U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Overview of Race and Hispanic 

Origin: 2010

2010 Census Briefs

By

Karen R. Humes,

Nicholas A. Jones, and

Roberto R. Ramirez

C2010BR-02

Issued March 2011

INTRODUCTION

This report looks at our nation’s changing racial and ethnic diversity. It is part 

of a series that analyzes population 

and housing data collected from the 

2010 Census, and it provides a snapshot of race and Hispanic origin in the 

United States. Racial and ethnic population group distributions and growth at 

the national level and at lower levels of 

geography are presented.

This report also provides an overview 

of race and ethnicity concepts and definitions used in the 2010 Census. The 

data for this report are based on the 

2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public 

Law 94-171) Summary File, which is 

among the first 2010 Census data 

products to be released and is provided to each state for use in drawing 

boundaries for legislative districts.1

1 The 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 

94-171) Summary File provides data on Hispanic

origin and race, including information on the population reporting more than one race as well as detailed 

race combinations (e.g., White and Asian; White and

Black or African American and American Indian and 

Alaska Native). In this report, the multiple-race combination categories are denoted with the conjunction and

in bold and italicized print to indicate the specific race 

groups that comprise the particular combination. This 

report discusses data for the 50 states and the District 

of Columbia but not Puerto Rico. 

The 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 

94-171) Summary File does not contain data for detailed 

Hispanic origin groups (e.g., Mexican or Puerto Rican) or 

detailed information about race or tribes (e.g., Chinese, 

Samoan, or Choctaw). Therefore, these specific groups 

are not discussed in this report. Data on detailed 

Hispanic origin groups and detailed information about 

race and tribes will be released on a state-by-state basis 

as part of the 2010 Census Demographic Profile and the 

2010 Census Summary File 1. Additional reports on the 

Hispanic or Latino population and selected race population groups will be released as part of the 2010 Census 

Briefs series. For a detailed schedule of 2010 Census 

products and release dates, visit <www.census.gov

/population/www/cen2010/glance/index.html>.

UNDERSTANDING RACE AND 

HISPANIC ORIGIN DATA FROM 

THE 2010 CENSUS

The 2010 Census used established 

federal standards to collect and 

present data on race and 

Hispanic origin.

For the 2010 Census, the questions on

race and Hispanic origin were asked of 

individuals living in the United States

(see Figure 1). An individual’s responses 

to the race question and to the Hispanic 

origin question were based upon 

Figure 1.

Reproduction of the Questions on 

Hispanic Origin and Race From 

the 2010 Census

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census questionnaire.
2 U.S. Census Bureau

self-identification. The U.S. Census 

Bureau collects race and Hispanic 

origin information following the 

guidance of the U.S. Office of 

Management and Budget’s (OMB) 

1997 Revisions to the Standards 

for the Classification of Federal 

Data on Race and Ethnicity.

2 These 

federal standards mandate that 

race and Hispanic origin (ethnicity) 

are separate and distinct concepts 

and that when collecting these data 

via self-identification, two different 

questions must be used.

Hispanic Origin

The OMB definition of Hispanic or 

Latino origin used in the 

2010 Census is presented in the 

text box “Definition of Hispanic or 

Latino Origin Used in the 

2010 Census.” OMB requires federal agencies to use a minimum 

of two ethnicities: Hispanic or 

Latino and Not Hispanic or Latino. 

Hispanic origin can be viewed as 

the heritage, nationality group, 

lineage, or country of birth of the 

person or the person’s parents or 

ancestors before their arrival in the 

United States. People who identify 

their origin as Hispanic, Latino, or 

Spanish may be any race.3

Definition of Hispanic or 

Latino Origin Used in the 

2010 Census

“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.

2 The 1997 Revisions to the Standards

for the Classification of Federal Data on 

Race and Ethnicity, issued by OMB, is

available at <www.whitehouse.gov/omb 

/fedreg/1997standards.html>. 3 The terms “Hispanic or Latino” and

“Hispanic” are used interchangeably in this 

report.

The 2010 Census question on 

Hispanic origin included five 

separate response categories and 

one area where respondents could 

write-in a specific Hispanic origin 

group. The first response category is intended for respondents 

who do not identify as Hispanic. 

The remaining response categories (“Mexican, Mexican Am., or 

Chicano”; “Puerto Rican”; “Cuban”; 

and “Another Hispanic, Latino, 

or Spanish origin”) and write-in 

answers can be combined to create 

the OMB category of Hispanic.4

Race

The OMB definitions of the race categories used in the 2010 Census, 

plus the Census Bureau’s definition 

of Some Other Race, are presented 

in the text box “Definition of 

Race Categories Used in the 2010 

Census.” Starting in 1997, OMB 

required federal agencies to use a 

minimum of five race categories: 

White, Black or African American, 

American Indian or Alaska Native, 

Asian, and Native Hawaiian or 

Other Pacific Islander. For respondents unable to identify with any 

of these five race categories, OMB 

approved the Census Bureau’s 

inclusion of a sixth category—Some 

Other Race—on the Census 2000 

and 2010 Census questionnaires.

4 There were three changes to the

Hispanic origin question for the 2010 Census.

First, the wording of the question changed 

from “Is this person Spanish/Hispanic/

Latino?” in 2000 to “Is this person of Hispanic, 

Latino, or Spanish origin?” in 2010. Second, 

in 2000, the question provided an instruction, “Mark the ‘No’ box if not Spanish/

Hispanic/Latino.” The 2010 Census question 

provided no specific instruction for nonHispanic respondents. Third, in 2010, the 

“Yes, another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish 

origin” category provided examples of 

six Hispanic origin groups (Argentinean, 

Colombian, Dominican, Nicaraguan, 

Salvadoran, Spaniard, and so on) and 

instructed respondents to “print origin.” In 

2000, no Hispanic origin examples were 

given.

Data on race have been collected 

since the first U.S. decennial 

census in 1790.5 For the first time 

in Census 2000, individuals were 

presented with the option to selfidentify with more than one race 

and this continued with the 2010 

Census, as prescribed by OMB. 

There are 57 possible multiple 

race combinations involving the 

five OMB race categories and Some 

Other Race. 

The 2010 Census question on race 

included 15 separate response 

categories and three areas where 

respondents could write-in detailed 

information about their race.6 The 

response categories and write-in 

answers can be combined to create 

the five minimum OMB race categories plus Some Other Race. In 

addition to White, Black or African 

American, American Indian and 

Alaska Native, and Some Other 

Race, 7 of the 15 response categories are Asian groups and 4 are 

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific 

Islander groups. 7

5 For information about comparability of 

2010 Census data on race and Hispanic origin 

to data collected in previous censuses, see 

the 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public 

Law 94-171) Summary File—Technical 

Documentation at <www.census.gov/prod

/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf>. 6 There were two changes to the question 

on race for the 2010 Census. First, the wording of the race question was changed from 

“What is this person’s race? Mark one or 

more races to indicate what this person considers himself/herself to be” in 2000 to “What 

is this person’s race? Mark one or more 

boxes” for 2010. Second, in 2010, examples 

were added to the “Other Asian” response 

category (Hmong, Laotian, Thai, Pakistani, 

Cambodian, and so on) and the “Other Pacific 

Islander” response category (Fijian, Tongan, 

and so on). In 2000, no examples were given 

in the race question. 7 The race categories included in the 

census questionnaire generally reflect a social 

definition of race recognized in this country 

and are not an attempt to define race biologically, anthropologically, or genetically. In addition, it is recognized that the categories of 

the race question include race and national 

origin or sociocultural groups.
U.S. Census Bureau 3

Definition of Race Categories Used in the 2010 Census

“White” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples 

of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicated their race(s) as “White” or reported entries such as Irish, German, 

Italian, Lebanese, Arab, Moroccan, or Caucasian.

“Black or African American” refers to a person having origins in any of 

the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicated their 

race(s) as “Black, African Am., or Negro” or reported entries such as 

African American, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian.

“American Indian or Alaska Native” refers to a person having origins in 

any of the original peoples of North and South America (including

Central America) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community 

attachment. This category includes people who indicated their race(s) 

as “American Indian or Alaska Native” or reported their enrolled or principal tribe, such as Navajo, Blackfeet, Inupiat, Yup’ik, or Central

American Indian groups or South American Indian groups. 

“Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples 

of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, 

for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, 

the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. It includes people who 

indicated their race(s) as “Asian” or reported entries such as “Asian 

Indian,” “Chinese,” “Filipino,” “Korean,” “Japanese,” “Vietnamese,” and 

“Other Asian” or provided other detailed Asian responses.

“Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander” refers to a person having 

origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other 

Pacific Islands. It includes people who indicated their race(s) as “Pacific 

Islander” or reported entries such as “Native Hawaiian,” “Guamanian or 

Chamorro,” “Samoan,” and “Other Pacific Islander” or provided other 

detailed Pacific Islander responses.

“Some Other Race” includes all other responses not included in the 

White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, 

Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander race categories 

described above. Respondents reporting entries such as multiracial, 

mixed, interracial, or a Hispanic or Latino group (for example, Mexican, 

Puerto Rican, Cuban, or Spanish) in response to the race question are 

included in this category.

RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN 

IN THE 2010 CENSUS

Data from the 2010 Census provide 

insights to our racially and ethnically diverse nation. According to 

the 2010 Census, 308.7 million 

people resided in the United States 

on April 1, 2010—an increase of 

27.3 million people, or 9.7 percent, 

between 2000 and 2010. The vast 

majority of the growth in the total 

population came from increases in 

those who reported their race(s) as 

something other than White alone 

and those who reported their ethnicity as Hispanic or Latino.8

More than half of the growth 

in the total population of 

the United States between 

2000 and 2010 was due to 

the increase in the Hispanic 

population.

In 2010, there were 50.5 million 

Hispanics in the United States, 

composing 16 percent of the total 

population (see Table 1). Between 

2000 and 2010, the Hispanic population grew by 43 percent—rising 

from 35.3 million in 2000, when 

this group made up 13 percent of 

the total population.9 The Hispanic 

population increased by 15.2 

million between 2000 and 2010, 

accounting for over half of the 27.3 

million increase in the total population of the United States. 

The non-Hispanic population grew 

relatively slower over the decade, 

about 5 percent. Within the nonHispanic population, the number 

of people who reported their race 

as White alone grew even slower 

between 2000 and 2010 (1 percent). While the non-Hispanic White 

alone population increased numerically from 194.6 million to 196.8 

million over the 10-year period, its 

proportion of the total population 

declined from 69 percent to 64 

percent.

8 For the purposes of this report, the term 

“reported” is used to refer to the response 

provided by respondents as well as responses 

assigned during the editing and imputation 

process. 9 The observed changes in race and 

Hispanic origin counts between Census 2000 

and the 2010 Census could be attributed to a 

number of factors. Demographic change since 

2000, which includes births and deaths in a 

geographic area and migration in and out of 

a geographic area, will have an impact on the 

resulting 2010 Census counts. Additionally, 

some changes in the race and Hispanic origin 

questions’ wording and format since

Census 2000 could have influenced reporting 

patterns in the 2010 Census.
4 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 1.

Population by Hispanic or Latino Origin and by Race for the United States: 2000 and 2010

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Change, 2000 2010 2000 to 2010

Hispanic or Latino origin and race Percentage Percentage 

of total of total 

Number population Number population Number Percent 

HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN AND RACE

 Total population � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 281,421,906 100�0 308,745,538 100�0 27,323,632 9�7

Hispanic or Latino � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 35,305,818 12�5 50,477,594 16�3 15,171,776 43�0

Not Hispanic or Latino � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 246,116,088 87�5 258,267,944 83�7 12,151,856 4�9

 White alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 194,552,774 69�1 196,817,552 63�7 2,264,778 1�2

RACE

 Total population � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 281,421,906 100�0 308,745,538 100�0 27,323,632 9�7

One Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 274,595,678 97�6 299,736,465 97�1 25,140,787 9�2

 White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 211,460,626 75�1 223,553,265 72�4 12,092,639 5�7

 Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 34,658,190 12�3 38,929,319 12�6 4,271,129 12�3

 American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � � 2,475,956 0�9 2,932,248 0�9 456,292 18�4

 Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 10,242,998 3�6 14,674,252 4�8 4,431,254 43�3

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � 398,835 0�1 540,013 0�2 141,178 35�4

 Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 15,359,073 5�5 19,107,368 6�2 3,748,295 24�4

Two or More Races1 � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 6,826,228 2�4 9,009,073 2�9 2,182,845 32�0

1

 In Census 2000, an error in data processing resulted in an overstatement of the Two or More Races population by about 1 million people (about 15 percent) 

nationally, which almost entirely affected race combinations involving Some Other Race� Therefore, data users should assess observed changes in the Two or 

More Races population and race combinations involving Some Other Race between Census 2000 and the 2010 Census with caution� Changes in specific race 

combinations not involving Some Other Race, such as White and Black or African American or White and Asian, generally should be more comparable� 

Sources: U�S� Census Bureau, Census 2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Tables PL1 and PL2; and 2010 Census Redistricting Data

(Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Tables P1 and P2� 

The overwhelming majority 

of the total population of the 

United States reported only 

one race in 2010.

In the 2010 Census, 97 percent 

of all respondents (299.7 million) 

reported only one race (see Table 

1).10 The largest group reported 

10 Individuals who responded to the question on race by indicating only one race are 

referred to as the race-alone population or the 

group that reported only one race category. 

Six categories make up this population: 

White alone, Black or African American alone, 

American Indian and Alaska Native alone, 

Asian alone, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific 

Islander alone, and Some Other Race alone. 

Individuals who chose more than 1 of the 6 

race categories are referred to as the Two or 

More Races population. All respondents who 

indicated more than one race can be collapsed 

into the Two or More Races category which, 

combined with the six race-alone categories, 

yields seven mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories. Thus, the six race-alone categories and the Two or More Races category 

sum to the total population.

White alone (223.6 million), 

accounting for 72 percent of all 

people living in the United States.11

The Black or African-American 

alone population was 38.9 million 

and represented 13 percent of the 

total population.12 There were 2.9 

million respondents who indicated 

American Indian and Alaska Native 

alone (0.9 percent). Approximately 

14.7 million (about 5 percent of all 

respondents) identified their race 

11 As a matter of policy, the Census Bureau 

does not advocate the use of the alone

population over the alone-or-in-combination

population or vice versa. The use of the alone

population in sections of this report does not 

imply that it is a preferred method of presenting or analyzing data. The same is true 

for sections of this report that focus on the 

alone-or-in-combination population. Data on 

race from the 2010 Census can be presented 

and discussed in a variety of ways. 12 The terms “Black or African American” 

and “Black” are used interchangeably in this 

report. 

as Asian alone. The smallest major 

race group was Native Hawaiian 

and Other Pacific Islander alone 

(0.5 million) and represented 0.2 

percent of the total population.

The remainder of respondents who 

reported only one race—19.1 million (6 percent of all respondents)—

were classified as Some Other Race 

alone. People who reported more 

than one race numbered 9.0 million in the 2010 Census and made 

up about 3 percent of the total 

population.

The Asian population grew 

faster than any other major 

race group between 2000 and 

2010.

In the United States, all major race 

groups increased in population size 

between 2000 and 2010, but they 
U.S. Census Bureau 5

grew at different rates. Over the 

decade, the Asian alone population experienced the fastest rate of 

growth and the White alone population experienced the slowest rate 

of growth, with the other major 

race groups’ growth spanning the 

range in between. Of the 27.3 

million people added to the total 

population of the United States 

between 2000 and 2010, the White 

alone population made up just 

under half of the growth—increasing 12.1 million. Within the White 

alone population, the vast majority 

of the growth was propelled by the 

Hispanic population.

The Asian alone population 

increased by 43 percent between 

2000 and 2010, more than any 

other major race group. The Asian 

alone population had the secondlargest numeric change (4.4 million), growing from 10.2 million in 

2000 to 14.7 million in 2010. The 

Asian alone population gained the 

most in share of the total population, moving up from about 4 

percent in 2000 to about 5 percent 

in 2010. 

The Native Hawaiian and Other 

Pacific Islander alone population, 

the smallest major race group, also 

grew substantially between 2000 

and 2010, increasing by more than 

one-third. This population numbered 398,835 in 2000, rising to 

540,013 in 2010 with its proportion of the total population changing from 0.1 percent to 0.2 percent, 

respectively. 

Between 2000 and 2010, the 

population classified as Some Other 

Race alone increased considerably, 

growing by about one-quarter. This 

population climbed from 15.4 million in 2000 to 19.1 million in 2010 

and was approximately 6 percent 

of the total population in both 

decennial censuses. Most of this 

growth was due to increases in the 

Hispanic population. 

An 18 percent growth in the 

American Indian and Alaska Native 

alone population occurred between 

2000 and 2010. This population, 

also relatively small numerically, 

maintained its proportion of the 

total population between decennial 

censuses (0.9 percent) while growing from 2.5 million to 2.9 million.

While the Black alone population had the third-largest numeric 

increase in population size over 

the decade (4.3 million), behind the 

White alone and Asian alone populations, it grew slower than most 

other major race groups. In fact, 

the Black alone population exhibited the smallest percentage growth 

outside of the White alone population, increasing 12 percent between 

2000 and 2010. This population 

rose from 34.7 million in 2000 to 

38.9 million in 2010, making up 12 

percent and 13 percent of the total 

population, respectively.

The only major race group to 

experience a decrease in its proportion of the total population was the 

White alone population. While this 

group increased the most numerically between decennial censuses 

(211.5 million to 223.6 million), 

its share of the total population 

fell from 75 percent in 2000 to 72 

percent in 2010. 

The Two or More Races population 

was one of the fastest-growing 

groups over the decade. This population increased approximately onethird between 2000 and 2010.13

The Hispanic population 

predominantly identified 

as either White or 

Some Other Race.

People of Hispanic origin may be 

any race. For the 2010 Census, a 

new instruction was added immediately preceding the questions 

on Hispanic origin and race, which 

was not used in Census 2000. 

The instruction stated that “For 

this census, Hispanic origins are 

not races” because in the federal 

statistical system, Hispanic origin is 

considered to be a separate concept from race. However, this did 

not preclude individuals from selfidentifying their race as “Latino,” 

“Mexican,” “Puerto Rican,”

“Salvadoran,” or other national 

origins or ethnicities; in fact, many 

did so. If the response provided 

to the race question could not be 

classified in one or more of the five 

OMB race groups, it was generally 

classified in the category Some 

Other Race. Therefore, responses 

to the question on race that reflect 

a Hispanic origin were classified in 

the Some Other Race category.

13 In Census 2000, an error in data processing resulted in an overstatement of the 

Two or More Races population by about

1 million people (about 15 percent) nationally, 

which almost entirely affected race combinations involving Some Other Race. Therefore, 

data users should assess observed changes 

in the Two or More Races population and race 

combinations involving Some Other Race 

between Census 2000 and the 2010 Census 

with caution. Changes in specific multiplerace combinations not involving Some Other 

Race, such as White and Black or White and

Asian, generally, should be more comparable. 
6 U.S. Census Bureau

The 2010 Census racial distributions of the Hispanic population 

and of the non-Hispanic population 

differ and are shown in Table 2. 

Over half of the Hispanic population identified as White and no 

other race, while about one-third 

provided responses that were classified as Some Other Race alone 

when responding to the question 

on race. Much smaller proportions 

of Hispanics identified as other race 

groups alone: Black alone (3 percent), American Indian and Alaska 

Native alone (1 percent), Asian 

alone (0.4 percent), and Native 

Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 

alone (0.1 percent). 

The racial distribution of the nonHispanic population, on the other 

hand, was mostly White alone (76 

percent), Black alone (15 percent), 

and Asian alone (6 percent). Less 

than 1 percent of non-Hispanics 

provided responses to the race 

question that were classified 

as Some Other Race alone (0.2 

percent). 

In 2010, 6 percent of Hispanics 

reported multiple races. Among 

non-Hispanics, 2 percent reported 

more than one race.

Native Hawaiians and Other 

Pacific Islanders and American 

Indians and Alaska Natives 

were more likely than other 

groups to report multiple 

races. 

In the 2010 Census, the population reporting their race as White, 

either alone or with at least one 

other race, was the largest of all 

the alone-or-in-combination categories (231.0 million) and represented 

about three-fourths of the total 

population (see Table 3).14 People 

who reported their race as White in 

combination with one or more additional races numbered 7.5 million, 

making up 2 percent of the total 

population. About 14 percent of 

14 The maximum number of people 

reporting a particular race is reflected in the 

race-alone-or-in-combination concept. This 

represents the number of times responses 

were part of 1 of the 6 major race categories, 

either alone or in combination with the other 

five race categories. There are six racealone-or-in-combination categories, which 

are not mutually exclusive: White alone or in 

combination, Black alone or in combination, 

American Indian and Alaska Native alone or in 

combination, Asian alone or in combination, 

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 

alone or in combination, and Some Other 

Race alone or in combination. For example, 

a respondent who indicated Asian and

White was counted in the Asian alone-or-incombination category as well as in the White 

alone-or-in-combination category. Therefore, 

the sum of all race-alone-or-in-combination 

categories equals the number of races 

reported (i.e., responses), which exceeds the 

total population.

the total population reported their 

race as Black, either alone or with 

at least one other race, which was 

the second-largest of the alone-orin-combination categories (42.0 

million). 

There were 21.7 million people 

classified as Some Other Race

alone or in combination and 17.3 

million people classified as Asian 

alone or in combination in the

2010 Census, making up 7 percent 

and 6 percent of the total population, respectively. There were comparable levels and proportions of 

the total population who indicated 

race groups in combination with 

Some Other Race (2.6 million and 

0.9 percent) and with Asian (2.6 

million and 0.9 percent).

Table 2.

Population by Hispanic or Latino Origin and Race for the 

United States: 2010

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

www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Hispanic or Latino origin and race Number Percent 

HISPANIC OR LATINO 

 Total � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 50,477,594 100�0

Race

One Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 47,435,002 94�0

 White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 26,735,713 53�0

 Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,243,471 2�5

 American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 685,150 1�4

 Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 209,128 0�4

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � 58,437 0�1

 Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 18,503,103 36�7

Two or More Races � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3,042,592 6�0

NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO 

 Total � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 258,267,944 100�0

Race

One Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 252,301,463 97�7

 White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 196,817,552 76�2

 Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 37,685,848 14�6

 American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,247,098 0�9

 Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 14,465,124 5�6

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � 481,576 0�2

 Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 604,265 0�2

Two or More Races � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,966,481 2�3

Source: U�S� Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, 

Tables P1 and P2� 
U.S. Census Bureau 7

The two smallest alone-or-incombination categories were 

American Indian and Alaska Native 

(5.2 million) and Native Hawaiian 

and Other Pacific Islander (1.2 

million), making up 2 percent and 

0.4 percent of the total population, 

respectively. These two categories 

were unique in that large proportions of these populations indicated 

more than one race, compared with 

other major race groups (see Figure 

2). There were more reports of 

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific 

Islander in combination with one 

or more additional races than there 

were of Native Hawaiian and Other 

Pacific Islander alone (0.7 million and 0.5 million, respectively). 

Almost as many people indicated 

American Indian and Alaska Native 

in combination with one or more 

additional races as people who indicated American Indian and Alaska 

Native alone (2.3 million and 2.9 

million, respectively). Thus, over 

half of the Native Hawaiian and 

Other Pacific Islander population 

and almost half of the American 

Indian and Alaska Native population 

reported more than one race.

Table 3.

Race by the Alone-or-In-Combination, Alone, and 

In-Combination Categories for the United States: 2010

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

www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Percentage 

Percentage of alone Race of total or in

Number population combination

 Total population � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 308,745,538 100�0 (X)

WHITE

Alone or in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 231,040,398 74�8 (X)

 Alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 223,553,265 72�4 96�8

 In combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 7,487,133 2�4 3�2

BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN

Alone or in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 42,020,743 13�6 (X)

 Alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 38,929,319 12�6 92�6

 In combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3,091,424 1�0 7�4

AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE

Alone or in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,220,579 1�7 (X)

 Alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,932,248 0�9 56�2

 In combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,288,331 0�7 43�8

ASIAN

Alone or in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 17,320,856 5�6 (X)

 Alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 14,674,252 4�8 84�7

 In combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,646,604 0�9 15�3

NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND OTHER 

 PACIFIC ISLANDER

Alone or in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,225,195 0�4 (X)

 Alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 540,013 0�2 44�1

 In combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 685,182 0�2 55�9

SOME OTHER RACE

Alone or in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 21,748,084 7�0 (X)

 Alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 19,107,368 6�2 87�9

 In combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,640,716 0�9 12�1

(X) Not applicable�

Note: The total population is equal to the number of respondents� In the 2010 Census, there were 

308,745,538 respondents� The total of all race categories alone or in combination with one or more other 

races is equal to the number of responses; therefore, it adds to more than the total population�

Source: U�S� Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, 

Table P1� 
8 U.S. Census Bureau

Most people who reported 

multiple races provided 

exactly two races in 2010; 

White and Black was the 

largest multiple-race 

combination.

Over the last 10 years, considerable research has been conducted 

on people of multiple races, and 

how they self-identify has become 

a more common part of our discussions and understanding of race 

and ethnicity. Results from the 

2010 Census provide new information on the diversity and changes in 

the Two or More Races population 

in the United States.

Among people who reported 

more than one race in 2010, the 

vast majority (about 92 percent) 

reported exactly two races (see 

Table 4). An additional 8 percent of 

the Two or More Races population 

reported three races and less than 

1 percent reported four or more 

races. 

In 2010, four groups were, by far, 

the largest multiple-race combinations in the United States: White 

and Black (1.8 million), White and

Some Other Race (1.7 million), 

White and Asian (1.6 million), 

and White and American Indian 

and Alaska Native (1.4 million). 

Together, these four combinations 

composed nearly three-fourths of 

the multiple-race population in the 

2010 Census (see Figure 3).

Different multiple-race 

reporting patterns occurred 

for Hispanics and nonHispanics.

Tables 5 through 10 present data 

for the major race groups and their 

largest multiple-race combinations 

by Hispanic origin. A general pattern existed in these data tables 

for people who reported more than 

one race in the 2010 Census. There 

were more reports of multiplerace combinations that included 

White than reports of combinations 

involving any other group. This 

basic pattern also existed among 

non-Hispanics. However, among 

Hispanics, relatively large proportions reported multiple-race combinations involving Some Other Race, 

as well as combinations involving 

White.

Figure 2.

Percentage of Major Race Groups Reporting Multiple 

Races: 2010

Note: Specified race group refers to the alone or in-combination population.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary 

File, Table P1.

Some 

Other 

Race

Native 

Hawaiian 

and Other 

Pacific Islander

American Asian

Indian 

and 

Alaska Native

Black or 

African 

American

Total White

population

12.1

55.9

(For more information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and 

definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

2.9 3.2

7.4

43.8

15.3
U.S. Census Bureau 9

Table 4.

Two or More Races Population by Number of Races and Selected Combinations for the 

United States: 2010

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Race Number Percent

 Two or More Races population � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9,009,073 100�0

 Two races � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 8,265,318 91�7

White; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,834,212 20�4

White; American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,432,309 15�9

White; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,623,234 18�0

White; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 169,991 1�9

White; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,740,924 19�3

Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 269,421 3�0

Black or African American; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 185,595 2�1

Black or African American; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 50,308 0�6

Black or African American; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 314,571 3�5

American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 58,829 0�7

American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 11,039 0�1

American Indian and Alaska Native; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 115,752 1�3

Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 165,690 1�8

Asian; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 234,462 2�6

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 58,981 0�7

 Three races � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 676,469 7�5

White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 230,848 2�6

White; Black or African American; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 61,511 0�7

White; Black or African American; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9,245 0�1

White; Black or African American; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 46,641 0�5

White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 45,960 0�5

White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 8,656 0�1

White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 30,941 0�3

White; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 143,126 1�6

White; Asian; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 35,786 0�4

White; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9,181 0�1

Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9,460 0�1

Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; 

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,142 –

Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 8,236 0�1

Black or African American; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 7,295 0�1

Black or African American; Asian; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 8,122 0�1

Black or African American; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,233 –

American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3,827 –

American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3,785 –

American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some Other Race � � � � � � 2,000 –

Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,474 0�1

 Four races � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 57,875 0�6

 Five races � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 8,619 0�1

 Six races � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 792 –

– Percentage rounds to 0�0�

Source: U�S� Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Table P1� 
10 U.S. Census Bureau

People who identified as White 

were the most likely to report 

only one race.

In the 2010 Census, 97 percent 

of people in the White alone-orin-combination category reported 

White and no other race (see 

Table 5). Among the 7.5 million 

people who reported they were 

White and one or more additional 

races, one-fourth reported White 

and Black, and nearly one-fourth 

reported White and Some Other 

Race. Another one-fifth reported 

White and Asian, and nearly onefifth reported White and American 

Indian and Alaska Native. This 

was a fairly even distribution of 

responses among the four largest 

combinations.

Figure 3.

Percentage Distribution of People Who Reported Multiple Races: 2010

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

www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Note: People reporting multiple races represented 2.9 percent of the total population. Black refers to Black or African American; 

AIAN refers to American Indian and Alaska Native; NHPI refers to Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; SOR refers to 

Some Other Race.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Table P1.

Three or more races

AIAN; NHPI

Black; NHPI

AIAN; Asian

NHPI; SOR

AIAN; SOR

Asian; NHPI

White; NHPI

Black; Asian

Asian; SOR

Black; AIAN

Black; SOR

White; AIAN

White; Asian

White; SOR

White; Black 

1.3

15.9

18.0

19.3

20.4

0.1

8.3

0.6

0.7

0.7

3.5

3.0

2.6

2.1

1.8

1.9
U.S. Census Bureau 11

Table 5.

The White Population and Largest Multiple-Race 

Combinations by Hispanic or Latino Origin for the 

United States: 2010

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

www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Percentage 

of White 

Race in 

Number Percent combination

WHITE ALONE OR IN COMBINATION

 Total � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 231,040,398 100�0 (X)

White alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 223,553,265 96�8 (X)

White in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 7,487,133 3�2 100�0

 White; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � 1,834,212 0�8 24�5

 White; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,740,924 0�8 23�3

 White; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,623,234 0�7 21�7

 White; American Indian and Alaska Native � � � 1,432,309 0�6 19�1

 White; Black or African American; 

 American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � 230,848 0�1 3�1

 All other combinations including White � � � � � � 625,606 0�3 8�4

 Hispanic or Latino � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 29,184,290 100�0 (X)

White alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 26,735,713 91�6 (X)

White in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,448,577 8�4 100�0

 White; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � 245,850 0�8 10�0

 White; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,601,125 5�5 65�4

 White; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 135,522 0�5 5�5

 White; American Indian and Alaska Native � � � 226,385 0�8 9�2

 White; Black or African American; 

 American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � 50,000 0�2 2�0

 All other combinations including White � � � � � � 189,695 0�6 7�7

 Not Hispanic or Latino � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 201,856,108 100�0 (X)

White alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 196,817,552 97�5 (X)

White in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,038,556 2�5 100�0

 White; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � 1,588,362 0�8 31�5

 White; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 139,799 0�1 2�8

 White; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,487,712 0�7 29�5

 White; American Indian and Alaska Native � � � 1,205,924 0�6 23�9

 White; Black or African American; 

 American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � 180,848 0�1 3�6

 All other combinations including White � � � � � � 435,911 0�2 8�7

(X) Not applicable�

Note: Largest combinations based on White in-combination population�

Source: U�S� Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, 

Tables P1 and P2� 

Table 5 shows that 29.2 million 

people of Hispanic origin reported 

that they were either White alone or 

White in combination with another 

race. Of the 2.4 million Hispanics 

who reported their race as White 

in combination with one or more 

additional races, almost two-thirds 

were classified as White and Some 

Other Race. 

The multiple-race reporting pattern was different for non-Hispanic 

Whites. Of the 5.0 million nonHispanics who reported that 

they were White and one or more 

additional races, about onethird reported White and Black, 

nearly one-third reported White 

and Asian, and about one-fourth 

reported White and American 

Indian and Alaska Native.
12 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 6.

The Black or African-American Population and Largest Multiple-Race Combinations by 

Hispanic or Latino Origin for the United States: 2010

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Percentage 

of Black or 

Race African 

American 

Number Percent in combination

BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN ALONE OR IN COMBINATION 

 Total � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 42,020,743 100�0 (X)

Black or African American alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 38,929,319 92�6 (X)

Black or African American in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3,091,424 7�4 100�0

 Black or African American; White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,834,212 4�4 59�3

 Black or African American; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 314,571 0�7 10�2

 Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 269,421 0�6 8�7

 Black or African American; White; American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 230,848 0�5 7�5

 Black or African American; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 185,595 0�4 6�0

 All other combinations including Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 256,777 0�6 8�3

 Hispanic or Latino � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,897,218 100�0 (X)

Black or African American alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,243,471 65�5 (X)

Black or African American in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 653,747 34�5 100�0

 Black or African American; White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 245,850 13�0 37�6

 Black or African American; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 227,648 12�0 34�8

 Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 31,571 1�7 4�8

 Black or African American; White; American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 50,000 2�6 7�6

 Black or African American; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 15,451 0�8 2�4

 All other combinations including Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 83,227 4�4 12�7

 Not Hispanic or Latino � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 40,123,525 100�0 (X)

Black or African American alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 37,685,848 93�9 (X)

Black or African American in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,437,677 6�1 100�0

 Black or African American; White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,588,362 4�0 65�2

 Black or African American; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 86,923 0�2 3�6

 Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 237,850 0�6 9�8

 Black or African American; White; American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 180,848 0�5 7�4

 Black or African American; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 170,144 0�4 7�0

 All other combinations including Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 173,550 0�4 7�1

(X) Not applicable�

Note: Largest combinations based on Black or African American in-combination population�

Source: U�S� Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Tables P1 and P2� 

Within the population who 

identified as Black, Hispanics 

were more likely to report 

multiple races than nonHispanics.

In the 2010 Census, 93 percent of 

people in the Black alone-or-incombination category reported 

Black and no other race (see Table 

6). Among the 3.1 million people 

who reported that they were Black 

and one or more additional races, 

the majority reported being Black 

and White (59 percent).

The Black alone-or-in-combination 

population included 1.9 million 

people of Hispanic origin, 35 

percent of whom reported multiple 

races. This is more than five times 

greater than the proportion reporting multiple races among nonHispanics who identified as Black 

(6 percent). Most Hispanics who 

identified as Black in combination 

with one or more additional races 

reported one of two combinations: 

Black and White (38 percent) and 

Black and Some Other Race (35 

percent). This contrasts with nonHispanics who identified as Black 

in combination with one or more 

additional races, where about twothirds reported one combination, 

Black and White.
U.S. Census Bureau 13

Table 7.

The American Indian and Alaska Native Population and Largest Multiple-Race 

Combinations by Hispanic or Latino Origin for the United States: 2010

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Percentage 

of American 

Race Indian and 

Alaska Native 

Number Percent in combination

AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE ALONE OR IN COMBINATION

 Total � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,220,579 100�0 (X)

American Indian and Alaska Native alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,932,248 56�2 (X)

American Indian and Alaska Native in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,288,331 43�8 100�0

 American Indian and Alaska Native; White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,432,309 27�4 62�6

 American Indian and Alaska Native; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 269,421 5�2 11�8

 American Indian and Alaska Native; White; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 230,848 4�4 10�1

 American Indian and Alaska Native; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 115,752 2�2 5�1

 American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 58,829 1�1 2�6

 All other combinations including American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 181,172 3�5 7�9

 Hispanic or Latino � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,190,904 100�0 (X)

American Indian and Alaska Native alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 685,150 57�5 (X)

American Indian and Alaska Native in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 505,754 42�5 100�0

 American Indian and Alaska Native; White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 226,385 19�0 44�8

 American Indian and Alaska Native; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 31,571 2�7 6�2

 American Indian and Alaska Native; White; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 50,000 4�2 9�9

 American Indian and Alaska Native; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 106,604 9�0 21�1

 American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 12,257 1�0 2�4

 All other combinations including American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 78,937 6�6 15�6

 Not Hispanic or Latino � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,029,675 100�0 (X)

American Indian and Alaska Native alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,247,098 55�8 (X)

American Indian and Alaska Native in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,782,577 44�2 100�0

 American Indian and Alaska Native; White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,205,924 29�9 67�7

 American Indian and Alaska Native; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 237,850 5�9 13�3

 American Indian and Alaska Native; White; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 180,848 4�5 10�1

 American Indian and Alaska Native; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9,148 0�2 0�5

 American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 46,572 1�2 2�6

 All other combinations including American Indian and Alaska Native � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 102,235 2�5 5�7

(X) Not applicable�

Note: Largest combinations based on American Indian and Alaska Native in-combination population�

Source: U�S� Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Tables P1 and P2� 

Nearly half of all people who 

identified as American Indian 

and Alaska Native reported 

multiple races.

In 2010, 56 percent of people in 

the American Indian and Alaska 

Native alone-or-in-combination category reported one race (see Table 

7). Of the 2.3 million who reported 

American Indian and Alaska Native 

along with one or more additional 

races, about 63 percent reported 

one combination: American Indian 

and Alaska Native and White. 

American Indian and Alaska Native 

and Black (12 percent) as well as 

American Indian and Alaska Native 

and White and Black (10 percent) 

were also common combinations 

reported among this population.

Among those who identified as 

American Indian and Alaska Native, 

the proportion of Hispanics and 

non-Hispanics who reported more 

than one race was about the 

same—unlike any other race group.

There were 1.2 million people of 

Hispanic origin who identified as 

American Indian and Alaska Native, 

43 percent of whom reported multiple races. The majority of Hispanics 

who reported more than one race 

within the American Indian and 

Alaska Native population identified as one of two combinations: 

American Indian and Alaska 

Native and White (45 percent) and 

American Indian and Alaska Native 

and Some Other Race (21 percent). Similar to Hispanic American 

Indians and Alaska Natives, 44 percent of non-Hispanics who identified as American Indian and Alaska 

Native reported more than one 

race. However, unlike Hispanics, 

over two-thirds reported one 

combination: American Indian and 

Alaska Native and White.
14 U.S. Census Bureau

Among people who identified 

as Asian, 15 percent reported 

more than one race. 

About 85 percent of the Asian 

alone-or-in-combination population 

reported Asian and no other race in 

the 2010 Census, compared to 15 

percent who reported Asian along 

with one or more additional races 

(see Table 8). Of the 2.6 million 

who indicated Asian along with 

one or more additional races, well 

over half reported being Asian and

White (61 percent).

The majority of the 0.6 million 

people of Hispanic origin who identified as Asian alone or in combination reported more than one race 

(65 percent). Among Hispanics who 

identified as Asian along with one 

or more additional races, the most 

frequently reported combinations 

were Asian and White (35 percent) 

and Asian and Some Other Race 

(27 percent). About 14 percent of 

non-Hispanics who identified as 

Asian reported multiple races—

two-thirds of whom identified as 

one combination, Asian and White.

Table 8.

The Asian Population and Largest Multiple-Race 

Combinations by Hispanic or Latino Origin for the 

United States: 2010

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

www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Race

Number Percent 

Percentage 

of Asian 

in 

combination

ASIAN ALONE OR IN COMBINATION

 Total � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 17,320,856 100�0 (X)

Asian alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 14,674,252 84�7 (X)

Asian in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,646,604 15�3 100�0

 Asian; White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,623,234 9�4 61�3

 Asian; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 234,462 1�4 8�9

 Asian; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 185,595 1�1 7�0

 Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � 165,690 1�0 6�3

 Asian; White; Native Hawaiian and 

 Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 143,126 0�8 5�4

 All other combinations including Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � 294,497 1�7 11�1

 Hispanic or Latino � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 598,146 100�0 (X)

Asian alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 209,128 35�0 (X)

Asian in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 389,018 65�0 100�0

 Asian; White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 135,522 22�7 34�8

 Asian; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 103,591 17�3 26�6

 Asian; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 15,451 2�6 4�0

 Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � 16,129 2�7 4�1

 Asian; White; Native Hawaiian and 

 Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 22,799 3�8 5�9

 All other combinations including Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � 95,526 16�0 24�6

 Not Hispanic or Latino � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 16,722,710 100�0 (X)

Asian alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 14,465,124 86�5 (X)

Asian in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,257,586 13�5 100�0

 Asian; White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,487,712 8�9 65�9

 Asian; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 130,871 0�8 5�8

 Asian; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 170,144 1�0 7�5

 Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � 149,561 0�9 6�6

 Asian; White; Native Hawaiian and 

 Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 120,327 0�7 5�3

 All other combinations including Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � 198,971 1�2 8�8

(X) Not applicable�

Note: Largest combinations based on Asian in-combination population�

Source: U�S� Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, 

Tables P1 and P2� 
U.S. Census Bureau 15

Table 9.

The Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Population and Largest Multiple-Race 

Combinations by Hispanic or Latino Origin for the United States: 2010

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Race

Number Percent 

Percentage of 

Native 

Hawaiian 

and Other 

Pacific Islander 

in combination

NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDER ALONE OR IN COMBINATION

 Total � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,225,195 100�0 (X)

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 540,013 44�1 (X)

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 685,182 55�9 100�0

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 169,991 13�9 24�8

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 165,690 13�5 24�2

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; White; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 143,126 11�7 20�9

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 58,981 4�8 8�6

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � 50,308 4�1 7�3

 All other combinations including Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � 97,086 7�9 14�2

 Hispanic or Latino � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 210,307 100�0 (X)

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 58,437 27�8 (X)

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 151,870 72�2 100�0

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 22,187 10�5 14�6

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 16,129 7�7 10�6

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; White; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 22,799 10�8 15�0

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 46,909 22�3 30�9

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,913 2�3 3�2

 All other combinations including Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � 38,933 18�5 25�6

 Not Hispanic or Latino � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,014,888 100�0 (X)

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 481,576 47�5 (X)

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 533,312 52�5 100�0

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 147,804 14�6 27�7

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 149,561 14�7 28�0

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; White; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 120,327 11�9 22�6

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some Other Race � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 12,072 1�2 2�3

 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � � � 45,395 4�5 8�5

 All other combinations including Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � 58,153 5�7 10�9

(X) Not applicable�

Note: Largest combinations based on Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander in-combination population�

Source: U�S� Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Tables P1 and P2� 

More than half of all people 

who identified as Native 

Hawaiian and Other Pacific 

Islander reported multiple 

races.

About 44 percent of people in the 

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific 

Islander alone-or-in-combination 

category reported this race and

no other (see Table 9). Of the 0.7 

million who indicated Native

Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 

along with one or more additional 

races, 25 percent reported Native 

Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 

and White, 24 percent reported 

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific 

Islander and Asian, and 21 percent 

reported Native Hawaiian and Other 

Pacific Islander and White and

Asian—representing a fairly even 

distribution of responses among 

the largest combinations.
16 U.S. Census Bureau

Within the population who identified as Native Hawaiian and Other 

Pacific Islander, high proportions 

of both Hispanics (72 percent) 

and non-Hispanics (53 percent) 

reported multiple races (0.2 million 

and 1.0 million, respectively). For 

Hispanics, the largest combination 

was Native Hawaiian and Other 

Pacific Islander and Some Other 

Race (31 percent). Among nonHispanics, similar proportions 

(about 28 percent each) reported 

the following: Native Hawaiian and 

Other Pacific Islander and Asian 

and Native Hawaiian and Other 

Pacific Islander and White.

Hispanics made up 97 percent 

of all those classified as only 

Some Other Race. 

Table 10 shows the Some Other 

Race alone-or-in-combination population (21.7 million) by Hispanic 

origin in the United States in 2010. 

Respondents who were classified 

as Some Other Race alone represented the vast majority of the total 

(88 percent).

Among the 2.6 million people 

who reported multiple races that 

included Some Other Race, the 

most common combinations were 

Some Other Race and White (66 

percent), followed by Some Other 

Race and Black (12 percent), Some 

Other Race and Asian (9 percent), 

Some Other Race and American 

Indian and Alaska Native (4 percent), and Some Other Race and

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific 

Islander (2 percent). All other 

combinations including Some Other 

Race represented 7 percent of the 

Some Other Race alone-or-incombination population.

Table 10.

The Some Other Race Population and Largest MultipleRace Combinations by Hispanic or Latino Origin for the 

United States: 2010

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

www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Race

Number Percent 

Percentage 

of Some 

Other Race 

in 

combination

SOME OTHER RACE ALONE OR IN COMBINATION

 Total � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 21,748,084 100�0 (X)

Some Other Race alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 19,107,368 87�9 (X)

Some Other Race in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,640,716 12�1 100�0

 Some Other Race; White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,740,924 8�0 65�9

 Some Other Race; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � � 314,571 1�4 11�9

 Some Other Race; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 234,462 1�1 8�9

 Some Other Race; American Indian and Alaska Native � � � 115,752 0�5 4�4

 Some Other Race; Native Hawaiian and 

 Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 58,981 0�3 2�2

 All other combinations including Some Other Race � � � � � � � 176,026 0�8 6�7

 Hispanic or Latino � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 20,714,218 100�0 (X)

Some Other Race alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 18,503,103 89�3 (X)

Some Other Race in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,211,115 10�7 100�0

 Some Other Race; White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,601,125 7�7 72�4

 Some Other Race; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � 227,648 1�1 10�3

 Some Other Race; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 103,591 0�5 4�7

 Some Other Race; American Indian and Alaska Native � � � 106,604 0�5 4�8

 Some Other Race; Native Hawaiian and 

 Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 46,909 0�2 2�1

 All other combinations including Some Other Race � � � � � � � 125,238 0�6 5�7

 Not Hispanic or Latino � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,033,866 100�0 (X)

Some Other Race alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 604,265 58�4 (X)

Some Other Race in combination � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 429,601 41�6 100�0

 Some Other Race; White � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 139,799 13�5 32�5

 Some Other Race; Black or African American � � � � � � � � � � 86,923 8�4 20�2

 Some Other Race; Asian � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 130,871 12�7 30�5

 Some Other Race; American Indian and Alaska Native � � � 9,148 0�9 2�1

 Some Other Race; Native Hawaiian and 

 Other Pacific Islander � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 12,072 1�2 2�8

 All other combinations including Some Other Race � � � � � � � 50,788 4�9 11�8

(X) Not applicable�

Note: Largest combinations based on Some Othe

Source: U�S� Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redi

Tables P1 and P2� 

In the 2010 Census, approximately 

20.7 million people of Hispanic origin were classified as Some Other 

Race either alone or in combination, compared with only 1 million 

people of non-Hispanic origin. 

Nearly all of those who were classified as Some Other Race alone were 

r Race in-combination population�

stricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, 

of Hispanic origin (18.5 million out 

of 19.1 million, or 97 percent). 

The majority of Hispanics classified 

as Some Other Race reported only 

one race (89 percent). However, 

notable reporting differences were 

observed for non-Hispanics. Among 

non-Hispanics who were classified 

as Some Other Race, about 
U.S. Census Bureau 17

42 percent reported more than one 

race (nearly four times higher than 

their Hispanic counterparts).

In 2010, among Hispanics classified as Some Other Race in combination with one or more additional 

races, the most common multiplerace group by far was Some Other 

Race and White (72 percent), 

followed by Some Other Race and

Black (10 percent). Among nonHispanics who were classified as 

Some Other Race and one or more 

additional races, the most common 

multiple-race combinations were 

more evenly distributed—Some 

Other Race and White (33 percent) 

and Some Other Race and Asian 

(31 percent). 

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION 

OF THE MINORITY 

POPULATION 

Nearly half of the West 

region’s population was 

minority.

In the 2010 Census, just over 

one-third of the U.S. population 

reported their race and ethnicity as 

something other than non-Hispanic 

White alone. This group, referred to 

as the “minority” population for this 

report, increased from 86.9 million 

to 111.9 million between 2000 and 

2010 (see Table 11). This represented a growth of 29 percent over 

the decade. The non-Hispanic White 

alone population also grew over 

the decade, from 194.6 million to 

196.8 million; however, growth was 

relatively slow for this population 

(1 percent).

In the four census regions, the proportion of the total population that 

was minority (proportion minority) 

ranged from about one-fifth to just 

under one-half of the total population in 2010.15 The minority population numbered 33.9 million (47 

percent) in the West, 45.8 million 

(40 percent) in the South, and 

17.3 million (31 percent) in the 

Northeast. In the Midwest, the 

minority population was 14.8 million and made up 22 percent of the 

total population. 

The minority population grew in 

every region between 2000 and 

2010, but most significantly in the 

South and West. The South experienced growth of 34 percent in its 

minority population. Similar growth 

occurred in the West, with the 

minority population increasing by 

29 percent. The non-Hispanic White 

alone population also grew in the 

15 The Northeast census region includes 

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New 

Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, 

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. 

The Midwest census region includes Illinois, 

Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, 

Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, 

South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The South 

census region includes Alabama, Arkansas, 

Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, 

Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, 

Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South 

Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West 

Virginia. The West census region includes 

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, 

Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, 

Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

South and West between the two 

decennial censuses, but at a slower 

rate (4 percent and 3 percent, 

respectively). 

The minority population in the 

Northeast and Midwest experienced 

considerable growth between 

2000 and 2010. The minority 

population grew by 21 percent in 

the Northeast, and the Midwest 

minority population grew 24 percent. In contrast, the non-Hispanic 

White alone population in both of 

these regions declined since 2000 

(–3 percent in the Northeast and –1 

percent in the Midwest).

California had the largest 

minority population in 2010.

In 2010, the states with the 

largest minority populations 

frequently also had the largest 

non-Hispanic White alone populations. California led the nation with 

the largest minority population 

(22.3 million). Texas (13.7 million), 

New York (8.1 million), Florida (7.9 

million), and Illinois (4.7 million) 

round out the top five states with 

the largest minority populations. 

Most of these states also had the 

largest non-Hispanic White alone 

populations—California with 15.0 

million, Texas with 11.4 million, 

New York with 11.3 million, and 

Florida with 10.9 million. The state 

with the fifth-largest non-Hispanic 

White alone population in 2010 was 

Pennsylvania (10.1 million). 
18 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 11.

Non-Hispanic White Alone Population and the Minority Population for the United States, 

Regions, States, and for Puerto Rico: 2000 and 2010

(For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)

Area

2000 2010 Percentage change, 

2000 to 2010

Total 

NonHispanic 

White alone Minority1

Percentage 

minority1 Total 

NonHispanic 

White alone Minority1

Percentage 

minority1

NonHispanic 

White alone Minority1

 United States � � � � � 281,421,906 194,552,774 86,869,132 30�9 308,745,538 196,817,552 111,927,986 36�3 1�2 28�8

REGION

Northeast � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 53,594,378 39,327,262 14,267,116 26�6 55,317,240 38,008,094 17,309,146 31�3 –3�4 21�3

Midwest � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 64,392,776 52,386,131 12,006,645 18�6 66,927,001 52,096,633 14,830,368 22�2 –0�6 23�5

South � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 100,236,820 65,927,794 34,309,026 34�2 114,555,744 68,706,462 45,849,282 40�0 4�2 33�6

West � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 63,197,932 36,911,587 26,286,345 41�6 71,945,553 38,006,363 33,939,190 47�2 3�0 29�1

STATE

Alabama � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,447,100 3,125,819 1,321,281 29�7 4,779,736 3,204,402 1,575,334 33�0 2�5 19�2

Alaska � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 626,932 423,788 203,144 32�4 710,231 455,320 254,911 35�9 7�4 25�5

Arizona � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,130,632 3,274,258 1,856,374 36�2 6,392,017 3,695,647 2,696,370 42�2 12�9 45�2

Arkansas � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,673,400 2,100,135 573,265 21�4 2,915,918 2,173,469 742,449 25�5 3�5 29�5

California � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 33,871,648 15,816,790 18,054,858 53�3 37,253,956 14,956,253 22,297,703 59�9 –5�4 23�5

Colorado � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,301,261 3,202,880 1,098,381 25�5 5,029,196 3,520,793 1,508,403 30�0 9�9 37�3

Connecticut � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3,405,565 2,638,845 766,720 22�5 3,574,097 2,546,262 1,027,835 28�8 –3�5 34�1

Delaware � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 783,600 567,973 215,627 27�5 897,934 586,752 311,182 34�7 3�3 44�3

District of Columbia � � � � � � � � 572,059 159,178 412,881 72�2 601,723 209,464 392,259 65�2 31�6 –5�0

Florida � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 15,982,378 10,458,509 5,523,869 34�6 18,801,310 10,884,722 7,916,588 42�1 4�1 43�3

Georgia � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 8,186,453 5,128,661 3,057,792 37�4 9,687,653 5,413,920 4,273,733 44�1 5�6 39�8

Hawaii � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,211,537 277,091 934,446 77�1 1,360,301 309,343 1,050,958 77�3 11�6 12�5

Idaho � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,293,953 1,139,291 154,662 12�0 1,567,582 1,316,243 251,339 16�0 15�5 62�5

Illinois � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 12,419,293 8,424,140 3,995,153 32�2 12,830,632 8,167,753 4,662,879 36�3 –3�0 16�7

Indiana � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 6,080,485 5,219,373 861,112 14�2 6,483,802 5,286,453 1,197,349 18�5 1�3 39�0

Iowa � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,926,324 2,710,344 215,980 7�4 3,046,355 2,701,123 345,232 11�3 –0�3 59�8

Kansas � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,688,418 2,233,997 454,421 16�9 2,853,118 2,230,539 622,579 21�8 –0�2 37�0

Kentucky � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,041,769 3,608,013 433,756 10�7 4,339,367 3,745,655 593,712 13�7 3�8 36�9

Louisiana � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,468,976 2,794,391 1,674,585 37�5 4,533,372 2,734,884 1,798,488 39�7 –2�1 7�4

Maine � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,274,923 1,230,297 44,626 3�5 1,328,361 1,254,297 74,064 5�6 2�0 66�0

Maryland � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,296,486 3,286,547 2,009,939 37�9 5,773,552 3,157,958 2,615,594 45�3 –3�9 30�1

Massachusetts � � � � � � � � � � � � 6,349,097 5,198,359 1,150,738 18�1 6,547,629 4,984,800 1,562,829 23�9 –4�1 35�8

Michigan � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9,938,444 7,806,691 2,131,753 21�4 9,883,640 7,569,939 2,313,701 23�4 –3�0 8�5

Minnesota � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,919,479 4,337,143 582,336 11�8 5,303,925 4,405,142 898,783 16�9 1�6 54�3

Mississippi � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,844,658 1,727,908 1,116,750 39�3 2,967,297 1,722,287 1,245,010 42�0 –0�3 11�5

Missouri � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,595,211 4,686,474 908,737 16�2 5,988,927 4,850,748 1,138,179 19�0 3�5 25�2

Montana � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 902,195 807,823 94,372 10�5 989,415 868,628 120,787 12�2 7�5 28�0

Nebraska � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,711,263 1,494,494 216,769 12�7 1,826,341 1,499,753 326,588 17�9 0�4 50�7

Nevada � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,998,257 1,303,001 695,256 34�8 2,700,551 1,462,081 1,238,470 45�9 12�2 78�1

New Hampshire � � � � � � � � � � 1,235,786 1,175,252 60,534 4�9 1,316,470 1,215,050 101,420 7�7 3�4 67�5

New Jersey � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 8,414,350 5,557,209 2,857,141 34�0 8,791,894 5,214,878 3,577,016 40�7 –6�2 25�2

New Mexico � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,819,046 813,495 1,005,551 55�3 2,059,179 833,810 1,225,369 59�5 2�5 21�9

New York � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 18,976,457 11,760,981 7,215,476 38�0 19,378,102 11,304,247 8,073,855 41�7 –3�9 11�9

North Carolina � � � � � � � � � � � 8,049,313 5,647,155 2,402,158 29�8 9,535,483 6,223,995 3,311,488 34�7 10�2 37�9

North Dakota � � � � � � � � � � � � 642,200 589,149 53,051 8�3 672,591 598,007 74,584 11�1 1�5 40�6

Ohio � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 11,353,140 9,538,111 1,815,029 16�0 11,536,504 9,359,263 2,177,241 18�9 –1�9 20�0

Oklahoma � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3,450,654 2,556,368 894,286 25�9 3,751,351 2,575,381 1,175,970 31�3 0�7 31�5

Oregon � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3,421,399 2,857,616 563,783 16�5 3,831,074 3,005,848 825,226 21�5 5�2 46�4

Pennsylvania � � � � � � � � � � � � � 12,281,054 10,322,455 1,958,599 15�9 12,702,379 10,094,652 2,607,727 20�5 –2�2 33�1

Rhode Island � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,048,319 858,433 189,886 18�1 1,052,567 803,685 248,882 23�6 –6�4 31�1

South Carolina � � � � � � � � � � � 4,012,012 2,652,291 1,359,721 33�9 4,625,364 2,962,740 1,662,624 35�9 11�7 22�3

South Dakota � � � � � � � � � � � � 754,844 664,585 90,259 12�0 814,180 689,502 124,678 15�3 3�7 38�1

Tennessee � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,689,283 4,505,930 1,183,353 20�8 6,346,105 4,800,782 1,545,323 24�4 6�5 30�6

Texas � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 20,851,820 10,933,313 9,918,507 47�6 25,145,561 11,397,345 13,748,216 54�7 4�2 38�6

Utah � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 2,233,169 1,904,265 328,904 14�7 2,763,885 2,221,719 542,166 19�6 16�7 64�8

Vermont � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 608,827 585,431 23,396 3�8 625,741 590,223 35,518 5�7 0�8 51�8

Virginia � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 7,078,515 4,965,637 2,112,878 29�8 8,001,024 5,186,450 2,814,574 35�2 4�4 33�2

Washington � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,894,121 4,652,490 1,241,631 21�1 6,724,540 4,876,804 1,847,736 27�5 4�8 48�8

West Virginia � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1,808,344 1,709,966 98,378 5�4 1,852,994 1,726,256 126,738 6�8 1�0 28�8

Wisconsin � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,363,675 4,681,630 682,045 12�7 5,686,986 4,738,411 948,575 16�7 1�2 39�1

Wyoming � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 493,782 438,799 54,983 11�1 563,626 483,874 79,752 14�1 10�3 45�0

Puerto Rico � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3,808,610 33,966 3,774,644 99�1 3,725,789 26,946 3,698,843 99�3 –20�7 –2�0

1

 For this report, “minority” refers to people who reported their ethnicity and race as something other than non-Hispanic White alone in the decennial census�

Sources: U�S� Census Bureau, Census 2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Tables PL1 and PL2; and 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)

Summary File, Tables P1 and P2� 
U.S. Census Bureau 19

Texas joined California, 

the District of Columbia, 

Hawaii, and New Mexico in 

having a “majority-minority” 

population.

In California, the District of 

Columbia, Hawaii, New Mexico, and 

Texas, the population was majorityminority (i.e., over 50 percent of 

the population was minority) in 

2010 (see Table 11). Hawaii had 

the highest proportion minority (77 

percent), followed by California and 

New Mexico, each with 60 percent. 

California, New Mexico, and Hawaii 

had a majority-minority population 

in 2000 as well, and this population 

grew 24 percent, 22 percent, and 

13 percent, respectively, between 

2000 and 2010. About 55 percent 

of Texas’ population was minority in 2010, up from 48 percent in 

2000. Over the decade, the minority population in Texas grew by 39 

percent. The District of Columbia’s 

population was also majorityminority (65 percent) but was down 

from 72 percent in 2000. 

In 2010, the vast majority of the 

population identified as nonHispanic White alone in four states. 

In the New England area, Maine, 

New Hampshire, and Vermont all 

had populations that were predominantly non-Hispanic White alone 

(94 percent, 92 percent, and 94 

percent, respectively). The minority population grew by at least 

50 percent in each of these states 

between 2000 and 2010—by 66 

percent in Maine, by 68 percent in 

New Hampshire, and by 52 percent 

in Vermont, which outpaced growth 

of the non-Hispanic White alone 

population (2 percent, 3 percent, 

and 1 percent, respectively). West 

Virginia also had a predominantly 

non-Hispanic White alone population in 2010 (93 percent). While 

West Virginia’s non-Hispanic White 

alone population increased by 1 

percent over the decade, the 

state’s minority population grew 

29 percent.

Nevada’s minority population 

grew the fastest between 2000 

and 2010.

There were a number of other 

states where significant proportions of the population were minority. The minority population in 

Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, 

and Nevada approached 50 percent in 2010. Among these states, 

Nevada had the highest proportion 

minority (46 percent), followed by 

Maryland (45 percent), Georgia (44 

percent), and Arizona and Florida 

(each about 42 percent).

The minority population grew in 

all 50 states between 2000 and 

2010. Among all states, Nevada’s 

minority population increased the 

most (78 percent). Each of the five 

states that had a proportion minority approaching 50 percent also 

experienced at least 30 percent 

growth in this population. The 

minority population grew by 40 

percent in Georgia and by 30 percent in Maryland across the decade. 

Arizona’s and Florida’s minority 

population increased even more 

(45 percent and 43 percent, respectively). In the District of Columbia, 

the minority population declined by 

5 percent.

The non-Hispanic White alone 

population also experienced 

growth between 2000 and 2010 

in 35 states and the District of 

Columbia. Eight states and the 

District of Columbia had nonHispanic White alone populations 

that increased at least 10 percent 

between the decennial censuses. 

The District of Columbia had the 

largest percentage increase in the 

non-Hispanic White alone population (32 percent), followed by Utah 

(17 percent), Idaho (16 percent), 

and Arizona (13 percent). Hawaii, 

Nevada, and South Carolina all 

had about 12 percent growth 

in the non-Hispanic White alone 

population. The non-Hispanic White 

alone population grew by about 

10 percent in North Carolina and 

Wyoming.

The non-Hispanic White alone 

population declined in 15 states 

between 2000 and 2010. Eleven of 

the states with declines in the nonHispanic White alone population 

were in the Northeast and Midwest. 

In particular, 6 of the 9 states in 

the Northeast had declines in the 

non-Hispanic White alone population—Connecticut (–4 percent), 

Massachusetts (–4 percent), New 

Jersey (–6 percent), New York (–4 

percent), Pennsylvania (–2 percent), 

and Rhode Island (–6 percent). The 

five states in the Midwest with 

declines in the non-Hispanic White 

alone population were Illinois 

(–3 percent), Iowa (–0.3 percent), 

Kansas (–0.2 percent), Michigan 

(–3 percent), and Ohio (–2 percent). Fewer states in the South 

saw declines in the non-Hispanic 

White alone population (Louisiana, 

–2 percent; Maryland, –4 percent; 

and Mississippi, –0.3 percent). 

California was the only state in the 

West with a non-Hispanic White 

alone population that declined (–5 

percent).

In about one-tenth of all 

counties, the minority 

population composed 50 

percent or more of the total 

population. 

Out of 3,143 counties, there 

were 348 where at least half of 

the population was minority in 

2010 (see Figure 4). The minority population was concentrated 

in counties along the East coast 

from Massachusetts to Florida and 

in counties within the Gulf Coast 

states of Alabama, Mississippi, 

and Louisiana. A band of counties 

where a high proportion of the 

population was minority stretched 
20 U.S. Census Bureau 0 100 Miles Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Tables P1 and P2. 0 100 Miles 

U.S. percent 36.3 0 200 Miles 

Figure 4. Minority Population as a Percentage of County Population: 201

(Minority refers to people who reported their ethnicity and race as something other than nin the 2010 Census. For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, and 

www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)
U.S. Census Bureau 21 0 100 Miles Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Tables PL1 and PL2; and 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, Tables P1 and P2. 0 100 Miles 

U.S. change 28.8 0 100 Miles 

Figure 5. Percentage Change in Minority Population by County: 2000 to 

(Counties with a minority population of at least 1,000 are included in the map. Minority refers to people who reported their ethnicity and race as something other than noin the decennial census. For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, a

see www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/doc/pl94-171.pdf)
22 U.S. Census Bureau

across the southwest through the 

states lining the U.S.-Mexico border 

(Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and 

California). Additionally, counties in 

states along the Pacific coast, and 

in Hawaii and Alaska, also had high 

proportions of the population that 

were minority. 

In 2010, there were 1,205 counties where less than 10 percent of 

the population was minority. The 

majority of these counties were 

located in Appalachia, in the upper 

Northeast, and in the central and 

upper Midwest.

Growth in the minority 

population occurred in many 

counties across the nation.

The map in Figure 5 illustrates the 

percentage change in the minority population between 2000 and 

2010 for counties with a minority population of at least 1,000 in 

2010. Minority population growth 

was concentrated in counties 

in the Pacific Northwest, Pacific 

Southwest, western Arizona, 

southern Nevada, and areas of 

the interior West. Counties in the 

mid-Atlantic corridor, Florida, and 

in clusters throughout the southeastern states also had significant 

growth in their minority population. 

Additionally, multiple groupings of 

counties in Texas, northern Illinois, 

southern Wisconsin, and southern 

Minnesota experienced substantial 

growth in their minority population 

between 2000 and 2010. 

There were 53 counties with a 

minority population of at least 

1,000 that experienced a decline

of at least 10 percent in their 

minority population between 2000 

and 2010. Many of these counties 

were located along the Mississippi 

River in Arkansas, Louisiana, and 

Mississippi, as well as in central 

and western Alabama. 

SUMMARY

This report presented data from the 

2010 Census that illustrated the 

nation’s changing racial and ethnic 

diversity. The examination of racial 

and ethnic group distributions 

nationally shows that while the 

non-Hispanic White alone population is still numerically and proportionally the largest major race and 

ethnic group in the United States, 

it is also growing at the slowest 

rate. During the past 10 years, 

it has been the Hispanic population and the Asian population that 

have grown considerably, in part 

due to relatively higher levels of 

immigration. 

Additional notable trends were 

presented in this report. The Black 

population, the second-largest 

major race group, did experience 

growth over the decade; however, 

it grew at a slower rate than all 

other major race groups except for 

White. Racial classification issues 

continue to persist among those 

who identify as Hispanic, resulting 

in a substantial proportion of that 

population being categorized as 

Some Other Race. People reporting 

more than one race was another 

fast-growing population and made 

up large proportions of the 

American Indian and Alaska Native 

population and Native Hawaiian 

and Other Pacific Islander population. Geographically, there are a 

number of areas, particularly in the 

South and West, that have large 

proportions minority, which also 

grew considerably between 2000 

and 2010. Overall, the U.S. population has become more racially 

and ethnically diverse over time. 

Throughout the decade, the Census 

Bureau will release additional information on race and Hispanic origin 

population groups, which will provide more insights to the nation’s 

racial and ethnic diversity. 

ABOUT THE 2010 CENSUS

Why was the 2010 Census 

conducted?

The U.S. Constitution mandates 

that a census be taken in the 

United States every 10 years. This 

is required in order to determine 

the number of seats each state 

is to receive in the U.S. House of 

Representatives. 

Why did the 2010 Census ask 

the questions on Hispanic 

origin and race?

The Census Bureau collects data on 

Hispanic origin and race to fulfill a 

variety of legislative and program 

requirements. Data on Hispanic 

origin and race are used in the legislative redistricting process carried 

out by the states and in monitoring 

local jurisdictions’ compliance with 

the Voting Rights Act. More broadly, 

data on Hispanic origin and race 

are critical for research that underlies many policy decisions at all 

levels of government.

How do data from the question 

on Hispanic origin and race 

benefit me, my family, and my 

community?

All levels of government need 

information on Hispanic origin 

and race to implement and evaluate programs, or enforce laws, 

such as the Civil Rights Act, Voting 

Rights Act, Fair Housing Act, Equal 

Employment Opportunity Act, and 

the 2010 Census Redistricting Data 

Program. 

Both public and private organizations use Hispanic origin and race 
U.S. Census Bureau 23

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 and 

Hispanic origin in the United 

States, visit the Census Bureau’s 

Internet site at <www.census.gov 

/population/www/socdemo 

/hispanic/hispanic.html> and 

<www.census.gov/population 

/www/socdemo/race/race.html>. 

Information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error,

and definitions is available at

<www.census.gov/prod/cen2010

/doc/pl94-171.pdf>.

Data on race and Hispanic origin 

from the 2010 Census Redistricting 

Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary 

File were released on a state-bystate basis. The 2010 Census redistricting data are available on the 

Internet at <http://factfinder2

.census.gov/main.html> and on 

DVD.

For more information on specific 

race and ethnic groups in the 

United States, go to <www.census

.gov/> and click on “Minority 

Links.” This Web page includes 

information about the 2010 Census 

and provides links to reports 

based on past censuses and surveys focusing on the social and 

economic characteristics of the 

Hispanic or Latino, 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 2010 Census Briefs series, 

located on the Census Bureau’s Web 

site at <www.census.gov/prod

/cen2010/>. This series presents 

information about race, Hispanic 

origin, age, sex, household type, 

housing tenure, and people who 

reside in group quarters.

For more information about the 

2010 Census, including data products, call the Customer Services 

Center at 1-800-923-8282. You 

can also visit the Census Bureau’s 

Question and Answer Center at

<ask.census.gov> to submit your 

questions online.