Most common ancestries in the United States (as of 2000)

The United States is a diverse country racially. It has a majority of persons of White ancestry spread throughout the country. Racial and ethnic minorities are concentrated in coastal and metropolitan areas. The black or African American population is concentrated in the South with 60 percent of blacks living there, making up 20 percent of the population of the region. Asian Americans are concentrated mainly in the Western coastal areas. Hispanics or Latinos, an ethnic group with a membership that cuts across all the races, are concentrated in the Southwest, making up 25 percent of the region's population. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (841x580, 35 KB) derived from [1]; source: [2]; all information is included in image I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (841x580, 35 KB) derived from [1]; source: [2]; all information is included in image I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Diversity is the presence of a wide range of variation in the qualities or attributes under discussion. ... The term race describes populations or groups of people distinguished by different sets of characteristics, and beliefs about common ancestry. ... The term White American officially refers to people of European, Middle Eastern, and North African descent residing in the United States. ... A Masai man in Kenya Black people or blacks is a political, social or cultural classification of people. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Historic Southern United States. ... An Asian American is a person of Asian ancestry or origin who was born in or is an immigrant to the United States. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... Hispanic, as used in the United States, is one of several terms used to categorize US citizens, permanent residents and temporary immigrants, whose background hail either from the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America or relating to a Spanish-speaking culture. ... // The term Latino is a linguistic identity that refers to an individual that has significant ancestry from a nation-state where a Latin derived language is spoken or is the offical language of the government. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ...

As of 2005, four states — California, Hawaii, New Mexico and Texas — have "minority-majorities," where non-Hispanic whites are not a majority of their state populations. Ten other states have minority groups at over a quarter of their state populations, and 15 states where non-Hispanic whites are over 70 percent of their state populations. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  Ranked 5th  - Total 121,665 sq mi (315,194 km²)  - Width 342 miles (550 km)  - Length 370 miles (595 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) No Official Language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ...

In 2006, the United States became the third nation in world history to reach 300 million people, behind China and India, each of which has over a billion people.^[1][2]

The spectacular growth of the Hispanic population through immigration and higher birth rates are noted as a partial factor for the US’ population gains in the last quarter-century. The 2000 census also found Native Americans at their highest population ever, 4.5 million, since the U.S was founded in 1776.^[3] 2000 US Census logo The Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13. ... Native Americans are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ...

Racial groups

Americans, in part due to categories outlined by the U.S. government,^[4] generally are described as belonging to these racial groups: The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ...

• White: those having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa
• Black or African American: those having origins in any of the black racial groups of Sub-Saharan Africa
• American Indian or Alaska Native, also called American Indians: those having origins in any of the original peoples of North, Central and South America, and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment
• Asian, also called Asian American: those having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent; frequently specified as Chinese American, Filipino American, etc
• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: those having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands
• Some other race: those who, whatever their racial origins or heritage, don't feel comfortable choosing any of the foregoing categories. Respondents must write in their "race", but they usually just enter their ancestral nationality: Mexican, Puerto Rico, Sri Lankan, etc. This category has been especially popular with Hispanics and people who are bi-racial and multi-racial, mostly due to the absence of the Mestizo and Mulatto categories from the Census form
• Two or more races, also known as the multiracial category: those who check off and/or write in more than one race. Any number, up to all six, of the racial categories can be reported by any respondent

Pie Chart of the most common American ancestries

The term White American officially refers to people of European, Middle Eastern, and North African descent residing in the United States. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, generally divided politically from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... A geographical map of Africa, showing the ecological break that defines the sub-Saharan area A political map showing national divisions in relation to the ecological break (Sub-Saharan Africa in green) Sub-Saharan Africa is the term used to describe those countries of the African continent that are not... A Hupa man. ... Alaskan Natives are Aboriginal Americans who live in Alaska. ... Native Americans are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... An Asian American is a person of Asian ancestry or origin who was born in or is an immigrant to the United States. ... An Asian American is a person of Asian ancestry or origin who was born in or is an immigrant to the United States. ... The far east as a cultural block includes East Asia, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and South Asia. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... This article is about the geopolitical region in Asia. ... A Chinese American is an American who is of ethnic Chinese descent. ... In 1998, Benjamin J. Cayetano became the first Filipino American (and second Asian American after Governor George R. Ariyoshi) to be elected state Governor of the United States. ... In April of 1990, Daniel K. Akaka became the first native Hawaiian and Chinese American to serve in the United States Congress as a Senator from the State of Hawaii. ... Pacific Islander (or Pacific Person, pl: Pacific People, also called Oceanic[s]), is a geographic term used in several places, such as New Zealand and the United States, to describe the inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania[1][2]. In New Zealand, the term is... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Pacific Ocean contains an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 islands; the exact number has not been precisely determined. ... Hispanic, as used in the United States, is one of several terms used to categorize US citizens, permanent residents and temporary immigrants, whose background hail either from the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America or relating to a Spanish-speaking culture. ... Mestizo (Portuguese, Mestiço; French, Métis: from Late Latin mixticius, from Latin mixtus, past participle of miscere, to mix) is a term of Spanish origin used to designate people of mixed European and indigenous non-European ancestry. ... Dame Kelly Holmes is half Black (Jamaican) and half White (English). ... Actress Halle Berry was born to a white mother and a black father. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Ethnicity

The government and the Census Bureau consider race to be separate from ethnicity. They count two ethnicities: Hispanic or Latino and not Hispanic or Latino. Although respondents were explicitly allowed to select multiple racial categories in Census 2000, selecting both ethnic categories was neither allowed nor prohibited explicitly.^[4] Hispanics do not constitute a separate race; rather, they belong to the same racial categories as the rest of the US population, with Hispanic heritage viewed as the differentiating factor.^[5][4] The main racial difference is quantitative: a larger percentage of the Hispanic or Latino population is not white than is the case for the non-Hispanic or Latino population.^[3] (See the section on Hispanics or Latinos in this article) The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title ) is a part of the United States Department of Commerce. ... This article or section should be merged with ethnic group Ethnicity is the cultural characteristics that connect a particular group or groups of people to each other. ...

Racial identity and categorization pros and cons

There has been interest by some, including the U.S. government, president George W. Bush and private individuals, in the elimination of racial and ethnic categories and new constitutional laws to prohibit the sampling of race in government practices^{[citation needed]}. This radical concept was practiced in California by Proposition 209, passed in 1996 to prohibit the state's use of race in decisions on employment and college admissions. Proposition 54 in 2003 failed to pass; it would have made California the first state to officially abandon racial designation but allow the US census to collect racial data^{[citation needed]}. George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Proposition 209, a voter referendum passed in 1996, outlaws discrimination and preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting. ... Proposition 54 was a proposition in the state of California on the October 7, 2003, special election ballot. ...

It should be pointed out that most statistics from government agencies other than the Census Bureau (for example: the Center for Disease Control's data on vital statistics, or the FBI's crime statistics) omit "Some other race" and include the people in this group in the white population. In such cases, the statistics will also include the vast majority of Hispanics in the white population. For an example of this, see the CIA Factbook.^[6] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta is recognized as the lead United States agency for protecting the public health and safety of people by providing credible information to enhance health decisions, and promoting health through strong partnerships with state health departments and other organizations. ... Vital statistics are the information maintained by a government, recording the birth and death of individuals within that governments jurisdiction. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ...

Although "Asian American" also includes South Asian Americans — those whose ancestry originates in the countries of the Indian subcontinent: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives — the category is more popularly identified with East Asian Americans.^{[original research?]} The term Black is popularly associated with centuries-long black residents, but the Census does not make distinctions between them and, say, recent Afro-Caribbean immigrants from Jamaica or refugees from Somalia. Furthermore, before the decision to allow multiple racial choices, the categories disregarded the multiracial heritage of many Americans. For these and other reasons, the broad categories which have traditionally been used to define race in America have come under much criticism. South Asian Americans are Americans who can trace their ancestry to the Indian subcontinent, often known as South Asia. ... Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ... East Asian Americans were the first Asian immigrant group to the United States of America. ... Afro-Caribbean may refer to: the British Afro-Caribbean community other members of the African diaspora in or from the Carribean This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ...

Many Americans believe the subject of race is very sensitive and potentially offensive. They claim that to categorize people by their race instead of their character is divisive. This thinking is especially associated with political correctness. Others respond that there are legitimate reasons why race is used by state and federal governments, such as to ensure equality of treatment and opportunities for each race in hiring, in pay for similar work, in housing, in education, in treatment by law enforcement, and to monitor other civil rights compliance, as mandated since the 1960s. Political correctness is the alteration of language to redress real or alleged injustices and discrimination or to avoid offense. ...

Many African Americans, Native Americans, whites and multi-racial persons have protested census methods of racial classification because, in the past, to have non-white "blood" had a social stigma, until racial discrimination was outlawed in the 1960s. Conversely, today some critics decry what they perceive as preferential treatment for racial and ethnic minorities, who these critics say unfairly receive employment programs, student loans, college admissions and other awards by affirmative action policy. The critics call it reverse racism, and some states lifted or changed the policies in the 1990s as the debate over racial preferences continues^{[citation needed]}.

A few critics even compared the practice of racial designation to historic uses in other countries, most notably in Apartheid South Africa until 1990, when it repealed its tough racial exclusion laws. They also compare it to the Nuremberg Laws of 1930s Nazi Germany, which classified Jewish Germans as a "race" by their religion or if they had one Jewish parent. This practice made German Jews suffer discrimination and ultimately end up as victims in the Holocaust. This is inflammable criticism on the potential dangers of using race to decide who gets more or less, or who's free or not. The U.S. constitution and civil rights laws prohibit racial oppression, but Americans worry that racism and discrimination continues to have adverse socioeconomic effects on millions of their fellow citizens such as women, people of color and lower-income persons^{[citation needed]}. A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 were denaturalization laws passed by the government of Nazi Germany. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... “Shoah” redirects here. ... Oppression is the negative outcome experienced by people targeted by the cruel exercise of power in a society or social group. ... Manifestations Slavery · Racial profiling · Lynching Hate speech · Hate crime · Hate groups Genocide · Holocaust · Pogrom Ethnocide · Ethnic cleansing · Race war Religious persecution · Gay bashing Pedophobia · Ephebiphobia Movements Discriminatory Aryanism · Neo-Nazism · Supremacism Kahanism Anti-discriminatory Abolitionism · Civil rights Gays/Transsexes/Intersexes rights Womens/Universal suffrage · Feminism Mens/Fathers rights... Socioeconomics is the study of the social and economic impacts of any product or service offering, market intervention or other activity on an economy as a whole and on the companies, organization and individuals who are its main economic actors. ... Image of a woman on the Pioneer plaque sent to outer space. ... Income, generally defined, is the money that is received as a result of the normal business activities of an individual or a business. ...

Racial makeup of U.S. population

Majority group

Top ancestry in each U.S. county in 2000.

The majority of the 300 million people currently living in the United States descend from European immigrants who arrived since the establishment of the first colonies, but especially after Reconstruction. This majority, 69.1% in 2000, tends to decrease every year, and whites are expected to become a plurality by 2050. Properly speaking, the official white ratio was 75.1% in 2000, a figure that includes the 6% of the total population that self-identified as white Hispanic. 69.1% is the non-Hispanic White portion of the US population, which comprises European Americans, Americans of Middle Eastern origins, and Americans of North African origins. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3766x2820, 1311 KB) A chart of the top ancestries in the US, as provided by the 2000 census. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3766x2820, 1311 KB) A chart of the top ancestries in the US, as provided by the 2000 census. ... Kinship and descent is one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology. ... A county is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... Reconstruction was the attempt from 1865 to 1877 in U.S. history to resolve the issues of the American Civil War, when both the Confederacy and slavery were destroyed. ... A plurality, or relative/simple majority as it is also referred to outside the United States (especially in non-English speaking countries; in the US, simple majority has another meaning), is the largest share of something, which may or may not be a majority in the American sense of the... 2050 (MML) will be a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A White Hispanic is an American of Hispanic ethnicity who is classified as white. ... European American is a term for an American of European descent, who are usually referred as White or Caucasian. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, generally divided politically from Sub-Saharan Africa. ...

In the 2000 Census, Americans were able to state their ancestries. 2000 US Census logo The Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13. ...

The most frequently stated European ancestries were: This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ...

• German -(15.2%),
• Irish - (10.8%),
• English -(8.7%),
• American -(7.2% Mostly of UK and Ireland Ancestry)
• Italian- (5.6%)
• Polish -(3.2%)
• French -(3.0%)
• Scottish- (1.7%)
• Dutch -(1.6%)
• Norwegian- (1.6%)
• Scots-Irish-(1.5%)
• Swedish -(1.4%)
• Russian -(0.9%)
• French Canadian -(0.8%)

The largest Central European ancestry was Polish (both Catholic Poles and Ashkenazi Jews), and the largest Eastern European ancestry was Russian (includes a recent influx of Ashkenazi Jews). There were other significant ancestries from Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, as well as from French Canada. Most who registered as French American are descended from colonists of Catholic New France — exiled Huguenots quickly assimilated into the relevant British population of the Thirteen Colonies and were immediately seen and self-regarded as subjects of the Crown under the old Plantagenet claim. Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ireland_(bordered). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England_(bordered). ... This article is about the English as an ethnic group and nation. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Poland_corrected_(bordered). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... “Scot” redirects here. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Netherlands. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Norway. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Ulster-Scots is a term mainly used in Ireland and Britain (Scotch-Irish or Scots-Irishis commonly used in North America) primarily to refer to Presbyterian Scots, or their descendents, who migrated from the Scottish Lowlands to Ulster (the northern province of Ireland), largely across the 17th century. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sweden. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia_(bordered). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Canada_(bordered). ... // The French people speak French(French: les Français), etymologically derives from the word Franks (which means free), a Germanic tribe which overran Roman Gaul at the end times of the Roman Empire. ... Central Europe The Alpine Countries and the Visegrád Group (Political map, 2004) Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ... Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים Standard Hebrew, AÅ¡kanazi,AÅ¡kanazim, Tiberian Hebrew, ʾAÅ¡kănāzî, ʾAÅ¡kănāzîm, pronounced sing. ... Map of Eastern Europe Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange). ... Southern Europe is a region of the European continent. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A French American or Franco-American is a citizen of the United States of America of French descent and heritage. ... Capital Quebec Language(s) French Religion Roman Catholicism Government Monarchy King See List of French monarchs Governor See list of Governors Legislature Sovereign Council of New France Historical era Ancien Régime in France  - Royal Control 1655  - Articles of Capitulation of Quebec 1759  - Articles of Capitulation of Montreal 1760  - Treaty... In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Huguenot was applied to a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of France, historically known as the French Calvinists. ... In 1775, the British claimed authority over the red and pink areas on this map and Spain ruled the orange. ... Arms of the Kingdom of England incorporating the French arms The English claims to the French throne have a long and rather complex history between the 1340s and the 1800s. ...

Many citizens listed themselves simply as "American" on the census (7.2%). Some ancestries are likely to have been understated more than others, with English ancestry perhaps particularly prone to be overlooked as it is least distinct from "American".^{[citation needed]}

Other ethnic European origins included are Dutch/Belgian, Lithuanian, Latvian, former Yugoslavs, Greek, Hungarian, Portuguese, Czech, Slovak,Australian, New Zealander and Spanish. A comparatively small fraction of recent immigrants are non-Hispanic whites, but the largest numbers come from Canada, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in Latin, Југославија in Cyrillic, English: Land of the South Slavs) describes four political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ...

According to the 2000 Census, Middle Easterns account for 0.42% of the American population. The largest was by far Lebanese, who made up 0.2% of the American population. Over 1/4 of all Arabs claimed two ancestries, having not only Arab blood but also non-Arab blood. Among them, 14.7% reported Irish, 13.6% reported Italian, and 13.5% reported German.

A county by county map of plurality ethnic groups reveals that the areas with the largest "American" ancestry populations were mostly settled by English, French, Welsh, Scottish and Scots-Irish people. This suggests that percentages listed for those groups should consequently be larger, also applying for the converse. Dutch and Hanoverians, whose countries were non-simultaneously in personal union with the British monarchy, settled in the British colonies, but more often retroactively seek identity in their respective countries today (Netherlands and Germany). This helps colonial diasporas fit in more with current nations. (See British American). These numbers, however, are less precise than they appear. Even though a high proportion of the population has two or more ancestries, only slightly more than one ancestry was stated per person, suggesting that many were omitted, either because they were not known or not considered to be important enough to list by the individuals. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3766x2820, 1311 KB) A chart of the top ancestries in the US, as provided by the 2000 census. ... This article is about the English as an ethnic group and nation. ... The Welsh (Cymry) are an ethnic group or nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language, which is a Celtic language. ... “Scot” redirects here. ... Ulster-Scots is a term mainly used in Ireland and Britain (Scotch-Irish or Scots-Irishis commonly used in North America) primarily to refer to Presbyterian Scots, or their descendents, who migrated from the Scottish Lowlands to Ulster (the northern province of Ireland), largely across the 17th century. ... A personal union is a relationship of two or more entities that are considered separate, sovereign states, which, through established law, share the same person as their respective head of state. ... The British monarch or Sovereign is the head of state of the United Kingdom and in the British overseas territories. ... British Americans are citizens of the British or partial British ancestry. ...

Minority groups

Hispanics or Latinos

Top ancestries in 2000.

Americans of Latin American origin are known as Hispanics or Latinos^[4] and are the largest minority group in the country, composing 12.5% of the population in 2000. (Smaller numbers of Americans with origin in Spain and not by way of Latin America may also identify as Hispanic in the US census.) This has brought increasing use of the Spanish language in the United States. People of Mexican descent made up 6.5% of the US population in the 2000 census, and this proportion is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades. The Hispanic category is based on national origin, language and culture, not race, and is defined by the Census as anybody from or with ancestry from Spain or Spanish-speaking Latin America, so a Hispanic may be of any race.^[4][5] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1892x2088, 306 KB) A chart of the top ancestries in the US, as provided by the 2000 census. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1892x2088, 306 KB) A chart of the top ancestries in the US, as provided by the 2000 census. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... The Hispanic world. ... // The term Latino is a linguistic identity that refers to an individual that has significant ancestry from a nation-state where a Latin derived language is spoken or is the offical language of the government. ... A minority or subordinate group is a sociological group that does not constitute a politically dominant plurality of the total population of a given society. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A map of the Spanish language usage; see the image page for the detailed legend A Hispanophone is someone who speaks the Spanish language either natively or by adoption. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

In Census 2000, Hispanics identified as follows:^[3] 47.9% White; 42.2% "Some other race"; 6.3% Two or more races; 2% Black or African American; 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.3% Asian; and 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. The "Some other race" respondents usually identify by their national origin only (e.g. "Mexican", "Salvadoran", "Colombian"); most are thought to be Mestizo, followed by unmixed American Indians and Mulattoes. Mestizo (Portuguese, Mestiço; French, Métis: from Late Latin mixticius, from Latin mixtus, past participle of miscere, to mix) is a term of Spanish origin used to designate people of mixed European and indigenous non-European ancestry. ... American Indian can refer to: Native Americans in the United States; Any of the indigenous peoples of the Americas; the First Nations of Canada; American Indians, as defined by the U.S. Census. ... Dame Kelly Holmes is half Black (Jamaican) and half White (English). ...

More than half of U.S. Hispanics are thought to be multiracial (Mestizo and Mulatto, especially), in which case the "Two or more races" category should be the largest one for them. This category is selected by checking off two or more of the others — i.e., the census form does not actually contain a "Two or more races" or "Multiracial" box;^[3] the category is formed after the census, by grouping all who selected more than one racial category. Thus, Mestizo Hispanics should check off "White" and "American Indian or Alaska Native", while Mulatto Hispanics should check off White and Black or African American. However, it appears that many Mulatto and Mestizo Hispanics are unaware of this or reluctant to do it, likely because they assume that "White" refers strictly to non-Hispanic White; that "Black" refers strictly to non-Hispanic Black; and similarly that Native American refers strictly to non-Hispanic Native American. Indeed, the OMB definition of the latter group, which specifically requires "tribal affiliation or community attachment," seems designed to exclude the several millions of Native American Hispanics.^[4] Some claim that the overuse of the "Some other race" category could be avoided by putting "Mestizo" and "Mulatto" directly on the census form. (Respondents in these two categories could even be assigned/imputed to the "Two or more races" category.) It is mostly due to the absence of these two options that a very large ratio (42%) of Hispanics report "Some other race" instead. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is a body within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP) which is tasked with coordinating United States Federal agencies. ...

Black Americans

About 12.3% (2000 census)^[3] of the American people are Black, mainly African American, most of whom are descendants of the enslaved Africans brought to the U.S. between the 1620s and 1860s and emancipated during the American Civil War. Starting in the 1970s, the black population has been bolstered by immigration from the Caribbean, especially Jamaica and Haiti. More recently, starting in the 1990s, there has been an influx of African immigrants to the United States, due to the instability in political and economic opportunities in various nations in Africa. Historically, most African Americans lived in the Southeast and South Central states of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Since World War I there occurred the Great Migration of rural black Americans to the industrial Northeast, urban Midwest and, in a smaller wave, to the West Coast that lasted until 1960. Today, most African Americans (over 60%) live outside the Southern US and in urban areas, but are increasingly moving to the suburbs. In US history, any person with black or African American ancestry, even if they were mostly white, were designated and classified as "black", according to the now-defunct "one drop theory," by which any black/African blood made the person "black" in legal sense. Today, the US census in law and practice does not declare any person to belong in any race or ethnicity without the prior consent of that person. A Masai man in Kenya Black people or blacks is a political, social or cultural classification of people. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Events and Trends Permanent Dutch settlement of New York Bay and the Hudson River. ... // The First Transcontinental Railroad in the USA is built in the six year period between 1863 and 1869. ... This article is becoming very long. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... West Indian redirects here. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Africans in the United States, in the scope of this article, are recent immigrants to the United States from continental Africa and their descendants. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... Red states show the core of the South Central, states shown as pink may or may not be included in the South Central, and thus their inclusion or exclusion varies from source to source. ... Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area  Ranked 30th  - Total 52,419 sq mi (135,765 km²)  - Width 190 miles (306 km)  - Length 330 miles (531 km)  - % water 3. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32°430N to 35°12N... Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city Baton Rouge [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Official language(s) No Official Language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... “The Great War” redirects here. ... The Great Migration was the movement of over 1 million[1] African Americans out of the rural Southern United States from 1914 to 1950. ... The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... The one-drop theory (or one-drop rule) is the colloquial term for the standard, found throughout the USA, that holds that a person with even one drop of non-white ancestry should be classified as colored, especially for the purposes of laws forbidding inter-racial marriage. ...

Asian Americans

A third significant minority is the Asian American population (3.7% in 2000^[3]), most of whom are concentrated on the West Coast, with California home to 4.5 million Asian Americans, and Hawaii, where they compose the majority at 70% of the islands' people. Asian Americans live across the country as well as in New York, Chicago, Boston, Houston, and other urban centers. It is by no means a monolithic group. The largest groups are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from the Philippines, China, India, Vietnam, South Korea and Japan. While the Asian-American population is generally a fairly recent addition to the nation's ethnic mix, relatively large waves of Chinese, Filipino and Japanese immigration happened in the mid to late 1800s. An Asian American is a person of Asian ancestry or origin who was born in or is an immigrant to the United States. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... NY redirects here. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in Chicagoland and Illinois Coordinates: Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... Houston redirects here. ... Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1805 - 1815). ...

Two or more races

Multiracial Americans numbered 6.8 million in 2000, or 2.4% of the population.^[3] They can be any combination of races (White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, "Some other race") and ethnicities. The growing multiracial identity movement wants the US to recognize that there are millions of Americans who desire to identify by the full complement of their ancestry, if they happen to be biracial or multiracial. Miscegenation or inter-racial marriage, most notably between whites and African Americans, was deemed immoral and illegal in most states in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. California and the western US had similar laws to prohibit White-Asian American marriages until the 1950s. As society and laws change to accept inter-racial marriage, these marriages and their mixed-race children are possibly changing the demographic fabric of America. However, demographers state that the American people are mostly multi-ethnic descendants of various immigrant nationalities once treated as separate "races" or culturally distinct until assimilation and integration took place in the mid 20th century. The "Americanization" of foreign ethnic groups and the inter-racial diversity of millions of Americans isn't a new phenomenon. Actress Halle Berry was born to a white mother and a black father. ... Actress Halle Berry was born to a white mother and a black father. ... The terms multiracial, biracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestors are not of a single race. ... It has been suggested that Anti-miscegenation laws be merged into this article or section. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Look up assimilation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up integration in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Native Americans

Indigenous peoples of the Americas, such as American Indians and Inuit, made up .9% of the population in 2000.^[3] An additional 1.6 million declared part-Native American or American Indian ancestry. The legal and official designation of who is Native American by descent aroused controversy by demographers, tribal nations and government officials for many decades. The blood quantum laws are complex and contradictory in admittance of new tribal members, or for census takers to accept any respondents' claims without official documents from the US Bureau of Indian Affairs. Genetic scientists estimated that over 15 million other Americans may be one quarter or less of American Indian descent. Once thought to face extinction in race or culture, there has been a remarkable revival of Native American identity and tribal sovereignty in the 20th century. The largest tribal group are the Navajo, who call themselves "Na'Dene" and live on a 16-million square acre Indian reservation covering northeast Arizona, northwest New Mexico and southeast Utah. It is home to half of the 450,000 Navajo Nation members. The Cherokee are twice the size at 800,000 in full or part-blood degrees. 70,000 live in Oklahoma in the Cherokee Nation, and 15,000 in North Carolina on remnants of their ancestral homelands. A Hupa man. ... Native Americans are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... For other uses, see Inuit (disambiguation). ... Blood Quantum Laws is an umbrella term that describes legislation enacted to define membership in Native American groups. ... The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the Department of the Interior charged with the administration and management of 55. ... Look up Genetic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Navajo (also Navaho) people of the southwestern United States call themselves the Diné (pronounced ), which roughly means the people. They speak the Navajo language, and many are members of the Navajo Nation, an independent government structure which manages the Navajo reservation in the Four Corners area of the United... BIA map of reservations in the United States Tribal sovereignty: Map of the United States, with non-reservation land highlighted. ... Official language(s) English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq mi (295,254 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ... Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  Ranked 5th  - Total 121,665 sq mi (315,194 km²)  - Width 342 miles (550 km)  - Length 370 miles (595 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  Ranked 13th  - Total 84,876 sq mi (219,887 km²)  - Width 270 miles (435 km)  - Length 350 miles (565 km)  - % water 3. ... The Navajo Nation (Dineé in Navajo language) is a Native American sovereignty. ... For other uses, see Cherokee (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  Ranked 20th  - Total 69,960 sq mi (181,196 km²)  - Width 230 miles (370 km)  - Length 298 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... Alternate meanings: Cherokee (disambiguation) The Cherokee are a people native to North America who first inhabited what is now the eastern and southeastern United States before most were forcefully moved to the Ozark Plateau. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ...

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders numbered 398,835 in 2000, or 0.1% of the population.^[3] Like Native Americans, especially, most Native Hawaiians on the island chain of Hawaii are highly mixed with Asian, European and other ancestries. Only 1 out of 50 Native Hawaiians can be legally defined as "full blood" and some demographers believe that by the year 2025, the last full-blooded Native Hawaiian will die off, leaving a culturally distinct, but racially-mixed population. However, there is more individual self-designation of what is Native Hawaiian than before the US annexed the islands in 1898. Native Hawiians are receiving ancestral land reparations. Throughout Hawaii, the preservation and universal adaptation of Native Hawaiian customs, Hawaiian language, cultural schools solely for legally Native Hawaiian students, and historical awareness has gained momentum for Native Hawaiians as a people who are here to stay and grow. In April of 1990, Daniel K. Akaka became the first native Hawaiian and Chinese American to serve in the United States Congress as a Senator from the State of Hawaii. ... A Pacific Islander or Pacific Person (plural: Pacific People) is a term used in several places, such as New Zealand and the United States, to describe people of a certain heritage In New Zealand, it is applied to a person who has emigrated from one of the smaller islands of... In the philosophy of justice, reparation is the idea that a just sentence ought to compensate the victim of a crime appropriately. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Hawaiian language is an Austronesian language that takes its name from that of the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. ...

Some other race

In the 2000 census, 5.5% of the population, 97% of whom were Hispanic, checked off this category.^[3] This is not a standard OMB race category, as it includes people from diverse racial, geographic, ethnic and other origins. The US census has about 165 ethnic group designations alone. Some census respondents label themselves in various ways, but do not constitute a race, ethnicity or actual country in legal terms, e.g. "Jewish" if by descent (the census does not ask questions on religious membership), "Palestinian American", "Basque" (an ethnic group from France and Spain), "Confederate Southern" from the Southeast US, "Chicano", "Boricua", "Nisei" or Japanese American, "Desi" or Indian-American, "Quebecois" or French Canadian, or "Cherokee American". In political geography and international politics a country is a geographical entity, a territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... Religious is a term with both a technical definition and folk use. ... The term Palestinian has other usages, for which see definitions of Palestinian. ... Languages Basque - few monoglots Spanish - 1,525,000 monoglots French - 150,000 monoglots Basque-Spanish - 600,000 speakers Basque-French - 76,000 speakers [4] other native languages Religions Traditionally Roman Catholic The Basques (Basque: Euskaldunak) are an indigenous people[] who inhabit parts of both Spain and France. ... Chicano teenager in El Pasos second ward. ... Boricua a word of origin from Boriken (or Boriquén, Borinquen, or Borinquén) used by the original Taino Indian population to refer to Puerto Rico before the coming of the Spanish, which translated as The Valiant People of the Sacred House. The word has come to identify any resident... Nisei (二世 lit. ... Serving from 1999 to 2003, Army General Eric Shinseki of Hawaii became the first Asian American military chief of staff. ... This article is about the South Asian people. ... It has been suggested that Non-resident_Indian_and_Person_of_Indian_Origin#Statistics_on_Indians_in_the_US be merged into this article or section. ... French Canadian is a term that has several different connotations. ... For other uses, see Cherokee (disambiguation). ...

See also

• Race (United States Census)
• Immigration to the United States
• Demographics of the United States
• Maps of American ancestries
• Ethnicity (United States Census)

It has been suggested that Ethnicity (United States Census) be merged into this article or section. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Population of the United States, 1790 to 2000 The demographics of the United States depict a largely urban nation, with 57 percent of its population living in places more than 100 miles away from the ocean (2003). ... By county. ... US Hispanic or Latino population The Office of Management and Budget is required to use a minimum of two ethnicities: Hispanic or Latino or not Hispanic or Latino The O.M.B. defines Hispanic or Latino as a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American or other...

References

1. ^ U.S. Population Tops 300 Million
2. ^ https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html CIA - The World Factbook -- Rank Order - Population
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2000
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity Office of Management and Budget
5. ^ ^{a b} U.S. Census Bureau Guidance on the Presentation and Comparison of Race and Hispanic Origin Data. Retrieved on 2007-04-06. “Race and Hispanic origin are two separate concepts in the federal statistical system. People who are Hispanic may be of any race. People in each race group may be either Hispanic or Not Hispanic. Each person has two attributes, their race (or races) and whether or not they are Hispanic.”
6. ^ CIA - The World Factbook -- United States