Census 2000 showed

that the United States

population on April 1,

2000 was 281.4 million. Of the total, 

216.9 million, or 

77.1 percent, reported1

White. This number

includes 211.5 million

people, or 75.1 percent,

who reported only

White in addition to 

5.5 million people, or

1.9 percent, who reported White as well as one

or more other races.

Census 2000 asked

separate questions on

race and Hispanic or

Latino origin. Hispanics

who reported their race

as White, either alone or

in combination with one or more other

races, are included in the numbers for

Whites.

This report, part of a series that analyzes

population and housing data collected

from Census 2000, provides a portrait of

the White population in the United States

and discusses its distribution at both the

national and subnational levels. It is

based on the Census 2000 Redistricting

Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File,

which was among the first Census 2000

data products to be released and is used

by each state to draw boundaries for

legislative districts.2

The term “White” refers to people having

origins in any of the original peoples of

Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It

includes people who reported “White” or

wrote in entries such as Irish, German,

Italian, Lebanese, Near Easterner, Arab, or

Polish. 

Data on race has been collected since the

first U.S. decennial census in 1790. Whites

have been enumerated in every census. 

U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

U.S.Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Issued August 2001

C2KBR/01-4

The White Population: 2000

Census 2000 Brief

By 

Figure 1. Elizabeth M. Grieco

Reproduction of the Question on Race 

From Census 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 questionnaire.

What is this person's race? Mark one or more races to

indicate what this person considers himself/herself to be.

6.

White

Black, African Am., or Negro

American Indian or Alaska Native — Print name of enrolled or principal tribe.

Some other race — Print race.

Japanese

Korean

Vietnamese

Native Hawaiian

Guamanian or Chamorro

Samoan

Other Pacific Islander — Print race.

Asian Indian

Chinese

Filipino

Other Asian — Print race.

✗

1 In this report, the term “reported” is used to refer

to the answers provided by respondents, as well as

responses assigned during the editing and imputation

processes.

2 This report discusses data for 50 states and the

District of Columbia, but not Puerto Rico. The Census

2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary

File was released on a state-by-state basis in March

2001.
2 U.S. Census Bureau

The question on race was

changed for Census 2000. 

For Census 2000, the question on

race was asked of every individual

living in the United States and

responses reflect self-identification.

Respondents were asked to report

the race or races they considered

themselves and other members of

their households to be. 

The question on race for Census

2000 was different from the one for

the 1990 census in several ways.

Most significantly, respondents

were given the option of selecting

one or more race categories to indicate their racial identities.3

Because of these changes, the

Census 2000 data on race are not

directly comparable with data from

the 1990 census or earlier censuses. Caution must be used when

interpreting changes in the racial

composition of the United States

population over time.

The Census 2000 question on race

included 15 separate response categories and 3 areas where respondents could write in a more specific

race (see Figure 1). The response

categories and write-in answers

were combined to create the five

standard Office of Management and

Budget race categories plus the

Census Bureau category of “Some

other race.” The six race categories

include:

• White;

• Black or African American;

• American Indian and Alaska

Native;

• Asian;

• Native Hawaiian and Other

Pacific Islander; and

• Some other race.

For a complete explanation of the

race categories used in Census 2000,

see the Census 2000 Brief, Overview

of Race and Hispanic Origin.

4

The data collected by Census

2000 on race can be divided

into two broad categories: the

race alone population and the

race in combination population.

People who responded to the question on race by indicating only one

race are referred to as the race alone

population, or the group who reported only one race. For example,

respondents who marked only the

White category on the census questionnaire would be included in the

White alone population.

Individuals who chose more than one

of the six race categories are referred

to as the race in combination population, or as the group who reported

more than one race. For example,

respondents who reported they were

“White and Black or African

American” or “White and Asian and

American Indian and Alaska Native”5

would be included in the White in

combination population.

The maximum number of

people reporting White is

reflected in the White alone or

in combination category.

One way to define the White population is to combine those respondents

who reported only White with those

who reported White as well as one or

more other races. This creates the

White alone or in combination population. Another way to think of the

White alone or in combination population is the total number of people

who identified entirely or partially as

White. This group is also described as

people who reported White, whether

or not they reported any other races. 

The White population: a

snapshot.

Table 1 shows the number and percentage of respondents to Census

2000 who reported White alone as

well as those who reported White

and at least one other race.

In the total population, 211.5 million

people, or 75.1 percent, reported

only White. An additional 5.5 million

people reported White and at least

one other race. Within this group, the

most common combinations were

“White and Some other race” (40 percent), followed by “White and

American Indian and Alaska Native”

(20 percent), “White and Asian” 

(16 percent), and “White and Black or

African American” (14 percent). These

four combination categories accounted for 90 percent of all Whites who

reported two or more races. Thus

216.9 million, or 77.1 percent of the

total population, reported White

alone or in combination with one or

more other races.

The White population

increased slower than the

total population between 1990

and 2000.

Because of the changes made to the

question on race for Census 2000,

there are at least two ways to present the change in the total number

of Whites in the United States. The

difference in the White population

between 1990 and 2000 using the

race alone concept for 2000 and

the difference in the White

3 Other changes included terminology and

formatting changes, such as spelling out

“American” instead of “Amer.” for the American

Indian and Alaska Native category and adding

“Native” to the Hawaiian response category. In

the layout of the Census 2000 questionnaire,

the seven Asian response categories were

alphabetized and grouped together, as were the

four Pacific Islander categories after the Native

Hawaiian category. The three separate American

Indian and Alaska Native identifiers in the 1990

census (i.e., Indian (Amer.), Eskimo, and Aleut)

were combined into a single identifier in

Census 2000. Also, American Indians and

Alaska Natives could report more than one

tribe.

4 Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin:

2000, U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Brief,

C2KBR/01-1, March 2001, is available on the

U.S. Census Bureau’s Internet site at 

www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/

briefs.html. 5 The race in combination categories are

denoted by quotations around the combinations with the conjunction and in bold and italicized print to indicate the separate races that

comprise the combination.
population between 1990 and 2000

using the race alone or in combination concept for 2000 provides a

“minimum-maximum” range for the

change in the White population

between 1990 and 2000. 

The 1990 census showed there

were 199.7 million Whites. Using

the White alone population in 2000

shows an increase of 11.8 million,

or 5.9 percent, in the total White

population between 1990 and

2000. If the White alone or in

combination population is used, an

increase of 17.2 million, or 8.6 percent, results. Thus, from 1990 to

2000, the minimum-maximum

range for the increase in the White

population was 5.9 percent to 

8.6 percent. In comparison, the

total population grew by 13.2 percent, from 248.7 million in 1990 to

281.4 million in 2000. 

THE GEOGRAPHIC

DISTRIBUTION OF THE

WHITE POPULATION

The following discussion of the geographic distribution of the White population focuses on the White alone or

in combination population. As the

upper bound of the White population,

this group includes all respondents

who reported White, whether or not

they reported any other race.6

Hereafter in the text of this section,

the term “White” will be used to refer

to those who reported White,

whether or not they reported any

other race. However, in the tables

and graphs, data for both the White

alone and the White alone or in combination populations are shown.

The majority of the White

population lived in the South

and the Midwest.

According to Census 2000, of all

respondents who reported White,

34 percent lived in the South, 

25 percent lived in the Midwest, 

21 percent lived in the West, and 

20 percent lived in the Northeast

(see Figure 2).7

U.S. Census Bureau 3

Table 1.

White Population:2000

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Race Number

Percent of total

population

Total population. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281,421,906 100.0

White alone or in combination with one or more

other races . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216,930,975 77.1

White alone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211,460,626 75.1

White in combination with one or more other races . . . 5,470,349 1.9

White; Some other race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,206,251 0.8

White; American Indian and Alaska Native. . . . . . . 1,082,683 0.4

White; Asian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 868,395 0.3

White; Black or African American. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 784,764 0.3

All other combinations including White . . . . . . . . . . 528,256 0.2

Not White alone or in combination with one or more

other races . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64,490,931 22.9

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)

Summary File, Table PL1.

Figure 2.

Percent Distribution of the White Population 

by Region: 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Table PL1.

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and 

definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

White alone or

in combination

White alone

Northeast West Midwest South

19.5 25.2 34.3 21.0

19.6 25.5 34.4 20.5

6 As a matter of policy, the Census Bureau

does not advocate the use of the alone or in

combination population over the alone population. The use of the alone or in combination

population in this section does not imply that it

is a preferred method of presenting or analyzing data. It is only one of many ways that the

data on race from Census 2000 can be presented and discussed. 7 The South region includes the states of

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi,

North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina,

Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia

and the District of Columbia. The Midwest

region includes the states of Illinois, Indiana,

Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,

Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota,

and Wisconsin. The West region includes the

states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado,

Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico,

Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The

Northeast region includes the states of

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New

Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
4 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 2.

White Population for the United States, Regions, and States, and for Puerto Rico:

1990 and 2000

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Area

1990 2000

Total

population

White population

Total

population

White alone population White alone or in

combination population

White in

combination

population

only as a

percent

of White

alone or in

combination

Number population

Percent of

total

population Number

Percent of

total

population Number

Percent of

total

population

United States .... 248,709,873 199,686,370 80.3 281,421,906 211,460,626 75.1 216,930,975 77.1 2.5

Region

Northeast ......... 50,809,229 42,068,904 82.8 53,594,378 41,533,502 77.5 42,395,625 79.1 2.0

Midwest........... 59,668,632 52,017,957 87.2 64,392,776 53,833,651 83.6 54,709,407 85.0 1.6

South ............ 85,445,930 65,582,199 76.8 100,236,820 72,819,399 72.6 74,303,744 74.1 2.0

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52,786,082 40,017,010 75.8 63,197,932 43,274,074 68.5 45,522,199 72.0 4.9

State

Alabama .......... 4,040,587 2,975,797 73.6 4,447,100 3,162,808 71.1 3,199,953 72.0 1.2

Alaska ............ 550,043 415,492 75.5 626,932 434,534 69.3 463,999 74.0 6.4

Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . 3,665,228 2,963,186 80.8 5,130,632 3,873,611 75.5 3,998,154 77.9 3.1

Arkansas.......... 2,350,725 1,944,744 82.7 2,673,400 2,138,598 80.0 2,170,534 81.2 1.5

California. ......... 29,760,021 20,524,327 69.0 33,871,648 20,170,059 59.5 21,490,973 63.4 6.1

Colorado .......... 3,294,394 2,905,474 88.2 4,301,261 3,560,005 82.8 3,665,638 85.2 2.9

Connecticut ........ 3,287,116 2,859,353 87.0 3,405,565 2,780,355 81.6 2,835,974 83.3 2.0

Delaware.......... 666,168 535,094 80.3 783,600 584,773 74.6 594,425 75.9 1.6

District of Columbia. . 606,900 179,667 29.6 572,059 176,101 30.8 184,309 32.2 4.5

Florida. ........... 12,937,926 10,749,285 83.1 15,982,378 12,465,029 78.0 12,734,292 79.7 2.1

Georgia ........... 6,478,216 4,600,148 71.0 8,186,453 5,327,281 65.1 5,412,371 66.1 1.6

Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,108,229 369,616 33.4 1,211,537 294,102 24.3 476,162 39.3 38.2

Idaho............. 1,006,749 950,451 94.4 1,293,953 1,177,304 91.0 1,201,113 92.8 2.0

Illinois ............ 11,430,602 8,952,978 78.3 12,419,293 9,125,471 73.5 9,322,831 75.1 2.1

Indiana . .......... 5,544,159 5,020,700 90.6 6,080,485 5,320,022 87.5 5,387,174 88.6 1.2

Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,776,755 2,683,090 96.6 2,926,324 2,748,640 93.9 2,777,183 94.9 1.0

Kansas ........... 2,477,574 2,231,986 90.1 2,688,418 2,313,944 86.1 2,363,412 87.9 2.1

Kentucky .......... 3,685,296 3,391,832 92.0 4,041,769 3,640,889 90.1 3,678,740 91.0 1.0

Louisiana. ......... 4,219,973 2,839,138 67.3 4,468,976 2,856,161 63.9 2,894,983 64.8 1.3

Maine ............ 1,227,928 1,208,360 98.4 1,274,923 1,236,014 96.9 1,247,776 97.9 0.9

Maryland . ......... 4,781,468 3,393,964 71.0 5,296,486 3,391,308 64.0 3,465,697 65.4 2.1

Massachusetts ..... 6,016,425 5,405,374 89.8 6,349,097 5,367,286 84.5 5,472,809 86.2 1.9

Michigan .......... 9,295,297 7,756,086 83.4 9,938,444 7,966,053 80.2 8,133,283 81.8 2.1

Minnesota ......... 4,375,099 4,130,395 94.4 4,919,479 4,400,282 89.4 4,466,325 90.8 1.5

Mississippi......... 2,573,216 1,633,461 63.5 2,844,658 1,746,099 61.4 1,761,658 61.9 0.9

Missouri. . . . . . . . . . . 5,117,073 4,486,228 87.7 5,595,211 4,748,083 84.9 4,819,487 86.1 1.5

Montana .......... 799,065 741,111 92.7 902,195 817,229 90.6 831,978 92.2 1.8

Nebraska. ......... 1,578,385 1,480,558 93.8 1,711,263 1,533,261 89.6 1,554,164 90.8 1.3

Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . 1,201,833 1,012,695 84.3 1,998,257 1,501,886 75.2 1,565,866 78.4 4.1

New Hampshire . . . . 1,109,252 1,087,433 98.0 1,235,786 1,186,851 96.0 1,198,927 97.0 1.0

New Jersey ........ 7,730,188 6,130,465 79.3 8,414,350 6,104,705 72.6 6,261,187 74.4 2.5

New Mexico ....... 1,515,069 1,146,028 75.6 1,819,046 1,214,253 66.8 1,272,116 69.9 4.5

New York. . . . . . . . . . 17,990,455 13,385,255 74.4 18,976,457 12,893,689 67.9 13,275,834 70.0 2.9

North Carolina. ..... 6,628,637 5,008,491 75.6 8,049,313 5,804,656 72.1 5,884,608 73.1 1.4

North Dakota. . . . . . . 638,800 604,142 94.6 642,200 593,181 92.4 599,918 93.4 1.1

Ohio ............. 10,847,115 9,521,756 87.8 11,353,140 9,645,453 85.0 9,779,512 86.1 1.4

Oklahoma ......... 3,145,585 2,583,512 82.1 3,450,654 2,628,434 76.2 2,770,035 80.3 5.1

Oregon ........... 2,842,321 2,636,787 92.8 3,421,399 2,961,623 86.6 3,055,670 89.3 3.1

Pennsylvania ....... 11,881,643 10,520,201 88.5 12,281,054 10,484,203 85.4 10,596,409 86.3 1.1

Rhode Island....... 1,003,464 917,375 91.4 1,048,319 891,191 85.0 910,630 86.9 2.1

South Carolina ..... 3,486,703 2,406,974 69.0 4,012,012 2,695,560 67.2 2,727,208 68.0 1.2

South Dakota . ..... 696,004 637,515 91.6 754,844 669,404 88.7 678,604 89.9 1.4

Tennessee......... 4,877,185 4,048,068 83.0 5,689,283 4,563,310 80.2 4,617,553 81.2 1.2

Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,986,510 12,774,762 75.2 20,851,820 14,799,505 71.0 15,240,387 73.1 2.9

Utah ............. 1,722,850 1,615,845 93.8 2,233,169 1,992,975 89.2 2,034,448 91.1 2.0

Vermont .......... 562,758 555,088 98.6 608,827 589,208 96.8 596,079 97.9 1.2

Virginia ........... 6,187,358 4,791,739 77.4 7,078,515 5,120,110 72.3 5,233,601 73.9 2.2

Washington ........ 4,866,692 4,308,937 88.5 5,894,121 4,821,823 81.8 5,003,180 84.9 3.6

West Virginia....... 1,793,477 1,725,523 96.2 1,808,344 1,718,777 95.0 1,733,390 95.9 0.8

Wisconsin . ........ 4,891,769 4,512,523 92.2 5,363,675 4,769,857 88.9 4,827,514 90.0 1.2

Wyoming .......... 453,588 427,061 94.2 493,782 454,670 92.1 462,902 93.7 1.8

Puerto Rico ......... 3,522,037 (X) (X) 3,808,610 3,064,862 80.5 3,199,547 84.0 4.2

X Not applicable.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Table PL1; 1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics (1990 CP-1).
Although the South and Midwest

had the largest White populations,

the Northeast and Midwest had the

highest proportion of Whites in their

total populations: 79 percent of all

respondents in the Northeast and 

85 percent in the Midwest reported

White, compared with 74 percent in

the South and 72 percent in the West.

Over half of all people who

reported White lived in just

ten states.

The ten states with the largest

White populations in 2000 were

California, Texas, New York, Florida,

Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois,

Michigan, New Jersey, and North

Carolina (see Table 2). Combined,

these states represented 52 percent

of the total White population. These

ten states were also the ten states

with the largest total populations.

There were fourteen states where

Whites represented 90 percent or

more of the total population, led by

the northeastern states of Vermont

(98 percent), Maine (98 percent),

and New Hampshire (97 percent).

The other eleven states included the

midwestern states of Iowa, North

Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, and

Wisconsin; the southern states of

West Virginia and Kentucky; and the

western states of Wyoming, Idaho,

Montana, and Utah.

There were eight states where

Whites represented less than 70 percent of the population, including

Hawaii, Mississippi, California,

Louisiana, Maryland, Georgia, South

Carolina, and New Mexico. While

California had the largest White population of all states, it ranked 48th

among the 50 states in the proportion who reported White, with only

63 percent of respondents doing so.

Hawaii (39 percent) was the only

state in which the White population

was less than one-half of the total

population. Approximately one-third

(32 percent) of all respondents in the

District of Columbia, a state equivalent, reported White. 

The White population was

concentrated in counties in

the Northeast and Midwest. 

Reflecting the fact that the White

population represents about threequarters of the United States population, the majority of all counties

throughout the country had a high

percentage of White respondents in

their populations (see Figure 3).

However, several distinct patterns

can be seen in the national distribution of Whites.

The White population was generally

most prevalent in counties across

the northern half of the country

with several southward projections:

1) along the boundary between the

Appalachian/Upland South and

Coastal/Lowland South; 2) throughout West Texas and the Rio Grande

Valley; and 3) southern Arizona and

New Mexico. 

In addition, Whites were also concentrated in counties throughout

Florida, representing a southern

outlier of the more northerly concentration of Whites. Another distinctive boundary was across central Alaska, with Whites

concentrated in the southeastern

portion of the state.

Counties with percentages of

Whites lower than the percentage

for the country were concentrated

across the Lowland and Coastal

South. This band of counties

extended from East Texas through

Louisiana and southern Arkansas,

across Mississippi, Alabama, and

Georgia, then northward through

the Piedmont and Coastal portions

of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland,

and Delaware. A northerly extension of this pattern included counties in New Jersey as well as in and

around New York City.

Additional concentrations of counties with lower percentages of

Whites were in New Mexico, northeastern Arizona, and a band of

counties extending from southwestern Arizona through southern

California, northward along the

California coast, and through the

Central Valley of California. 

Elsewhere, counties with a low percentage of Whites were scattered

but, in general, were found in large

metropolitan areas, such as Chicago

(Cook County, Illinois), Detroit

(Wayne County, Michigan), Kansas

City (Jackson County, Missouri and

Wyandotte County, Kansas), and

Miami (Miami-Dade County, Florida),

as well as in nonmetropolitan counties in the Dakotas, Montana, and

eastern Oklahoma. All counties in

Hawaii had percentages of Whites

lower than the national level.

The places with the largest

White populations were New

York, Los Angeles, Chicago,

and Houston.

Census 2000 showed that, of all

places8 in the United States with

populations of 100,000 or more,

New York had the largest White

population with over 3.8 million

(see Table 3). Los Angeles, Chicago,

and Houston each had White populations of between 1 and 2 million.

These places were also the four

largest places in the United States.

Although New York, Los Angeles,

Chicago, and Houston had the

largest White populations, only

about half of all respondents in

these places reported White, ranging from 44 percent in Chicago to

U.S. Census Bureau 5

8 Census 2000 showed 245 places in the

United States with 100,000 or more population. They included 238 incorporated places

(including four city-county consolidations)

and seven census designated places that were

not legally incorporated. For a list of these

places by state, see www.census.gov/

population/www/cen2000/phc-t6.html.
U.S. pe

Percent White Alone orIn Combination: 2000

U.S. pe

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Redistricting Data (P.L. 94-171) Summary File. American FactFinder at factfinder.census.gov provides census data and mapping tools.

Figure 3.

0 100 Miles 0 100 Miles 

0 100 Miles

6 U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. Census Bureau 7

52 percent in Houston. Of the ten

largest places in the United States,

Phoenix had the largest proportion

of Whites with 74 percent, followed

by 71 percent in San Antonio. 

Although Detroit was ranked as the

tenth largest place in the United

States, it ranked 98th in the size of

its White population, with only 

14 percent of all respondents

reporting White. Indianapolis, with

71 percent of its population reporting White, had the tenth largest

White population of all places. 

Among places of 100,000 or more

population, the highest proportion

of Whites was in Livonia, Michigan,

with 97 percent (see Figure 4). Each

of the ten places with the highest

proportion of Whites had populations over 93 percent White. Six of

these places were in the Midwest,

two in the West, and one each in

the South and Northeast.

ADDITIONAL FINDINGS ON

THE WHITE POPULATION

What proportion of

respondents reporting White

also reported a Hispanic

origin?

The Office of Management and

Budget defines Hispanic or Latino

as “a person of Cuban, Mexican,

Puerto Rican, South or Central

American, or other Spanish culture

or origin, regardless of race.” In

data collection and presentation,

federal agencies use two ethnicities:

“Hispanic or Latino” and “Not

Hispanic or Latino.” Race and ethnicity are considered two separate

and distinct concepts by the federal

system. Hispanics may be of any

race, and Whites can be Hispanic or

not Hispanic.

According to Census 2000, the

overwhelming majority of the White

population was non-Hispanic: 

92 percent of those who reported

only White and 91 percent of those

Table 3.

Ten Largest Places in Total Population and in White

Population:2000

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Place

Total population White alone White alone or in

combination

Percent of

total

population

Rank Number Rank Number Rank Number

White

alone

White

alone

or in

combination

New York, NY. . . . . 1 8,008,278 1 3,576,385 1 3,806,508 44.7 47.5

Los Angeles, CA . . 2 3,694,820 2 1,734,036 2 1,891,358 46.9 51.2

Chicago, IL . . . . . . . 3 2,896,016 3 1,215,315 3 1,282,320 42.0 44.3

Houston, TX . . . . . . 4 1,953,631 4 962,610 4 1,012,413 49.3 51.8

Philadelphia, PA. . . 5 1,517,550 8 683,267 8 703,584 45.0 46.4

Phoenix, AZ . . . . . . 6 1,321,045 5 938,853 5 975,418 71.1 73.8

San Diego, CA. . . . 7 1,223,400 7 736,207 7 781,652 60.2 63.9

Dallas, TX . . . . . . . . 8 1,188,580 9 604,209 9 630,419 50.8 53.0

San Antonio, TX. . . 9 1,144,646 6 774,708 6 810,913 67.7 70.8

Detroit, MI . . . . . . . . 10 951,270 108 116,599 98 131,691 12.3 13.8

Indianapolis, IN . . . 12 791,926 10 549,100 10 559,773 69.3 70.7

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)

Summary File, Table PL1.

Figure 4.

Ten Places of 100,000 or More Population With the 

Highest Percentage of Whites: 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Table PL1.

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and 

definitions, see www.census/gov/prod/cen2000/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

White alone or in combination

White alone

Manchester, NH

Warren, MI

Sioux Falls, SD

Cedar Rapids, IA

Springfield, MO

Scottsdale, AZ

Independence, MO

Boise City, ID

Cape Coral, FL

Livonia, MI

96.5

94.4

94.4

94.0

93.6

93.5

93.5

93.4

93.3

93.3

95.5

93.0

92.2

91.9

92.2

91.7

91.9

91.9

91.3

91.7
who reported White and at least one

other race (see Table 4). However,

only 66 percent of all respondents

who reported White in combination

with one or more other races were

non-Hispanic.

The White non-Hispanic population

represented 71 percent of people

who reported exactly one race and

70 percent of the total population.

Of the 6.8 million people who

reported two or more races, 53 percent were non-Hispanics who

included White as one of the races

reported.

Which other races were 

White non-Hispanics most

likely to report?

Among White non-Hispanics who

reported more than one race, most

indicated they were “White and

American Indian and Alaska Native”

(27 percent), followed by “White

and Asian” (22 percent), “White and

Some other race” (20 percent), and

“White and Black or African

American” (19 percent) as shown in

Table 5. These four combination

categories accounted for 88 percent

of all White non-Hispanics who

reported two or more races.

Which other races were White

Hispanics most likely to

report?

Among White Hispanics who reported more than one race, the majority

indicated they were “White and

Some other race” (80 percent), followed by “White and American

Indian and Alaska Native” (6 percent), “White and Black or African

American” (5 percent), and “White

and Asian” (3 percent) as shown in

Table 5. 

8 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 4.

White Population by Hispanic or Latino Origin:2000

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Race and Hispanic

or Latino origin

Alone In combination with one or

more other races

Alone or in combination

with one or more other races

Number

Percent

of total

Percent

of White

population Number

Percent

of total

Percent

of White

population Number

Percent

of total

Percent

of White

population

Total population. . . . 274,595,678 100.0 (X) 6,826,228 100.0 (X) 281,421,906 100.0 (X)

White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211,460,626 77.0 100.0 5,470,349 80.1 100.0 216,930,975 77.1 100.0

Hispanic or Latino . . . . . 16,907,852 6.2 8.0 1,845,223 27.0 33.7 18,753,075 6.7 8.6

Not Hispanic or Latino . 194,552,774 70.9 92.0 3,625,126 53.1 66.3 198,177,900 70.4 91.4

X Not applicable.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Tables PL1 and PL2.

Table 5.

Most Frequent Combinations of White With One or More Other Races by Hispanic or

Latino Origin:2000

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

White in combination

Total Hispanic or Latino Not Hispanic or Latino

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Total number reporting White and one or

more other races. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,470,349 100.0 1,845,223 100.0 3,625,126 100.0

White; Black or African American. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 784,764 14.3 87,687 4.8 697,077 19.2

White; American Indian and Alaska Native. . . . . . . 1,082,683 19.8 113,445 6.1 969,238 26.7

White; Asian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 868,395 15.9 57,155 3.1 811,240 22.4

White; Some other race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,206,251 40.3 1,474,532 79.9 731,719 20.2

All other combinations including White . . . . . . . . . . 528,256 9.7 112,404 6.1 415,852 11.5

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Tables PL1 and PL2.
Which group was more likely

to report more than one race,

White non-Hispanics or White

Hispanics?

White Hispanics were more likely

than White non-Hispanics to report

two or more races. According to

Census 2000, 18.8 million people

reported White and Hispanic. Of

those, 9.8 percent reported White

with one or more other races (see

Table 6). In contrast, of the 

198.2 million Whites who reported

as not Hispanic, only 1.8 percent

reported at least one other race.

Were there differences in the

age distribution between

people who reported only

White and people who

reported White and one or

more other races?

People who reported White as well

as one or more other races were

more likely to be under 18 than

those reporting only White (see

Figure 5). Of the 5.5 million people

who reported White with at least

one other race, 43 percent were

under 18. This proportion is higher

than the White alone population. Of

the 211.5 million people who

reported only White, 24 percent

were under 18.

When the White population is crosstabulated by Hispanic origin, this

pattern persists. For both White

non-Hispanics and White Hispanics,

a higher proportion of those reporting more than one race was under

18 when compared with those

reporting White alone. Among the

3.6 million White non-Hispanics

who reported more than one race, 

44 percent were under 18. Of the

194.6 million people who reported

U.S. Census Bureau 9

Table 6.

People Who Reported White by Age and Hispanic or Latino Origin:2000

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Age and Hispanic or Latino origin

White alone or in

combination with one or

more races

White alone White in combination with

one or more other races

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216,930,975 100.0 211,460,626 97.5 5,470,349 2.5

Hispanic or Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,753,075 100.0 16,907,852 90.2 1,845,223 9.8

Not Hispanic or Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198,177,900 100.0 194,552,774 98.2 3,625,126 1.8

Under 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,963,909 100.0 49,598,289 95.4 2,365,620 4.6

Hispanic or Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,347,306 100.0 5,571,202 87.8 776,104 12.2

Not Hispanic or Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45,616,603 100.0 44,027,087 96.5 1,589,516 3.5

18 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164,967,066 100.0 161,862,337 98.1 3,104,729 1.9

Hispanic or Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,405,769 100.0 11,336,650 91.4 1,069,119 8.6

Not Hispanic or Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152,561,297 100.0 150,525,687 98.7 2,035,610 1.3

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Tables PL1, PL2, PL3, and PL4.

Figure 5.

Percent Under Age 18 of People Who Reported 

White by Hispanic or Latino Origin: 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File,

Tables PL3 and PL4.

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and 

definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

43.2 42.1

43.8

23.5

33.0

22.6

Not Hispanic or

Latino, under 18

Hispanic or Latino,

under 18

Total, under 18

White alone 

White in combination with one or more other races
White alone and not Hispanic, 

23 percent were under 18. Similarly,

among the 1.8 million White

Hispanics who reported two or

more races, 42 percent were under

18. Of the 16.9 million White

Hispanics who reported one race,

33 percent were under 18.

ABOUT CENSUS 2000

Why did Census 2000 ask the

question on race?

The Census Bureau collects data on

race to fulfill a variety of legislative

and program requirements. Data on

race are used in the legislative redistricting process carried out by the

States and in monitoring local jurisdictions’ compliance with the Voting

Rights Act. These data are also

essential for evaluating Federal programs that promote equal access to

employment, education, and housing

and for assessing racial disparities in

health and exposure to environmental risks. More broadly, data on race

are critical for research that underlies

many policy decisions at all levels of

government.

How do data from the question on race benefit me, my

family, and my community?

All levels of government need information on race to implement and

evaluate programs, or enforce laws.

Examples include: the Native

American Programs Act, the Equal

Employment Opportunity Act, the

Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights

Act, the Public Health Act, the

Healthcare Improvement Act, the

Job Partnership Training Act, the

Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the

Fair Housing Act, and the Census

Redistricting Data Program.

Both public and private organizations use race information to find

areas where groups may need special services and to plan and implement education, housing, health,

and other programs that address

these needs. For example, a school

system might use this information

to design cultural activities that

reflect the diversity in their community. Or a business could use it to

select the mix of merchandise it 

will sell in a new store. Census

information also helps identify

areas where residents might need

services of particular importance 

to certain racial or ethnic groups,

such as screening for hypertension

or diabetes.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information on race in the

United States, visit the U.S. Census

Bureau’s Internet site at 

www.census.gov/population/

www/socdemo/race.html. 

Race data from the Census 2000

Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-

171) Summary File were released 

on a state-by-state basis during

March 2001. The Census 2000

Redistricting data are available on

the Internet via factfinder.census.gov

and for purchase on CD-ROM and

later on DVD. 

For information on confidentiality

protection, nonsampling error, and

definitions, also see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/

pl94-171.pdf or contact our

Customer Services Center at 

301-763-INFO (4636).

For more information on specific

races in the United States, go to

www.census.gov and click on

“Minority Links.” This Web page

includes information about Census

2000 and provides links to reports

based on past censuses and surveys focusing on the social and economic characteristics of the Black or

African American, American Indian

and Alaska Native, Asian, and

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific

Islander populations.

Information on other population

and housing topics is presented in

the Census 2000 Brief series, located on the U.S. Census Bureau’s Web

site at www.census.gov/

population/www/cen2000/briefs.html.

This series presents information

about race, Hispanic origin, age,

sex, household type, housing

tenure, and other social, economic,

and housing characteristics.

For more information about Census

2000, including data products, call

our Customer Services Center at

301-763-INFO (4636), or e-mail 

webmaster@census.gov.

10 U.S. Census Bureau

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