Census 2000 Guidelines on Multiple-Race Responses
Posted Apr 01, 2000

Census 2000 is the first in history to allow individuals to identify themselves as belonging to more than one race category. The number of possible combinations will result in approximately 63 racial categories.

Race data collected on many forms has relevance to civil rights. For example, States draw boundaries for electoral districts using race data along with voting age and population counts. Such data is also used to determine whether employers are discriminating in hiring decisions or whether hospitals, banks and schools are discriminating against individuals based on race.

Recently, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) described how census responses from multiracial individuals will be treated by federal agencies that report race data to the federal government, and in civil rights enforcement contexts.

Employers, schools, and hospitals who collect and report racial data to the federal government must use forms which reduce the 63 racial combinations to 11 categories - five single-race categories, the four most common double race combinations (American Indian/Alaska Native and White; Asian and White; African American and White; American Indian/Alaska Native and African American), plus a broader category which includes any multiracial group over 1% in a particular local area, and finally a "balance" category of individuals who are none of the above. Many combinations with Asians might fall into the balance category.

Federal agencies, which enforce civil rights and anti-discrimination laws will allocate white/minority responses to the minority category. Combinations of minority races will be assessed in light of the type of civil rights enforcement action involved.