Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision - Nov. 12, 2022
This pancocojams post documents the 2020 United States Census Bureau's changes referents used to designate race/ethnicity (with "ethnicity" meaning "Hispanic").
Excerpts are given from the 2010 United States census and the 2020 United States census. Excerpts are also given about demographic results for three large Unites States cities: New York City, New York; Los Angeles California; and Philadelphia Pennsylvania.
The content of this post is presented for linguistic and demographic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-changing-population-of-black.html for a closely related pancocojams post entitled "The Changing Population Of Black Americans In The United States & The Changing Definitions Of Who Is African American" .
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
The changes in the options for racial/ethnic designations in the 2020 United States census reflect this nation's growing diversity.
For instance, in the 2020 census "Black alone" means a person who self-identifies as being of Black African descent with no other racial/ethnic ancestry (with "ethnicity" meaning Hispanic). That self-identification means the same thing as the 2010 referents "Black or African American Only" and "Black-non Hispanic".
In contrast, in the 2020 census, "Black" means a person of Black African descent and at least one other race and/or ethnicity (with ethnicity meaning Hispanic). This designation is an expansion of the 2010 term "Black-Hispanic" and is similar to the 2010 term "two or more races" (with one of those races being of Black African descent).
Additions and corrections are welcome.
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ARTICLE EXCERPTS
These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
EXCERPT #1
From https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/note/US/RHI625221 [US Census 2010]
"About
[...]
The U.S. Census Bureau collects race data in accordance with
guidelines provided by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and
these data are based on self-identification. The racial categories included in
the census questionnaire generally reflect a social definition of race
recognized in this country and not an attempt to define race biologically,
anthropologically, or genetically. In addition, it is recognized that the
categories of the race item include racial and national origin or sociocultural
groups. People may choose to report more than one race to indicate their racial
mixture, such as "American Indian" and "White." People who
identify their origin as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish may be of any race.
OMB requires that race data be collected for a minimum of five groups: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. OMB permits the Census Bureau to also use a sixth category - Some Other Race. Respondents may report more than one race.
The concept of race is separate from the concept of Hispanic origin. Percentages for the various race categories add to 100 percent, and should not be combined with the percent Hispanic.
Definition
White. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as "White" or report entries such as Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Arab, Moroccan, or Caucasian.
Black or African American. A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as "Black or African American," or report entries such as African American, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian.
American Indian and Alaska Native. 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 indicate their race as "American Indian or Alaska Native" or report entries such as Navajo, Blackfeet, Inupiat, Yup'ik, or Central American Indian groups or South American Indian groups.
Asian. 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. This includes people who reported detailed Asian responses such as: "Asian Indian," "Chinese," "Filipino," "Korean," "Japanese," "Vietnamese," and "Other Asian" or provide other detailed Asian responses.
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. It includes people who reported their race as "Fijian," "Guamanian or Chamorro," "Marshallese," "Native Hawaiian," "Samoan," "Tongan," and "Other Pacific Islander" or provide other detailed Pacific Islander responses.
Two or more races. People may choose to provide two or more races either by checking two or more race response check boxes, by providing multiple responses, or by some combination of check boxes and other responses. For data product purposes, "Two or More Races" refers to combinations of two or more of the following race categories: "White," "Black or African American," American Indian or Alaska Native," "Asian," Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander," or "Some Other Race"
Data users should be aware of methodology differences that
may exist between different data sources."...
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The bold font was given in this original page.
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EXCERPT #2
From https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2021/03/25/the-growing-diversity-of-black-america/ The Growing Diversity of Black America by Christine Tamir, March 25, 2021
"The Black population of the United States is diverse. Its
members have varied histories in the nation – many are descendants of enslaved
people, while others are recently arrived immigrants. The Black population also
has nuanced ethnic and racial identities reflecting intermarriage and
international migration. As a result, there are key distinctions in demographic
and economic characteristics between different parts of the national Black
population, highlighting its diverse multitude of backgrounds.
[insert graph]
The U.S. Black population is also growing. In 2019, 46.8
million people in the U.S. identified their race as Black, either alone or as
part of a multiracial or ethnic background. That is up from 36.2 million in
2000.1 The Black share of the U.S. population is higher today than in 2000 as
well. About 14% of the national population said they were Black in 2019, up
from 13% who did so in 2000.
At the same time, the Black population’s racial self-identification is changing. Among those who self-identify as “Black or African American,” the share who say it is their only racial or ethnic identification has declined over the past two decades. In 2019, 40.7 million, or 87%, identified their race as Black alone and their ethnicity as non-Hispanic, while around 3.7 million, or 8%, indicated their race was Black and another race (most often White) and not Hispanic. Another 2.4 million, or 5%, self-identified as both Black and Hispanic, or Black Hispanic.2But these shares have changed since 2000. Then, 93% identified their race and ethnicity as Black alone.
The nation’s Black population is changing in other ways too.
A growing share are foreign born, the population is aging (though some segments
are significantly younger), and a growing share are college graduates. These
trends and more are explored in this report."...
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I added italics to highlight these sentences.
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EXCERPT #3
From https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/newyorkcitynewyork/POP010210#POP010210
U.S. flag: An official website of the United States government
QuickFacts
New York city, New York
QuickFacts provides statistics for all states and counties,
and for cities and towns with a population of 5,000 or more.
Population
Population Estimates, July 1 2021, (V2021) 8,467,513
[...]
Race and Hispanic Origin
White alone, percent 41.3%
Black or African American alone, percent(a) 23.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent(a) 0.4%
Asian alone, percent(a) 14.3%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent(a) 0.1%
Two or More Races, percent 5.6%
Hispanic or Latino, percent(b) 28.9%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent 31.9%
[…]
Foreign born persons, percent, 2016-2020 36.4%"...
EXCERPT #4
From https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/losangelescitycalifornia
"
QuickFacts
Los Angeles city, California
QuickFacts provides statistics for all states and counties,
and for cities and towns with a population of 5,000 or more.
Population
Population Estimates, July 1 2021, (V2021) 3,849,297
Race and Hispanic Origin
White alone, percent 48.9%
Black or African American alone, percent(a) 8.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent(a) 0.7%
Asian alone, percent(a) 11.8%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent(a) 0.2%
Two or More Races, percent 7.0%
Hispanic or Latino, percent(b) 48.1%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent 28.5%
Population Characteristics
Foreign born person percent- 2016-2020 36.3%
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EXCERPT #5
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia#Demographics
[...]
According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau's tabulation, there were 1,603,797 people residing in Philadelphia, representing a 1.2% increase from the 2019 census estimate.[75] The racial composition of the city was 39.3% Black alone (42.0% Black alone or in combination), 36.3% White alone (41.9% White alone or in combination), 8.7% Asian alone, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native alone, 8.7% some other race, and 6.9% multiracial. 14.9% of residents were Hispanic or Latino. ..
After the 1950 census, when a record high of 2,071,605 was
recorded, the city's population began a long decline. The population dropped to
a low of 1,488,710 residents in 2006 before beginning to rise again. Between
2006 and 2017, Philadelphia added 92,153 residents. In 2017, the U.S. Census
Bureau estimated that the racial composition of the city was 41.3% Black
(non-Hispanic), 34.9% White (non-Hispanic), 14.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.1%
Asian, 0.4% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, and 2.8% multiracial.[118]
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I added italics to highlight the differences in the U.S. Census Bureau's use of demographic terms in 2020 and 2017
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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
While African Americans (like me) self identify as "Black alone", that self-identification doesn't take into consideration the anecdotal stories that our families shared about having an ancestor who was White and/or having an ancestor who was Native American etc.
ReplyDeleteSome African Americans who self-identify as "Black alone" may also have physical features, and/or hair texture, and/or physical conditions that suggest or indicate mixed racial ancestry although that ancestry isn't known or can't be proven.
I believe the widely held (among Black Americans) believe that most African American have some mixed ancestry, even though that mixture may only have been a number of generations ago.