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Understanding Race and Hispanic Origin Concepts

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.

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. 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 inclusion of a sixth

category—Some Other Race. Individuals who chose more than one of the six race categories are referred to as

the Two or More Races population.

Individuals who responded to the question on race by indicating only one race are referred to as the race-

alone population or the group who reported only one race category. The text and figures of this report show

estimates for the race-alone population. This report uses five of the OMB-approved categories: White alone,

Black or African American alone, American Indian and Alaska Native alone, Asian alone, and Two or More

Races. In this report, a sixth category is comprised of those who report Some Other Race or Native Hawaiian or

Other Pacific Islander. Because of a small number of sample observations for Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific

Islanders employed in a STEM occupation (fewer than 6,000 individuals nationwide), this group is included with

Some Other Race.

People who identify their origin as Hispanic or Latino may be any race. For each race group, data in this report

include people who reported they were of Hispanic or Latino origin and people who reported they were not

Hispanic or Latino. Because Hispanics may be of any race, data in this report for Hispanics overlap with data

for race groups. In the analyses presented here, the term “non-Hispanic White” refers to people who are not

Hispanic and who reported White and no other race. The Census Bureau uses non-Hispanic Whites as the com-

parison group for other race groups and Hispanics. For more information on the concepts of race and Hispanic

origin, see K. Humes, N. Jones, and R. Ramirez, “Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010,” U.S. Census

Bureau, 2010 Census Briefs, 2011, available at <www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf>.

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>.

underrepresented in STEM occu-

Racial and ethnic representation

in any given STEM occupation.

pations. Although they made up

differs by detailed STEM occupa-

Using software developer, the larg-

about 15 percent of the workforce,

tion. Although the average racial

est STEM occupation, as an exam-

they held 7 percent of STEM jobs.

and ethnic distribution of the STEM

ple, Figure 10 shows that Asian

workforce is 71 percent non-

workers are overrepresented, while

Hispanic White, 15 percent Asian,

6 percent Black, and 7 percent

The estimates for Black and Hispanic

employment in STEM occupations are not

Hispanic, the distribution varies

statistically different.

U.S. Census Bureau

Disparities In Stem Employment By Sex, Race, And Hispanic Origin - American Community Survey Reports (U.s. Census Bureau) Page 15

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