2010 US Census Report on Race and Hispanic Origin

Humes, Karen R., Nicholas A. Jones, and Roberto R. Ramirez. “Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010”, 2010 Census Briefs, March 2011.
http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf (accessed March 24, 2011).


This report from the US Census helped me redefine my research question. Using data collected during the 2010 census, it summarizes population changes in ethnic groups within the United States during 2000 to 2010. When first published, this article was summarzied by many news outlets, with a link to the final report. Most news outlets focused on one significant finding of this report--that half of the growth in the total population in the United States between 2000 and 2010 was due to an increase in the Hispanic population. This increase was largely due to births, not immigration. This got me thinking about health literacy statistics, and how people from minority groups are at statistically higher risk of low health literacy. As minority populations increase in the United States, the number of people at risk for low health literacy also increases.

The US Census asks people to self-report their race and ethnicity. The US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requires that race and Hispanic origin (ethnicity) are separate concepts and must be answered using 2 different questions. Traditionally, there have been 5 race categories that users select from: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. For the first time ever, the 2010 Census added a 6th category--Some Other Race. Users can also use write-in areas to further define their race.

Users report their ethnicity as Hispanic or Latino, or Not Hispanic or Latino. People who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino are asked to categorize themselves as "Mexican, Mexican American or Chicano", "Puerto Rican", "Cuban, "Another Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin". Users can also use write-in an answer to this question. The accuracy of the US Census depends on users accurately self-reporting their race and ethnic status.

The highlight of this report, that the major growth in the US population was due to an increase in the Hispanic population, overshadowed another important finding. The Census found that the Asian population grew faster than any other major race group between 2000 and 2010. The non-Hispanic White population also increased over this time, but its proportion of the total population actually declined by 5%.

The report also found that 4 states and the District of Columbia now have "majority-minority populations", meaning that over half of the population was minority. It is interesting to note that minority populations grew in every region between 2000 and 2010, not just in locations with an existing high minority populations.

These changes mean that the US can no longer afford to operate as monolingual, momocultural society. In order to accomodate residents of different backgrounds, our country needs to do a better job providing information in formats accessible and understandable to different cultures.