The Census Bureau states that the number of people in the separate race categories (i.e., 'white', 'Black', etc.) was impacted by this change as some people who would have previously been grouped within a single race category were grouped into the two or more category with the change.

In 2000, the Census added the 'Two or more races' category to the data. All persons were grouped into singular race categories. Prior to 2000, the Census Bureau did not separately identify people who were two or more races. These categories do not exist for earlier years and do not appear in comparisons in this tool if a year prior to 2000 is selected. Race categories other than 'Black' and 'white' are included in the 'other' race category for years after 1990 when comparing to pre-1990 data.Īny comparison where the earliest year is between 19 includes two additional categories: 'American Indian/Alaska Native' and 'Asian or Pacific Islander.' Separate reporting for 'Asian' and 'Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander' are combined for years after 2000 when the comparison year is in the 1990s.ĭata from 2000 onward considers 'Asian' and 'Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander' as separate groups and also includes the 'multiracial' category. As a result, any comparison that includes data from before 1990 only includes these three race categories. If the earliest year selected in the tool is from before 1990, the data only includes three race categories: 'white', 'Black', and 'other'. To allow for comparisons over time, the race categories change depending on the earliest year selected in the comparison tool. This occurs because the Census Bureau has changed the race and ethnicity categories it makes available. Users will notice that the race categories change depending on the years selected in this interactive tool. But how the Census Bureau reported and grouped those populations changed over time. The Census Bureau’s Population and Housing Estimates Program (PEP) data by county includes details like counts by age, race, or ethnicity and goes back for decades.

Us county population density 2017 map