America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2020
Race and Hispanic Origin Composition
The United States is racially and ethnically diverse. Racial and ethnic composition also may vary by geographic area.
Figure 2: Percentage of children ages 0–17 in the United States by race, Hispanic origin, and metropolitan status, 2018
NOTE: NH = non-Hispanic origin; AIAN = American Indian or Alaska Native; and NHPI = Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. The 1997 U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards on race and ethnicity are used to classify persons into one of the following five racial groups: White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Each group is limited to the non-Hispanic population, with the exception of the Hispanic category itself. Federal surveys give respondents the option of reporting more than one race. Therefore, two ways of defining a race group are possible. A group such as Black may be defined as those who report Black and no other race or those who report Black regardless of whether they also report another race. This indicator shows data using the first approach. Those reporting more than one race were classified in the "Two or more races, NH" category. Data on race and Hispanic origin are collected separately. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race. The OMB classifies counties as within a metropolitan or a micropolitan statistical area. The remaining counties are not classified and are considered rural in this report. Rural counties may include small urban areas, as well as completely rural areas. Nonmetropolitan counties include counties in micropolitan statistical and rural areas. The U.S. Census Bureau reviewed this data product for unauthorized disclosure of confidential information and has approved the disclosure avoidance practices applied to this release. CBDRB-FY2020-POP001-0123.
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
- In 2018, of all U.S. children: 50.0% were White, non-Hispanic; 25.9% were Hispanic; 13.3% were Black, non-Hispanic; 5.0% were Two or more races, non-Hispanic; 4.6% were Asian, non-Hispanic; 0.8% were American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic; 0.4% were some other race, non-Hispanic; and 0.2% were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic.
- In 2018, White, non-Hispanic children and American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic children accounted for a larger percentage of the population in nonmetropolitan (micropolitan and rural) areas than in metropolitan areas.
- In 2018, there were more Black, non-Hispanic children; Asian, non-Hispanic children; and Two or more race, non-Hispanic children in metropolitan areas than in micropolitan or rural areas. There were also more Hispanic children in metropolitan areas (27.3%) than in micropolitan areas (15.2%) or rural areas (10.9%).
- In 2018, no racial or Hispanic group accounted for more than 50% of children in metropolitan areas, whereas White, non-Hispanic children represented at least two-thirds of children in both micropolitan and rural areas (68.4% and 72.4%, respectively).
