 '' ( PDF ). Ministry of Justice,. Annual Report of Statistics on Legal Migrants. National Institute of Population and Social Security Research. 2008. Retrieved December 11, 2012. Jump up ^ Kelly Carter ( May 17, 2005 ). `` High cost of living crush Americans ' dreams of Italian living ''. USA Today. Positano, Italy. Retrieved December 17, 2012. Nearly 50,000 Americans lived in Italy at the end of 2003, according to Italy 's immigration office. Jump up ^ `` UAE  ́ s population -- by nationality ''. BQ Magazine. April 12, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015. Jump up ^ McKinley Jr. ; James C. ( January 17, 2010 ). `` For 45,000 Americans in Haiti, the Quake Was ' a Nightmare That 's Not Ending ' ''. New York Times. Retrieved February 27, 2015. Jump up ^ `` SAUDI - U.S. TRADE ''. Commerce Office. Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington D.C. Retrieved February 14, 2012. Furthermore, there are approximately 40,000 Americans living and working in the Kingdom. Jump up ^ `` Argentina ( 03 / 12 / 12 ) ''. Previous Editions of Argentina Background Note. United States Department of State. March 12, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2012. The Embassy 's Consular Section monitors the welfare and whereabouts of some 37,000 U.S. citizen residents of Argentina and more than 500,000 U.S. tourists each year. Jump up ^ `` Statistics Norway -- Persons with immigrant background by immigration category and country background. January 1, 2010 ''. Retrieved October 19, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Bahamas, The ( 01 / 25 / 12 ) ''. Previous Editions of Panama Background Note. United States Department of State. January 25, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2012. The countries share ethnic and cultural ties, especially in education, and The Bahamas is home to approximately 30,000 American residents. Jump up ^ Bertrand, Eva ( December 20, 2012 ). `` US citizens moving to Russia ''. Voice of Russia. Russia. Retrieved May 7, 2017. There are about 6.32 million American citizens living abroad, of those about 30,000 chose Russia, according to the Association of Americans Resident Overseas. Jump up ^ Kate King ( July 18, 2006 ). `` U.S. family : Get us out of Lebanon ''. CNN. Retrieved February 14, 2012. About 350 of the estimated 25,000 American citizens in Lebanon had been flown to Cyprus from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut by nightfall Tuesday, Maura Harty, the assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, told reporters. Jump up ^ `` Panama ( 03 / 09 ) ''. Previous Editions of Panama Background Note. United States Department of State. March 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2012. About 25,000 American citizens reside in Panama, many retirees from the Panama Canal Commission and individuals who hold dual nationality. Jump up ^ `` El Salvador ( 01 / 10 ) ''. United States Department of State. Retrieved April 11, 2014. More than 19,000 American citizens live and work full - time in El Salvador Jump up ^ `` North Americans : Facts and figures ''. Te Ara : The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Jump up ^ `` Honduras ( 11 / 23 / 09 ) ''. Previous Editions of Honduras Background Note. United States Department of State. November 23, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2012. U.S. - Honduran ties are further strengthened by numerous private sector contacts, with an average of between 80,000 and 110,000 U.S. citizens visiting Honduras annually and about 15,000 Americans residing there. Jump up ^ `` Chile ( 07 / 08 ) ''. Previous Editions of Chile Background Note. United States Department of State. July 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2012. The Consular Section of the Embassy provides vital services to the more than 12,000 U.S. citizens residing in Chile. Jump up ^ `` 06 - 08 外僑 居留 人數 Foreign Residents ''. National Immigration Agency, MOI. Department of Statistics, Ministry of the Interior. 2011. Archived from the original on January 6, 2007. Retrieved December 17, 2012. Jump up ^ `` STATISTIK AUSTRIA - Bevölkerung nach Staatsangehörigkeit und Geburtsland ''. Retrieved October 19, 2014. Jump up ^ https://www.czso.cz/documents/11292/27914491/1612_c01t14.pdf/4bbedd77-c239-48cd-bf5a-7a43f6dbf71b?version=1.0 Jump up ^ `` Bermuda ( 12 / 09 / 11 ) ''. Previous Editions of Bermuda Background Note. United States Department of State. December 9, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2012. An estimated 8,000 registered U.S. citizens live in Bermuda, many of them employed in the international business community. Jump up ^ Tatiana Morales ( August 2, 2009 ). `` Americans in Kuwait : When To Go ? ''. CBS News. Retrieved December 17, 2012. There are about 8,000 Americans who live in Kuwait. ^ Jump up to : Luis Lug ; Sandra Stencel ; John Green ; Gregory Smith ; Dan Cox ; Allison Pond ; Tracy Miller ; Elixabeth Podrebarac ; Michelle Ralston ( February 2008 ). `` U.S. Religious Landscape Survey '' ( PDF ). Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Pew Research Center. Retrieved February 12, 2012. ^ Jump up to : Christine Barbour ; Gerald C Wright ( January 15, 2013 ). Keeping the Republic : Power and Citizenship in American Politics, 6th Edition The Essentials. CQ Press. pp. 31 -- 33. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4522 - 4003 - 9. Retrieved January 6, 2015. Who Is An American ? Native - born and naturalized citizens Shklar, Judith N. ( 1991 ). American Citizenship : The Quest for Inclusion. The Tanner Lectures on Human Values. Harvard University Press. pp. 3 -- 4. ISBN 9780674022164. Retrieved December 17, 2012. Slotkin, Richard ( 2001 ). `` Unit Pride : Ethnic Platoons and the Myths of American Nationality ''. American Literary History. Oxford University Press. 13 ( 3 ) : 469 -- 498. doi : 10.1093 / alh / 13.3. 469. Retrieved December 17, 2012. But it also expresses a myth of American nationality that remains vital in our political and cultural life : the idealized self - image of a multiethnic, multiracial democracy, hospitable to differences but united by a common sense of national belonging. Eder, Klaus ; Giesen, Bernhard ( 2001 ). European Citizenship : Between National Legacies and Postnational Projects. Oxford University Press. pp. 25 -- 26. ISBN 9780199241200. Retrieved February 1, 2013. In inter-state relations, the American nation state presents its members as a monistic political body - despite ethnic and national groups in the interior. Petersen, William ; Novak, Michael ; Gleason, Philip ( 1982 ). Concepts of Ethnicity. Harvard University Press. p. 62. ISBN 9780674157262. Retrieved February 1, 2013. To be or to become an American, a person did not have to be of any particular national, linguistic, religious, or ethnic background. All he had to do was to commit himself to the political ideology centered on the abstract ideals of liberty, equality, and republicanism. Thus the universalist ideological character of American nationality meant that it was open to anyone who willed to become an American. Charles Hirschman ; Philip Kasinitz ; Josh Dewind ( November 4, 1999 ). The Handbook of International Migration : The American Experience. Russell Sage Foundation. p. 300. ISBN 978 - 1 - 61044 - 289 - 3. David Halle ( July 15, 1987 ). America 's Working Man : Work, Home, and Politics Among Blue Collar Property Owners. University of Chicago Press. p. 233. ISBN 978 - 0 - 226 - 31366 - 5. The first, and central, way involves the view that Americans are all those persons born within the boundaries of the United States or admitted to citizenship by the government. Jump up ^ Petersen, William ; Novak, Michael ; Gleason, Philip ( 1982 ). Concepts of Ethnicity. Harvard University Press. p. 62. ISBN 9780674157262. Retrieved February 1, 2013... from Thomas Paine 's plea in 1783... to Henry Clay 's remark in 1815... `` It is hard for us to believe... how conscious these early Americans were of the job of developing American character out of the regional and generational polaritities and contradictions of a nation of immigrants and migrants. ''... To be or to become an American, a person did not have to be of any particular national, linguistic, religious, or ethnic background. All he had to do was to commit himself to the political ideology centered on the abstract ideals of liberty, equality, and republicanism. Thus the universalist ideological character of American nationality meant that it was open to anyone who willed to become an American. Jump up ^ ( subscription required ) `` American ''. Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved November 27, 2008. Jump up ^ Merriam - Webster 's Dictionary of English Usage, p. 87. Retrieved November 28, 2008. Jump up ^ Fiorina, Morris P., and Paul E. Peterson ( 2000 ). The New American Democracy. London : Longman, p. 97. ISBN 0 - 321 - 07058 - 5. Jump up ^ U.S. Census Bureau. Foreign - Born Population Frequently asked Questions viewed January 19, 2015. The U.S. Census Bureau uses the terms native and native born to refer to anyone born in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. ^ Jump up to : Adams, J.Q., and Pearlie Strother - Adams ( 2001 ). Dealing with Diversity. Chicago : Kendall / Hunt. ISBN 0 - 7872 - 8145 - X. ^ Jump up to : Thompson, William, and Joseph Hickey ( 2005 ). Society in Focus. Boston : Pearson. ISBN 0 - 205 - 41365 - X. Jump up ^ Holloway, Joseph E. ( 2005 ). Africanisms in American Culture, 2d ed. Bloomington : Indiana University Press, pp. 18 -- 38. ISBN 0 - 253 - 34479 - 4. Johnson, Fern L. ( 1999 ). Speaking Culturally : Language Diversity in the United States. Thousand Oaks, California, London, and New Delhi : Sage, p. 116. ISBN 0 - 8039 - 5912 - 5. Jump up ^ Jay Tolson ( July 28, 2008 ). `` A Growing Trend of Leaving America ''. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved December 17, 2012. Estimates made by organizations such as the Association of Americans Resident Overseas put the number of nongovernment - employed Americans living abroad anywhere between 4 million and 7 million, a range whose low end is based loosely on the government 's trial count in 1999. Jump up ^ `` 6.32 million Americans ( excluding military ) live in 160 - plus countries ''. Association of Americans Resident Overseas. Retrieved December 17, 2012. The total is the highest released to date : close to 6.32 million. Jump up ^ `` The American Diaspora ''. Esquire. Hurst Communications, Inc. Retrieved December 17, 2012. he most frequently cited estimate of nonmilitary U.S. citizens living overseas is between three and six million, based on a very rough State Department calculation in 1999 -- and never updated. ^ Jump up to : Karen R. Humes ; Nicholas A. Jones ; Roberto R. Ramirez ( March 2011 ). `` Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin : 2010 '' ( PDF ). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Race, Combinations of Two Races, and Not Hispanic or Latino : 2010 ''. 2010 Census Summary File 1. United States Census Bureau. 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Our Diverse Population : Race and Hispanic Origin, 2000 '' ( PDF ). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 24, 2008. ^ Jump up to : `` Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity ''. Office of Management and Budget. Archived from the original on March 15, 2009. Retrieved May 5, 2008. ^ Jump up to : Grieco, Elizabeth M ; Rachel C. Cassidy. `` Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin : 2000 '' ( PDF ). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 2, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Detailed Tables - American FactFinder ; T3 - 2008. Race ( 7 ) ''. 2008 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 28, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Detailed Tables - American FactFinder ; T4 - 2008. Hispanic or Latino By Race ( 15 ) ''. 2008 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 28, 2010. ^ Jump up to : Grieco, Elizabeth M. ; Acosta, Yesenia D. ; de la Cruz, G. Patricia ; Gamino, Christina ; Gryn, Thomas ; Larsen, Luke J. ; Trevelyan, Edward N. ; Walters, Nathan P. ( May 2012 ). `` The Foreign Born Population in the United States : 2010 '' ( PDF ). American Community Survey Reports. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 27, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Lindsay Hixson ; Bradford B. Hepler ; Myoung Ouk Kim ( September 2011 ). `` The White Population : 2010 '' ( PDF ). United States Census Bureau. United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved November 20, 2012. Jump up ^ Bernstein, Robert ( May 17, 2012 ). `` Most Children Younger Than Age 1 are Minorities, Census Bureau Reports ''. United States Census Bureau. United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved December 16, 2012. Jump up ^ Ohio State University. Diversity Dictionary. 2006. September 4, 2006. OSU.edu Jump up ^ `` A Spanish Expedition Established St. Augustine in Florida ''. Library of Congress. Retrieved March 27, 2009. Jump up ^ D.H. Figueredo ( 2007 ). Latino Chronology : Chronologies of the American Mosaic. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 35. ISBN 978 - 0 - 313 - 34154 - 0. ^ Jump up to : `` Selected Social Characteristics in the United States ( DP02 ) : 2014 American Community Survey 1 - Year Estimates ''. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 10, 2016. Jump up ^ Sharing the Dream : White Males in a Multicultural America By Dominic J. Pulera. Jump up ^ Reynolds Farley, ' The New Census Question about Ancestry : What Did It Tell Us ? ', Demography, Vol. 28, No. 3 ( August 1991 ), pp. 414, 421. Jump up ^ Stanley Lieberson and Lawrence Santi, ' The Use of Nativity Data to Estimate Ethnic Characteristics and Patterns ', Social Science Research, Vol. 14, No. 1 ( 1985 ), pp. 44 - 6. Jump up ^ Stanley Lieberson and Mary C. Waters, ' Ethnic Groups in Flux : The Changing Ethnic Responses of American Whites ', Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 487, No. 79 ( September 1986 ), pp. 82 - 86. Jump up ^ `` Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States : 2004 '' ( PDF ). Jump up ^ `` Median household income newsbrief, US Census Bureau 2005 ''. Archived from the original on September 3, 2006. Retrieved September 24, 2006. Jump up ^ `` US Census Bureau, Personal income for Asian Americans, age 25 +, 2006 ''. Archived from the original on September 29, 2006. Retrieved December 17, 2006. ^ Jump up to : `` B04006, People Reporting Ancestry ''. 2009 - 2011 American Community Survey. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 23, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Table 52. Population by Selected Ancestry Group and Region : 2009 '' ( PDF ). 2009 American Community Survey. United States Census Bureau. January 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2012. Jump up ^ Sharon R. Ennis ; Merarys Ríos - Vargas ; Nora G. Albert ( May 2011 ). `` The Hispanic Population : 2010 '' ( PDF ). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 14 ( Table 6 ). Retrieved July 11, 2011. ^ Jump up to : Bureau, U.S. Census. `` American FactFinder - Results ''. factfinder2.census.gov. Jump up ^ Humes, Karen R. ; Jones, Nicholas A. ; Ramirez, Roberto R. `` Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin : 2010 '' ( PDF ). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved March 28, 2011. `` Hispanic or Latino '' refers to a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race. Jump up ^ Grieco, Elizabeth M. ; Rachel C. Cassidy. `` Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin : 2000 '' ( PDF ). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 27, 2008. Jump up ^ `` T4 - 2007. Hispanic or Latino By Race ( 15 ) ''. 2007 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 10, 2010. Jump up ^ `` B03002. Hispanic or Latino origin by race ''. 2007 American Community Survey 1 - Year Estimates. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 2, 2010. Jump up ^ Tafoya, Sonya ( December 6, 2004 ). `` Shades of Belonging '' ( PDF ). Pew Hispanic Center. Retrieved May 7, 2008. Jump up ^ Sharon R. Ennis ; Merarys Ríos - Vargas ; Nora G. Albert ( May 2011 ). `` The Hispanic Population : 2010 '' ( PDF ). United States Census Bureau. United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved September 9, 2012. Jump up ^ `` 2010 Census Shows Nation 's Hispanic Population Grew Four Times Faster Than Total U.S. Population ''. United States Census Bureau. United States Department of Commerce. May 26, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Race, Ethnicity, and Language data - Standardization for Health Care Quality Improvement '' ( PDF ). Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Retrieved May 10, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Sonya Tastogi ; Tallese D. Johnson ; Elizabeth M. Hoeffel ; Malcolm P. Drewery, Jr. ( September 2011 ). `` The Black Population : 2010 '' ( PDF ). United States Census Bureau. United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved September 11, 2012. Jump up ^ McKinnon, Jesse. `` The Black Population : 2000 United States Census Bureau '' ( PDF ). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 22, 2007. Jump up ^ United States -- ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates : 2009. Factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved December 9, 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` 2010 Census Shows Black Population has Highest Concentration in the South ''. United States Census Bureau. United States Department of Commerce. September 29, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2012. Jump up ^ `` The size and regional distribution of the black population ''. Lewis Mumford Center. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 1, 2007. Jump up ^ `` '' African American '' in the American Heritage Dictionary ``. Yahoo. Retrieved October 19, 2014. Jump up ^ `` New World Exploration and English Ambition ''. The Terrible Transformation. PBS. Archived from the original on June 14, 2007. Retrieved September 11, 2011. Jump up ^ Gomez, Michael A. ( 1998 ). Exchanging Our Country Marks : The Transformation of African Identities in the Colonial and Antebellum South. University of North Carolina Press. p. 384. ISBN 9780807846940. Jump up ^ Wood, Gordon S. ( 2002 ). The American revolution : a history. Modern Library. p. 55. ISBN 9780679640578. Jump up ^ Liberty ! The American Revolution ( Documentary ) Episode II : Blows Must Decide : 1774 - 1776. © 1997 Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. ISBN 1 - 4157 - 0217 - 9 Jump up ^ Foner, Philip Sheldon ( 1976 ). Blacks in the American Revolution. Volume 55 of Contributions in American history. Greenwood Press. p. 70. ISBN 9780837189468. Jump up ^ `` Black Loyalists ''. Black Presence. The National Archives. Retrieved September 11, 2012. Jump up ^ Nicholas Boston ; Jennifer Hallam ( 2004 ). `` Freedom & Emancipation ''. Educational Broadcasting Corporation. Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved September 11, 2012. Jump up ^ `` 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution ''. ourdocuments.gov. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved September 11, 2012. Jump up ^ `` The Fifteenth Amendment in Flesh and Blood ''. Office of the Clerk. United States House of Representatives. Retrieved September 11, 2012. Jump up ^ Walter, Hazen ( 2004 ). American Black History. Lorenz Educational Press. p. 37. ISBN 9780787706036. Retrieved September 11, 2012. Jump up ^ `` The Prize ''. We Shall Overcome. National Park Service. Retrieved September 11, 2012. Jump up ^ Kusow, AM. `` African Immigrants in the United States : Implications for Affirmative Action ''. Iowa State University. Retrieved May 10, 2016. Jump up ^ Mwakikagile, Godfrey ( 2007 ). Relations Between Africans and African Americans : Misconceptions, Myths and Realities. New Africa Press. p. 196. ISBN 0980253454. Retrieved May 10, 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` 2010 United States Census statistics '' ( PDF ). ^ Jump up to : `` B02001. RACE -- Universe : TOTAL POPULATION ''. 2008 American Community Survey 1 - Year Estimates. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 25, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` Asian / Pacific American Heritage Month : May 2011 ''. Facts for Features. U.S. Census Bureau. December 7, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2012. Jump up ^ Shan Li ( May 3, 2013 ). `` Asian Americans had higher poverty rate than whites in 2011, study says ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 6, 2013. In 2011, for example, nearly a third of Asians in the U.S. lived in the metropolitan regions around Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. `` Selected Population Profile in the United States ''. U.S. Census. U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2011. Jump up ^ Meizhu Lui, Barbara Robles, Betsy Leondar - Wright, Rose Brewer, and Rebecca Adamson ( 2006 ). The Color of Wealth. The New Press. CS1 maint : Uses authors parameter ( link ) Jump up ^ `` US Census Bureau report on educational attainment in the United States, 2003 '' ( PDF ). Retrieved July 31, 2006. Jump up ^ `` The American Community - Asians : 2004 '' ( PDF ). U.S. Census Bureau. February 2007. Retrieved September 5, 2007. Jump up ^ Chou, Rosalind ; Joe R. Feagin ( 2008 ). The myth of the model minority : Asian Americans facing racism. Paradigm Publishers. p. x. ISBN 978 - 1 - 59451 - 586 - 6. Retrieved February 9, 2011. Jump up ^ Tamar Lewin ( June 10, 2008 ). `` Report Takes Aim at ' Model Minority ' Stereotype of Asian - American Students ''. New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Tojo Thatchenkery ( March 31, 2000 ). `` Asian Americans Under the Model Minority Gaze ''. International Association of Business Disciplines National Conference. modelminority.com. Retrieved February 26, 2012. Jump up ^ `` The Journey from Gold Mountain : The Asian American Experience '' ( PDF ). Japanese American Citizens League. 2006. p. 3. Retrieved November 27, 2016. Jump up ^ `` California Declares Filipino American History Month ''. San Francisco Business Times. September 10, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2011. ^ Jump up to : Hune, Shirley ; Takeuchi, David T. ; Andresen, Third ; Hong, Seunghye ; Kang, Julie ; Redmond, Mavae'Aho ; Yeo, Jeomja ( April 2009 ). `` Asian Americans in Washington State : Closing Their Hidden Achievement Gaps '' ( PDF ). Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs. State of Washington. Retrieved February 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Nicole Duran ( November 3, 2011 ). `` Asian - Americans Are Fastest - Growing Minority Population ''. National Journal. Retrieved February 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Lien, Pei - te ; Mary Margaret Conway ; Janelle Wong ( 2004 ). The politics of Asian Americans : diversity and community. Psychology Press. p. 7. ISBN 978 - 0 - 415 - 93465 - 7. Retrieved February 9, 2012. In addition, because of their perceived racial difference, rapid and continuous immigration from Asia, and on going detente with communist regimes in Asia, Asian Americans are construed as `` perpetual foreigners '' who can not or will not adapt to the language, customs, religions, and politics of the American mainstream. Jump up ^ Wu, Frank H. ( 2003 ). Yellow : race in America beyond black and white. Basic Books. p. 79. ISBN 978 - 0 - 465 - 00640 - 3. Retrieved February 9, 2012. Jump up ^ `` History Crash Course # 55 : Jews and the Founding of America '' Spiro, Rabbi Ken. Aish.com. Published December 8, 2001. Accessed December 12, 2015. `` The first Jews arrived in America with Columbus in 1492, and we also know that Jews newly - converted to Christianity were among the first Spaniards to arrive in Mexico with Conquistador Hernando Cortez in 1519. '' ^ Jump up to : `` Arab Americans : An Integral Part of American Society '' Arab American National Museum. Published 2009. Accessed December 12, 2015. `` Zammouri, the first Arab American... traveled over 6,000 miles between 1528 and 1536, trekking across the American Southwest. '' Jump up ^ `` Timeline in American Jewish History '' American Jewish Archives. Accessed December 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` The American Jewish Experience through the Nineteenth Century : Immigration and Acculturation '' Golden, Jonathan, and Jonathan D. Sarna. National Humanities Center. Brandeis University. Accessed December 12, 2015. Jump up ^ Netanyahu, Benzion. The Origins of the Inquisition in Fifteenth Century Spain. New York : Random House, 1995. Hardcover. 1390 pages. p. 1085. Jump up ^ `` Conversos & Crypto - Jews '' City of Albuquerque. Accessed December 12, 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Dept. of Justice Affirms in 1909 Whether Syrians, Turks, and Arabs are of White or Yellow Race '' Arab American Historical Foundation. Accessed December 14, 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Lobbying for a ' MENA ' category on U.S. Census '' Wiltz, Teresea. USA Today. Published October 7, 2014. Accessed December 14, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Proceedings of the Asiatic Exclusion League '' San Francisco : November 1909. Pg. 6. Accessed December 14, 2015. `` As to the Syrians, it must be admitted that for 1500 years before Christ they trace their descent from the Hebraic branch of the Semitic family of the Indo - Aryan race, but the Mongolian incursion of the first and thirteenth centuries, when the male Syrians were slain and the females taken to wife by their Mongol conquerors, so altered their racial composition that centuries of contact with the western nations have been unable to restore their original characteristics. '' Jump up ^ `` Proceedings of the Asiatic Exclusion League '' Asiatic Exclusion League. San Francisco : April 1910. Pg. 7. `` To amend section twenty - one hundred and sixty - nine of the Revised Statutes of the United States. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that section twenty - one hundred and sixty - nine of the Revised Statutes of the United States be, and the same is hereby, amended by adding thereto the following : And Mongolians, Malays, and other Asiatics, except Armenians, Assyrians, and Jews, shall not be naturalized in the United States. '' Jump up ^ Three Anti-Jewish Hate Crimes Prosecuted In April In Texas, Utah And New Mexico United States Department of Defense. Civil Rights Division. Published May 2014. Accessed December 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Unraveling Anti-Semitic 9 / 11 Conspiracy Theories '' Foxman, Abraham H. and Glen A. Tobias. Gorowitz Institute. ADL.com. Published September 2, 2003. Accessed December 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` HIGH COURT HOLDS 1866 RACE - BIAS LAW IS A BROADER TOOL '' Taylor, Stuart Jr. Published May 19, 1987. Accessed December 14, 2015. Jump up ^ `` HIGH COURT HOLDS 1866 RACE - BIAS LAW IS A BROADER TOOL '' Taylor, Stuart Jr. Published May 19, 1987. Accessed December 14, 2015. `` In its two decisions today, the Court upheld the rights of an Iraqi - American associate professor to use the law in a suit asserting that he was denied tenure because of his Arab origins and of a Jewish congregation to use it in a damage suit against eight men accused of spray - painting its synagogue with large Nazi and anti-Semitic symbols and slogans. '' Jump up ^ `` A Portrait of Jewish Americans : Findings from a Pew Research Center Survey of U.S. Jews '' ( PDF ). Pew Research Center. October 1, 2013. p. 46. Retrieved August 19, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Jews Are a ' Race ', Genes Reveal ''. Entine, Jon. The Jewish Daily Forward. Forward.com. Published May 4, 2012. Accessed December 13, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Jewish and Middle Eastern non-Jewish populations share a common pool of Y - chromosome biallelic haplotypes '' M.F. Hammer, A.J. Redd, E.T. Wood, M.R. Bonner, H. Jarjanazi, T. Karafet, S. Santachiara - Benerecetti, A. Oppenheim ‖, M.A. Jobling, T. Jenkins ‡ ‡, H. Ostrer, and B. Bonné - Tamir §. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Published June 6, 2000. Accessed December 13, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Public Comments to NCT Federal Register Notice '' ( PDF ). U.S. Census Bureau ; Department of Commerce. Retrieved December 13, 2015. Jump up ^ `` 2015 National Content Test '' ( PDF ). U.S. Census Bureau. pp. 33 -- 34. Retrieved December 13, 2015. The Census Bureau is undertaking related mid-decade research for coding and classifying detailed national origins and ethnic groups, and our consultations with external experts on the Asian community have also suggested Sikh receive a unique code classified under Asian. The Census Bureau does not currently tabulate on religious responses to the race or ethnic questions ( e.g., Sikh, Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, Lutheran, etc. ). Jump up ^ `` 2015 National Content Test '' ( PDF ). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 60. Retrieved December 13, 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Table 1. First, Second, and Total Responses to the Ancestry Question by Detailed Ancestry Code : 2000 '' ( XLS ). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 2, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported : 2010 American Community Survey 1 - Year Estimates ''. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 30, 2012. ^ Jump up to : Ira Sheskin ; Arnold Dashefsky ( 2010 ). `` Jewish Population in the United States, 2010 '' ( PDF ). Mandell L. Berman Institute North American Jewish Data Bank, Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, University of Connecticut. Brandeis University. Retrieved November 16, 2015. Jump up ^ Heather Brown ; Emily Guskin ; Amy Mitchell ( November 28, 2012 ). `` Arab - American Population Growth ''. Arab - American Media. Pew Research Center. Retrieved November 6, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Arab American Institute -- Texas '' ( PDF ). Arab American Institute. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on February 7, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Arab Americans : Demographics ''. Arab American Institute. 2006. Archived from the original on June 1, 2006. Retrieved November 16, 2015. Jump up ^ Gabriel Habib ( March 17, 2004 ). ``... And What About Arab Christians ? ''. Al - Hewar Center, Virginia. Retrieved November 16, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Table 1. First, Second, and Total Responses to the Ancestry Question by Detailed Ancestry Code : 2000 ''. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported 2010 American Community Survey 1 - Year Estimates ''. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 30, 2012. Jump up ^ `` B04003. TOTAL ANCESTRY REPORTED ''. 2008 American Community Survey 1 - Year Estimates. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2010. ^ Jump up to : Tina Norris ; Paula L. Vines ; Elizabeth M. Hoeffel ( January 2012 ). `` The American Indian and Alaska Native Population : 2010 '' ( PDF ). United States Census Bureau. United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved September 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Kathryn Walbert. `` American Indian vs. Native American : A note on terminology ''. Kearn NC. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved September 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Clyde Tucker ; Brian Kojetin ; Rodrick Harrison ( 1996 ). `` A Statistical Analysis of the CPS Supplement on Race and Ethnic Origin '' ( PDF ). United States Census Bureau. United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved September 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Axelrod, Alan ( 2003 ). The Complete Idiot 's Guide to American History. Complete Idiot 's Guide to. Penguin. p. 4. ISBN 9780028644646. Retrieved September 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Magoc, Chris J. ( 2011 ). Chronology of Americans and the Environment. ABC - CLIO. p. 1. ISBN 9781598844115. Retrieved September 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Columbus, Christopher ; de las Casas, Bartolomé ; Dunn, Oliver ; Kelley, James Edward ( 1991 ). de las Casas, Bartolomé ; Dunn, Oliver, eds. The Diario of Christopher Columbus 's First Voyage to America, 1492 - 1493. Volume 70 of American Exploration and Travel Series. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 491. ISBN 9780806123844. Retrieved September 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Rodriguez, Arturo B. ( 2000 ). U.S. Citizenship Guidebook. Sinagtala Educational Resources. p. 82. ISBN 9780967989808. Retrieved September 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Bianchine, Peter J. ; Russo, Thomas A. ( 1992 ). `` The Role of Epidemic Infectious Diseases in the Discovery of America ''. Allergy and Asthma Proceedings. OceanSide Publications, Inc. 13 ( 5 ) : 225 -- 232. doi : 10.2500 / 108854192778817040. PMID 1483570. Retrieved September 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Thornton, Russell ( 1987 ). American Indian Holocaust and Survival : A Population History Since 1492. Volume 186 of Civilization of the American Indian Series. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 49. ISBN 9780806122205. Retrieved September 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Kessel, William B. ; Wooster, Robert ( 2005 ). Encyclopedia Of Native American Wars And Warfare. Facts on File library of American History. Infobase Publishing. p. 398. ISBN 9780816033379. Retrieved September 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Thornton, Russell ( 1987 ). American Indian Holocaust and Survival : A Population History Since 1492. Volume 186 of Civilization of the American Indian Series. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 132. ISBN 9780806122205. Retrieved September 9, 2012. From whatever cause wars may be brought on, either between different Indian tribes or between indians and whites, they are very destructive, not only of the lives of the warriors engaged in it, but of the women and children also, often becoming a war of extermination. Jump up ^ `` Early History, Native Americans, and Early Settlers in Mercer County ''. Mercer County Historical Society. Retrieved September 9, 2012. Jump up ^ R. David Edmunds ( March 14, 2006 ). `` Native American Displacement Amid U.S. Expansion ''. KERA. Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved September 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Blond, Becca ; Dunford, Lisa ; Schulte - Peevers, Andrea ( 2008 ). Southwest USA. Country Regional Guides. Lonely Planet. p. 37. ISBN 9781741047134. Retrieved September 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Gallay, Alan ( 2010 ). Indian Slavery in Colonial America. University of Nebraska Press. p. 448. ISBN 9780803222007. Retrieved September 8, 2012. Jump up ^ Woods Weierman, Karen ( 2005 ). One Nation, One Blood : Interracial Marriage In American Fiction, Scandal, and Law, 1820 - 1870. University of Massachusetts Press. p. 44. ISBN 9781558494831. Retrieved September 9, 2012. Jump up ^ Mann, Kaarin ( 2007 ). `` Interracial Marriage In Early America : Motivation and the Colonial Project '' ( PDF ). Michigan Journal of History. University of Michigan ( Fall ). Retrieved September 8, 2012. Jump up ^ `` American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month : November 2011 ''. United States Census Bureau. United States Department of Commerce. November 1, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2012. ^ Jump up to : Lindsay Hixson ; Bradford B. Hepler ; Myoung Ouk Kim ( May 2012 ). `` The Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Population : 2010 '' ( PDF ). United States Census Bureau. United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved September 11, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Fact Sheet : What You should Know About Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders ( NHPI 's ) '' ( PDF ). White House Initiative on Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders ( WHIAAPI ). United States Department of Education. Retrieved September 11, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Asian / Pacific American Heritage Month : May 2011 ''. United States Census Bureau. United States Department of Commerce. April 29, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2012. ^ Jump up to : Karen R. Humes ; Nicholas A. Jones ; Roberto R. Ramirez ( March 2011 ). `` Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin : 2010 '' ( PDF ). 2010 Census Briefs. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 22, 2013. Jump up ^ Jones, Nicholas A. ; Amy Symens Smith. `` The Two or More Races Population : 2000. Census 2000 Brief '' ( PDF ). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 8, 2008. Jump up ^ Ewen MacAskill ; Nicholas Watt ( May 20, 2011 ). `` Obama looks forward to rediscovering his Irish roots on European tour ''. The Guardian. London. Retrieved August 3, 2011. Jump up ^ Mason, Jeff ( May 23, 2011 ). `` Obama visits family roots in Ireland ''. Reuters. Retrieved August 3, 2011. Jump up ^ Oscar Avila ( April 4, 2010 ). `` Obama 's census - form choice : ' Black ' ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 22, 2013. Jump up ^ Sam Roberts ; Peter Baker ( April 2, 2010 ). `` Asked to Declare His Race, Obama Checks ' Black ' ''. New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2013. Jump up ^ Nocholas A. Jones ; Jungmiwka Bullock ( September 2012 ). `` The Two or More Races Population : 2010 '' ( PDF ). United States Census Bureau. United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved November 18, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin : 2010 '' ( PDF ). Jump up ^ `` United States ''. Modern Language Association. Retrieved September 2, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Table 53 -- Languages Spoken at Home by Language : 2007 '' ( PDF ). Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 21, 2009. Jump up ^ `` Foreign Language Enrollments in United States Institutions of Higher Learning '' ( PDF ). MLA. Fall 2002. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on November 27, 1999. Retrieved October 16, 2006. Jump up ^ Feder, Jody ( January 25, 2007 ). `` English as the Official Language of the United States -- Legal Background and Analysis of Legislation in the 110th Congress '' ( PDF ). Ilw.com ( Congressional Research Service ). Retrieved June 19, 2007. Jump up ^ `` The Constitution of the State of Hawaii, Article XV, Section 4 ''. Hawaii Legislative Reference Bureau. November 7, 1978. Archived from the original on July 5, 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2007. Jump up ^ Dicker, Susan J. ( 2003 ). Languages in America : A Pluralist View. Clevedon, UK : Multilingual Matters. pp. 216, 220 -- 25. ISBN 1 - 85359 - 651 - 5. Jump up ^ `` California Code of Civil Procedure, Section 412.20 ( 6 ) ''. Legislative Counsel, State of California. Retrieved December 17, 2007. `` California Judicial Council Forms ''. Judicial Council, State of California. Retrieved December 17, 2007. Jump up ^ `` America 's Changing Religious Landscape ''. The Pew Forum. May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` U.S. Stands Alone in its Embrace of Religion ''. Pew Global Attitudes Project. Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2007. Jump up ^ Eck, Diana ( 2002 ). A New Religious America : the World 's Most Religiously Diverse Nation. HarperOne. p. 432. ISBN 978 - 0 - 06 - 062159 - 9. ^ Jump up to : Kosmin, Barry A. ; Keysar, Ariela ( March 2009 ). `` American Religious Identification Survey ( ARIS ) 2008 : Summary Report '' ( PDF ). Hartford, Connecticut, USA : Trinity College. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on April 7, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009. Jump up ^ `` CIA Fact Book ''. CIA World Fact Book. 2002. Archived from the original on January 9, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2007. Jump up ^ `` Religious Composition of the U.S. '' ( PDF ). U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. 2007. Archived ( PDF ) from the original on May 6, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2009. Jump up ^ Newport, Frank ( July 28, 2008 ). `` Belief in God Far Lower in Western U.S. '' The Gallup Organization. Archived from the original on August 28, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2010. Jump up ^ Feldman, Noah ( 2005 ). Divided by God. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, pg. 10 ( `` For the first time in recorded history, they designed a government with no established religion at all. '' ) Jump up ^ Marsden, George M. 1990. Religion and American Culture. Orlando : Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, pp. 45 -- 46. Jump up ^ Carlos E. Cortés ( September 3, 2013 ). Multicultural America : A Multimedia Encyclopedia. SAGE Publications. p. 220. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4522 - 7626 - 7. The dominance of English and Anglo values in U.S. culture is evident in the country 's major institutions, demonstrating the melting pot model. Jump up ^ Kirschbaum, Erik ( 1986 ). The eradication of German culture in the United States, 1917 - 1918. H. - D. Heinz. p. 155. ISBN 3 - 88099 - 617 - 2. Jump up ^ Peter J. Parish ( January 1997 ). Reader 's Guide to American History. Taylor & Francis. p. 276. ISBN 978 - 1 - 884964 - 22 - 0. However, France was second only to Britain in its influence upon the formation of American politics and culture. Jump up ^ Marilyn J. Coleman ; Lawrence H. Ganong ( September 16, 2014 ). The Social History of the American Family : An Encyclopedia. SAGE Publications. p. 775. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4522 - 8615 - 0. As the communities grew and prospered, Italian food, entertainment, and music influenced American life and culture. ^ Jump up to : `` Mr. Jefferson and the giant moose : natural history in early America '', Lee Alan Dugatkin. University of Chicago Press, 2009. ISBN 0 - 226 - 16914 - 6, ISBN 978 - 0 - 226 - 16914 - 9. University of Chicago Press, 2009. Chapter x. Jump up ^ M.D.R. Evans ; Jonathan Kelley ( January 2004 ). Religion, Morality and Public Policy in International Perspective, 1984 - 2002. Federation Press. p. 302. ISBN 978 - 1 - 86287 - 451 - 0. Jump up ^ `` America tops in national pride survey finds ''. NBC News. Associated Press. June 27, 2006. Retrieved October 22, 2014. Elizabeth Theiss - Morse ( July 27, 2009 ). Who Counts as an American ? : The Boundaries of National Identity. Cambridge University Press. p. 133. ISBN 978 - 1 - 139 - 48891 - 4. Demographics of the United States Demographic history By economic and social Affluence Educational attainment Emigration Home - ownership Household income Immigration Income inequality Language LGBT Middle classes Personal income Poverty Social class Unemployment by state Wealth By religion Baha'is Buddhists Christians Catholics Coptics Protestants Hindus Jains Jews Muslims Ahmadiyyas Neopagans Non-religious Rastafaris Scientologists Sikhs Zoroastrians By continent and ethnicity Africa African diaspora in the Americas Afro - Caribbean / West Indian Americans Bahamian Americans Belizean Americans Guyanese Americans Haitian Americans Jamaican Americans Trinidadian and Tobagonian Americans Black Hispanic and Latino Americans African immigrants to the United States Central Africans in the United States Horn Africans in the United States North Africans in the United States Southeast Africans in the United States Southern Africans in the United States West Africans in the United States Asia Asian Hispanic and Latino Americans East Asia Chinese Americans Hong Kong Americans Tibetan Americans Japanese Americans Korean Americans Mongolian Americans Taiwanese Americans South Asia Bangladeshi Americans Bhutanese Americans Indian Americans Nepalese Americans Pakistani Americans Romani Americans Sri Lankan Americans Southeast Asia Burmese Americans Cambodian Americans Filipino Americans Hmong Americans Indonesian Americans Laotian Americans Malaysian Americans Singaporean Americans Thai Americans Vietnamese Americans West Asia Arab Americans Assyrian Americans Iranian Americans Israeli Americans Jewish Americans Europe White Americans English Americans French Americans German Americans Irish Americans Italian Americans Scandinavian Americans Slavic Americans Spanish Americans Non-Hispanic whites White Hispanic and Latino Americans Oceania Pacific Islands Americans Chamorro Americans Native Hawaiians Samoan Americans Tongan Americans Euro Oceanic Americans Australian Americans New Zealand Americans North America Native Americans and Alaska Natives Canadian Americans Cuban Americans Mexican Americans Puerto Ricans ( Stateside ) South America Hispanic and Latino Americans Brazilian Americans Colombian Americans Ecuadorian Americans Multiethnic Melungeon People of the United States / Americans American ancestry Maps of American ancestries 2010 Census Race and ethnicity in the Census Race and ethnicity in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Racism European Americans Central Europe Austrian Czech German Amish German Texan Pennsylvania Dutch German Mennonites from Russia Hungarian Hungarian Ohioans Kashubian Liechtensteiner Luxembourgian Polish Slovak Slovene Sorbian Swiss Eastern Europe Azerbaijani Belarusian Chechen Georgian Kazakh Russian Cossack Kalmyk Ukrainian Cossack Rusyn Northern Europe Danish Estonian Faroese Finnish Icelandic Latvian Lithuanian Norwegian Norwegian Dakotan Norwegian Minnesotan Sami Swedish Southeast Europe Albanian Bosnian Bulgarian Cypriot Croatian Greek Macedonian Moldovan Montenegrin Romanian Serbian Alaskan Serbs Turkish Southern Europe Italian Sicilian Maltese Monacan Portuguese Sanmarinese Spanish Asturian Basque Canarian Catalan Galician Hispano Western Europe Belgian Flemish British Cornish English Manx Scots - Irish / Ulster Scots Scottish Welsh Dutch French Basque Breton Cajun Corsican Frisian Irish Other Europeans Non-Hispanic whites Métis Roma Hungarian Slovak Romanies Louisiana Creole Cajun Isleños By region California Hawaii White Southerners Poles came to the United States legally as Austrians, Germans, Prussians or Russians throughout the 19th century, because from 1772 -- 1795 till 1918, all Polish lands had been partitioned between imperial Austria, Prussia ( a protoplast of Germany ) and Russia until Poland regained its sovereignty in the wake of World War I. Russia is a transcontinental country in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. The vast majority of its population ( 80 % ) lives in European Russia, therefore Russia as a whole is included as a European country here. Yugoslav Americans are the American people from the former Yugoslavia. Turkey is a transcontinental country in the Middle East and Southeast Europe. Has a small part of its territory ( 3 % ) in Southeast Europe called Turkish Thrace. Azerbaijan and Georgia are transcontinental countries. They have a small part of their territories in the European part of the Caucasus. Kazakhstan is technically a bicontinental country, having a small portion in European hands. Disputed ; Roma have recognized origins and historic ties to Asia ( specifically to Northern India ), but they experienced at least some distinctive identity development while in diaspora among Europeans. African American topics History Atlantic slave trade Maafa Slavery in the United States Partus sequitur ventrem Free negro Reconstruction Era Military history of African Americans Jim Crow laws Nadir of American race relations Redlining Great Migration Civil Rights Movement 1865 -- 95 / 1896 -- 1954 / 1954 -- 68 Black Power movement Second Great Migration Afrocentrism New Great Migration Post-Civil Rights era Inauguration of Barack Obama 2009 / Inauguration of Barack Obama 2013 Black Lives Matter Culture Art African - American names Black mecca Dance Film Juneteenth Kwanzaa Literature Music Musical theater Neighborhoods Sexual orientation Soul food Education, science and technology Black schools Black colleges and universities Museums African - American studies Inventors and scientists Women in computer science in medicine in STEM fields Religion Black church Black theology Doctrine of Father Divine American Society of Muslims Nation of Islam Black Hebrew Israelites Political movements Pan-Africanism Self - determination Nationalism Black Power Black fist Anarchism Capitalism Conservatism Populism Leftism Garveyism Back - to - Africa movement Civic and economic groups National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP ) Southern Christian Leadership Conference ( SCLC ) Congress of Racial Equality ( CORE ) Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ( SNCC ) Black Panther Party National Urban League ( NUL ) Rights organizations Association for the Study of African American Life and History ( ASALH ) Thurgood Marshall College Fund United Negro College Fund ( UNCF ) National Black Chamber of Commerce ( NBCC ) National Pan-Hellenic Council ( NPHC ) National Council of Negro Women ( NCNW ) Sports Negro league baseball Baseball color line Black players in professional American football African Americans in the Canadian Football League Black players in ice hockey Athletic associations and conferences Central ( CIAA ) Southern ( SIAC ) Mid-Eastern ( MEAC ) Southwestern ( SWAC ) Ethnic subdivisions Black Indians Gullah Fula Igbo Louisiana Creole ( of color ) Melungeon Yoruba Demographics Neighborhoods list U.S. cities with large populations 2000 majorities 2010 majorities Metropolitan areas Black Belt Languages English American English African - American English Gullah Louisiana Creole French By state / city Alabama Florida Georgia ( Atlanta ) Illinois ( Chicago ) Iowa ( Davenport ) Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts ( Boston ) Michigan ( Detroit ) Mississippi Nebraska ( Omaha ) New York New York City Pennsylvania ( Philadelphia ) Puerto Rico Tennessee Texas ( Houston ) Diaspora Africa Ghana Liberia Sierra Leone Back - to - Africa movement Americas Caribbean history Canada Nova Scotia Dominican Republic Haiti Other France Israel Lists African Americans visual artists Republicans US senators African - American firsts mayors US state firsts Neighborhoods Landmark African - American legislation African American - related articles Topics related to the African diaspora Portal Asian Americans Central Asian Mongolian Uzbek East Asian Chinese Hong Kong Tibetan Fuzhou / Hokchiu Hakka Japanese Hawaii Korean Taiwanese South Asian Bangladeshi Bengali Bhutanese Indian Indo - Caribbean Bengali Punjabi Sindhi Tamil Nepalese Pakistani Baloch Pashtun Punjabi Sindhi Sri Lankan Tamil Southeast Asian Burmese Cambodian Filipino Hmong Indonesian Laotian Malaysian Mien Singaporean Thai Vietnamese Other Hispanic and Latino Punjabi Mexican Multiracial American Afro - Asian Amerasian Eurasian History General Immigration Military Topics Arts and Entertainment Demographics Politics Stereotypes Religion Buddhists Christians Catholics Protestants Hindus Jainism Muslims Sikhs Regions California Hawaii Maryland New York City Puerto Rico Washington Notes The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. The United States Government classified Kalmyks as Asian until 1951, when Kalmyk Americans were reclassified as White Americans. The U.S. Census Bureau considers Mongolians and Uzbeks as Central Asians, but a specific Central Asian American group similar to Middle Eastern American does not yet exist. The U.S. Census Bureau reclassifies anyone identifying as `` Tibetan American '' as `` Chinese American ''. Bengali Americans may be classified as Bangladeshi or Indian. Punjabi Americans may be classified as Indian or Pakistani. Tamil Americans may be classified as Indian or Sri Lankan. Rights of Native Americans in the United States Case law Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl Bryan v. Itasca County Cherokee Nation v. Georgia City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation of New York Cobell v. Salazar County of Oneida v. Oneida Indian Nation of New York State Elk v. Wilkins Ex parte Crow Dog Federal Power Commission v. Tuscarora Indian Nation Fellows v. Blacksmith Hodel v. Irving Idaho v. Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Idaho Idaho v. United States Johnson v. M'Intosh Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock McClanahan v. Arizona State Tax Commission Menominee Tribe v. United States Merrion v. Jicarilla Apache Tribe Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians v. Holyfield New York ex rel. Cutler v. Dibble Oneida Indian Nation of New York v. County of Oneida Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez Seneca Nation of Indians v. Christy Solem v. Bartlett South Carolina v. Catawba Indian Tribe, Inc. South Dakota v. Bourland Standing Bear v. Crook Talton v. Mayes Tee - Hit - Ton Indians v. United States United States v. Antelope United States v. Lara United States v. Santa Fe Pacific Railroad Co. Williams v. Lee Worcester v. Georgia Legislation Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act American Indian Religious Freedom Act Burke Act Civilization Act Curtis Act Dawes Act Diminishment Indian Arts and Crafts Act Indian Child Welfare Act Indian Citizenship Act Indian Civil Rights Act Indian Gaming Regulatory Act Indian Removal Act Indian Reorganization Act Indian Self - Determination and Education Assistance Act Nationality Act Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Native American Languages Act Nonintercourse Act Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act Related Aboriginal title Bureau of Indian Affairs Cherokee Commission Dawes Rolls Eagle feather law Eagle - bone whistle Federal recognition of Native Hawaiians Legal status of Hawaii Hunting license In the Courts of the Conqueror National Indian Gaming Commission Native American gaming Native American Rights Fund Public Law 280 Recognition of sacred sites State recognized tribes Treaty rights Tribal sovereignty Federally recognized tribes Self - determination Middle Eastern Americans Afghan Pashtun Arab Emirati Egyptian Iraqi Jordanian Kuwaiti Lebanese Omani Palestinian Saudi Syrian Yemeni Armenian Assyrian Azerbaijani Coptic Georgian Iranian Israeli Jewish Syrian Jews Kurdish Yazidis Turkish By location Detroit Notes The U.S. Census Bureau considers Afghanistan a South Asian country, but does not classify Afghan Americans as Asian, but as Middle Eastern American. 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Question: how many american citizens live in the united states
Answer: 308 million