Newsroom Archive

The U.S. Census Bureau today delivered to Mayor Anthony Williams and the Washington, D.C. City Council the official Census 2000 Redistricting Data Summary File for the District of Columbia that could be used to redraw local districts.

The census data allow city officials to realign city council districts, advisory neighborhood commissions and school assignment areas taking into account population shifts since the 1990 census. These data also are the first population counts for small geographic areas (such as blocks) and the first race and Hispanic-origin data from Census 2000 for the District of Columbia.

With the release of the District of Columbia data, Acting Census Bureau Director William G. Barron Jr. issued a statement saying: "We now have delivered to elected officials and, through the media, to tens of millions in the general public, redistricting data for 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. We disseminated these important data in a record 19 working days. In 1990, it took us eight weeks to release redistricting data.

"I am proud of the Census Bureau's performance: we completed the delivery of these data two days before our statutory deadline of April 1. And we did it in spite of a highly compressed production schedule.

"The next wave of Census 2000 data beginning in May will add more demographic detail to the rich statistical portrait of our nation at the dawn of the 21st century. We will be releasing demographic profiles that include data on age, sex, households and household relationships, housing occupancy, and home owners and renters."

The redistricting file consists of four detailed tables: the first shows the population for each of 63 single and multiple race categories; the second shows the total Hispanic or Latino population and the population not of Hispanic or Latino origin cross-tabulated by the 63 race categories. These tabulations are repeated in the third and fourth table for the population 18 years and over. The data are for the resident population of the United States and Puerto Rico. (To access the detailed data, go to <http://factfinder2.census.gov>).

The redistricting data were not adjusted to reflect estimates of census coverage error measured in a nationwide, post-census survey of about 314,000 housing units called the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation (A.C.E.) Survey.

Race and Hispanic Origin Data

As the result of revised standards for collecting data on race and ethnicity issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 1997, Census 2000 was the first national census in which the instructions for respondents said, "Mark one or more races."

Respondents who reported only one race are shown in six groups: the five groups identified in the OMB standard (White; Black or African American; American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander) and a "Some other race" category. (In 1990, Asian and Pacific Islander was a single OMB race group.)

Respondents who selected more than one of the six race groups are included in the "Two or more races" population. There are 57 possible combinations of the six race groups.

The Census Bureau included the "Some other race" category for responses that could not be classified in any of the race categories on the questionnaire. The vast majority of people who reported as "Some other race" were Hispanic or Latino. Data on Hispanics or Latinos, who may be of any race, were obtained from a separate question on ethnicity.

How to Find Assistance

Additional information about the redistricting program, including news releases for other states, may be found on the Internet at <https://www.census.gov/rdo/data/redistricting_data.html>. Besides being able to access the detailed tables on the Internet, users may also purchase them from the Census Bureau on CD-ROM and later on DVD. (The six custom tables attached to this news release are available only as part of the state news releases.)

For further information about the District of Columbia's Census 2000 redistricting data, contact:

• Customer Services Center, U.S. Census Bureau, 301-457-4100; e-mail: <webmaster@census.gov>;
• Redistricting Data Office, U.S. Census Bureau, 301-763-0253 or 0254; e-mail: <rdo@census.gov>;
• Census Bureau Regional Office, Philadelphia, 215-656-7578; e-mail: <philly.regional.office@census.gov>;
• District of Columbia State Data Center, 202-442-7603; e-mail: <hbixhorn@dc.gov>.

Description of Six Custom Tables

As shown in the first of six custom tables attached to this news release (Table 1), the population who reported one race added to the population who reported two or more races equals the total population. All combinations of two races are shown separately in Table 2. Three examples of combinations are: White and Black or African American, White and Asian, and Black or African American and Asian.

Table 3 shows the total number of people who selected a particular race group whether or not they reported any other race. For example, the Asian "alone or in combination" population consists of respondents who reported as Asian alone or as Asian in combination with any of the other five race groups. The same approach applies to each of the other five race groups.

People who reported more than one race are included in more than one of the groups. For example, respondents who indicated White and Black or African American are included both in the White alone or in combination population and in the Black or African American alone or in combination population. Therefore, the total of these six groups adds to more than the total population because some individuals reported more than one race.

Comparisons with 1990

While allowing respondents to report more than one race adds to our knowledge about the racial diversity of the United States, it also means that data on race from Census 2000 are not directly comparable with data from 1990 and previous censuses (Table 4). Other factors also affect comparability of 1990 and 2000 data on race. For example, in Census 2000, the question on Hispanic or Latino origin was placed before the question on race, but in 1990 the order of these questions was reversed. This may have affected reporting on both questions.

Factors such as changes in question wording or format, improvements in the way the Census Bureau counted people and better methods to process information also could affect comparability. More information about concepts underlying Census 2000 data on race and Hispanic or Latino origin were provided in a Census 2000 brief "Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin," released earlier this month, which is available at <https://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/briefs.html>.

In addition to the four custom tables showing data by race and Hispanic or Latino origin that were released earlier for each state, the news releases for the states showed data for selected counties and places.

Since the District of Columbia does not have counties, these tables show data for just one incorporated place, the city of Washington, which covers the same area as the District. Consequently, table 5 repeats the same data by race and Hispanic or Latino origin for 2000. Table 6, however, shows the total population for 1990 and 2000, as well as the change in population from 1990 to 2000.