The racial classifications used by the Census Bureau reflect a social definition of race recognized in the United States, not a biological, anthropological, or genetic definition. Most modern scientists agree that race has no biological element. Scholars typically concur that the concept of race changes over time and is understood based on geography, language, and culture, making it more a social construct than a fact. 

The Census Bureau definitions for race and ethnicity are a key example of how our understandings of race constantly evolve. For example, even though the census survey began in 1790, it wasn’t until 1860 that the racial category of “Indian” was added for Indigenous individuals. And it wasn’t until 2000 that this category was expanded to include “American Indians or Alaska Natives,” along with a blank space to specify a tribe. The categories of “Asian” and “Hispanic” originally started as only “Chinese” and “Mexican,” respectively, and only over time expanded to include other countries of origin and options for other countries not listed. 

Even today, the Census Bureau is changing the way questions of race & ethnicity are asked to obtain more granular race data. In March 2024, the Census Bureau announced it would combine race & ethnicity into one question, giving the option for respondents to choose multiple categories that more accurately encapsulate their identity. Previously, when the survey would ask about being Hispanic/non-Hispanic and race separately, more than 43% of Hispanic people skip or select “some other race” for the race question, due to common perceptions of race and ethnicity to be very similar. The survey will also, for the first time, offer a category for “Middle Eastern and North African” people who were previously encouraged to select the “White” category despite most not identifying that way.

Although race is a social construct, including it in conversations regarding structural inequities and discrimination is vital for social change. Everyone has a racial identity that is both created by ourselves (how we identify ourselves) and placed on us (how others perceive us). Most Black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans report seeing their race and/or ethnicity as extremely important to their overall identity. Furthermore, measuring racial disparity is an important tool for policymakers in many areas including health, employment and income, housing, and education. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified a high rate of coronavirus transmission across Native Americans; this would not have been possible if “American Indians or Alaska Natives” was not an official race category on government forms. Understanding how race influences our experiences and recognizing the advantages and/or disadvantages that are associated with our racial identities can allow us to achieve racial equity – a world in which a person’s race doesn’t predict what their life will be like. 

A Note on American Indian/Native Population Data

There is a longstanding, complicated relationship between the Census and American Indian/Alaska Native populations. The Census Bureau initially excluded Native people entirely because many lived in sovereign tribal communities considered to be outside the United States. The first tribal count was done by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in 1850. Ten years later, the Census Bureau allowed only Native Americans who had renounced their tribal affiliation to be included in the general population count. The Indian Citizenship Act (1924) paved the way for the inclusion of Native American and Alaska Natives in the general census population. Native counts grew in 1970 when the Census Bureau conducted its first census survey via mail, allowing Native people to self-report their race and their tribal affiliation. Native American Indian and Alaska Native counts continued to increase when the Census later updated the survey to allow respondents to select more than one race. 

Undercounts of Native people during crises lead to underresourcing, as governments make decisions based on data reporting (Robeznieks, 2020). During COVID-19 pandemic, Native people were not prioritized or given adequate personal protective equipment to mitigate outbreaks in their communities due to undercounts of infections and deaths (Smith, 2020).

Respondents to the Census can select Hispanic or non-Hispanic for ethnicity, and then as many race categories as they see fit; the American Indian and Alaska Native race category is one of the options. Usually, race and ethnicity data are presented on NDSC by first showing the share of the population that identifies as Hispanic/Latino; then, the remaining population is classified as their selected race category (or multi-racial). However, a unique issue arises for Native people, who often identify as Hispanic or another race in conjunction with their Native identity. In Southern California specifically, many Native Americans identify as Hispanic indigenous Mexicans. As a result, NDSC decided to expand the data available for the American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) population in October 2026; in addition to sharing data for exclusively non-Hispanic, AIAN individuals, we also share data for all AIAN individuals, regardless of ethnicity or other races selected.

Written by Cameron Yap & Marisol De La Torre