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Why We Ask Questions About...
Race

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American Community Survey (ACS)
Within About the ACS
graphical representation of the diversity of the population

We ask a question about a person's race to create statistics about race and to present other estimates by race groups.

Local, state, tribal, and federal programs use these data, and they are critical factors in the basic research behind numerous policies, particularly for civil rights. Race data are used in planning and funding government programs that provide funds or services for specific groups.

These data are also used to evaluate government programs and policies to ensure that they fairly and equitably serve the needs of all racial groups and to monitor compliance with antidiscrimination laws, regulations, and policies.

The U.S. Census Bureau collects racial data in accordance with the 1997 Office of Management and Budget standards on race and ethnicity. The data on race are based on self-identification and the categories on the form generally reflect a social definition of race. The categories are not an attempt to define race biologically, anthropologically, or genetically. Respondents can mark more than one race on the form to indicate their racial mixture.

Your privacy concerns

We use your confidential survey answers to create statistics like those in the results below and in the full tables that contain all the data—no one is able to figure out your survey answers from the statistics we produce. The Census Bureau is legally bound to strict confidentiality requirements. Individual records are not shared with anyone, including federal agencies and law enforcement entities. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents' answers with anyone—not the IRS, not the FBI, not the CIA, and not with any other government agency.

Question as it appears on the form

We ask one question about a person's race to better understand demographic characteristics.

Results from this question

We compile the results from this question to provide communities with important statistics about race and to present other estimates by race group. You can see some of these published statistics here for the nation, states, and your community.

United States

View Results for a State

View Results for a County or City / Town in (↑ change state using menu above ↑)

Race data help communities:

Ensure Equal Opportunity

We ask about the race of community members in combination with information about housing, voting, language, employment, and education, to help governments and communities enforce antidiscrimination laws, regulations, and policies. For example, race data are used to:

  • Establish and evaluate the guidelines for federal affirmative action plans under the Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program.
  • Monitor compliance with the Voting Rights Act and enforce bilingual election requirements.
  • Monitor and enforce equal employment opportunities under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  • Identify segments of the population who may not be getting needed medical services under the Public Health Service Act.
  • Allocate funds to school districts for bilingual services under the Bilingual Education Act.

Understand Change

Researchers, advocacy groups, and policymakers are interested in knowing if people of different races have the same opportunities in education, employment, voting, and home ownership.

  • The National Science Foundation uses these data to provide information on people of different racial backgrounds in the science and engineering workforce.
  • Several federal agencies use these data to investigate whether housing or transportation improvements have unintended consequences for specific race groups.
  • Data on race are used with age and language data to address language and cultural diversity needs in health care plans for the older population.

Administer Programs for Specific Groups

Communities, including tribal governments, ensure that programs are operating as intended by knowing how many people are eligible to participate in certain programs. For example, the Indian Housing Block Grant program, Indian Community Development Block Grant program, and Indian Health Service all depend on accurate estimates of American Indians and Alaska Natives. Data for this population come from the questions about a person's race.

History of race question

The question about a person's race originated with the 1790 Census. It was added to the ACS in 2005 when it replaced the decennial census long form.

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