The United States is a diverse country, racially and ethnically. Six races are recognized: White, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and people of two or more races; a race called “Some other race” is also used in the census and other surveys, but is not official. Americans are also classified as “Hispanic or Latino” and “Not Hispanic or Latino”, which identifies Hispanic and Latino Americans as a racially diverse ethnicity that composes the largest minority group in the nation.
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White alone (of which 26.7 million are White Hispanic and Latino Americans, see table below. Excluding these, this category comprises 63.7% or 196.8 million) |
223,553,265 | 72.4% |
| Black or African American alone | 38,929,319 | 12.6% |
| Some other race alone (Mestizo, Mulatto…) |
19,107,368 | 6.2% |
| Asian alone | 14,674,252 | 4.8% |
| Two or more races | 9,009,073 | 2.9% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native alone | 2,932,248 | 0.9% |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander alone | 540,013 | 0.2% |
| Total | 308,745,538 | 100.0% |
Top ancestries in 2000
