Color and Race
As with sex and gender, the concepts of color, race, and ethnicity are complicated, and the way ethnicity, color, and race are understood has changed over the course of the last century. For that reason, the questions regarding race, color, and ethnicity are different in the 1910 census compared to the 2020 census. For comparison and analysis, the categorizations used in the 1910 census have been mantained and are compared to the ones the 2020 census employs.
Color in 1910
The 1910 census enumerator's guide lists under the "Personal Description" section the following options for color or race:
- "W" for white
- "B" for black
- "Ch" for Chinese
- "J" for Japanese
- "Mu" for mulatto
- "In" for Indian
- "Ot" for other
For more specificity, the enumerator's guide states, "the term 'black' (B) includes all persons who are evidently full-bloodied negroes, while the term 'mulatto' (Mu) includes all other persons having some proportion or perceptible trace of negro blood". In addition to these categorizations, the census also had columns to account for the birthplace of the resident as well of their parents. This category yielded relevant information about what the ethnic character of someone was. The term "ethnicity" to account for provenance or ethnic character was not introduced until 1953. For more information about the 1910 census check this link to see the official decennial publication for it.
It is important to appreciate that until 1960, the U.S. census recorded 'color' according to the judgment of the census taker, not necessarily by self-identification.
2020
In 2020, the view of race and ethnicity has changed as race has become more conceived of as a social construct rather than a discrete biological identification. In response to this culture shift, the census emulated these changes in its surveys. As society and culture are an ever changing organism in which views and opinions are constantly challenged by younger and more increasingly educated populations, changes are always to be expected in the surveys of the census.
Racial and ethnic categorizations for self-identifications in the 2020 census:
- Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin. These categories apply for people who identify with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South America, and other Spanish cultures. Examples of these groups include, but are not limited to, Mexican or Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Salvadoran, Dominican, and Colombian. “Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin” also includes groups such as Guatemalan, Honduran, Spaniard, Ecuadorian, Peruvian, Venezuelan, etc.
- White: The category “White” includes all individuals who identify with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. Examples of these groups include, but are not limited to, German, Irish, English, Italian, Lebanese, Egyptian, Polish, French, Iranian, Slavic, Cajun, and Chaldean.
- Black or African American: The category “Black or African American” includes all individuals who identify with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in any of the black racial groups of Africa. Examples of these groups include, but are not limited to, African American, Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, Ethiopian, and Somali. The category also includes groups such as Ghanaian, South African, Barbadian, Kenyan, Liberian, and Bahamian.
- American Indian or Alaska Native: The category “American Indian or Alaska Native” includes all individuals who identify with any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment. It includes people who identify as “American Indian” or “Alaska Native” and includes groups such as Navajo Nation, Blackfeet Tribe, Mayan, Aztec, Native Village of Barrow Inupiat Traditional Government, and Nome Eskimo Community.
- Asian: The category "Asian" includes all individuals who identify with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. Examples of these groups include, but are not limited to, Chinese, Filipino, Asian Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese. The category also includes groups such as Pakistani, Cambodian, Hmong, Thai, Bengali, Mien, etc.
- Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: The category “Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander” includes all individuals who identify with one or more nationalities or ethnic groups originating in Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. Examples of these groups include, but are not limited to, Native Hawaiian, Samoan, Chamorro, Tongan, Fijian, and Marshallese. The category also includes groups such as Palauan, Tahitian, Chuukese, Pohnpeian, Saipanese, Yapese, etc.
The census in 2020 also had individual checkboxes for people who identified as: Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, other Asian (for example, Pakistani, Cambodian, and Hmong), Mexican, Mexican Am., Chicano, Cuban, Puerto Rico, Another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin (for example, Salvadoran, Dominican, Colombian, Guatemalan, Spaniard, Ecuadorian, etc.), Native Hawaiian, Samoan, Chamorro, and other Pacific Islander (for example, Tongan, Fijian, and Mashallese).
For a visualization of the racial categories allowed over time, see here.