Race and ethnicity in the United States

The United States has a racially and ethnically diverse population.^[1] At the federal level, race and ethnicity have been categorized separately. The most recent United States census recognized five racial categories (White, Black, Native American/Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander), as well as people who belong to two or more of the racial categories.^[2][3][4] The United States also recognizes the broader notion of ethnicity. While previous censuses inquired about the "ancestry" of residents, the current form asks people to enter their "origins".^[5][2][3][4]

White Americans are the majority in every census-defined region (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) and 44 out of 50 states, except Hawaii,^[6] California,^[7] Texas,^[8] New Mexico,^[9] Nevada,^[10] and Maryland.^[11] Those identifying as white alone or in combination (including multiracial white Americans) are the majority in every state except for Hawaii.^[12] The region with the highest proportion of White Americans is the Midwest, at 74.6% per the American Community Survey (ACS), followed by the Northeast, at 64%.^[13][14] Non-Hispanic whites make up 73% of the Midwest's population, the highest proportion of any region, and they make up 62% of the population in the Northeast.^[15][16] At the same time, the regions with the smallest share of White Americans are the West, where they comprise 51.9%, and the South, where they comprise 57.7%.^[17][18] Non-Hispanic whites are a minority in the West, where they make up 47.1% of the population.^[19] In the South, non-Hispanic whites make up 54% of the population.^[20]

Currently, 55% of the African American population lives in the South.^[4] A plurality or majority of the other official groups reside in the West. The latter region is home to 42% of Hispanic and Latino Americans, 46% of Asian Americans, 48% of Native Americans and Alaska Natives, 68% of Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, 37% of the "two or more races" population (multiracial Americans), and 46% of those self-designated as "some other race".^[4][21]

Each of the five inhabited US territories is fairly homogeneous, though each comprises a different primary ethnic group. American Samoa has a high percentage of Pacific Islanders, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are mostly Asian and Pacific Islander, Puerto Rico is mostly Hispanic/Latino, and the US Virgin Islands are mostly African American.^{[22][23][24][25]}