The racial and ethnic demographics of the United States have changed dramatically throughout its history.

Sources of data

During the American colonial period, British colonial officials conducted censuses in some of the Thirteen Colonies that included enumerations by race.^[1] In addition, tax lists and other reports provided additional data and information about the racial demographics of the Thirteen Colonies during this time period.^[1]

People have been enumerated by race in every United States census since the first one in 1790.^[2] Collection of data on race and ethnicity in the United States census has changed over time, including addition of new enumeration categories and changes in definitions of those categories.^[2][3][4]

Historical trends

By 1471, Portuguese navigators hoping to tap the fabled Saharan gold trade had reconnoitered the West African coast as far as the Niger Delta, and traded European commodities for local crafts as well as slaves, the latter which turned out to be highly lucrative. The black population was non-existent to European regions in 1610, but awareness increased rapidly after 1620 when forced slavery of Africans was implemented building the Atlantic slave trade in the 15th century in colonial areas, Caribbean islands which later became parts of the United States. By 1490, more than 3,000 slaves a year were transported to Portugal and Spain from Africa^[1] African Americans (Blacks) made up almost one-fifth of the United States population in 1790, but their percentage of the total U.S. population declined in almost every U.S. census until 1930.^[5] From at least 1790 until the start of World War I, the overwhelming majority (around ninety percent) of African Americans^[5] lived in the Southern United States.^[6][7] In addition, before 1865, the overwhelming majority of African Americans were slaves.^[5] The Great Migration throughout the 20th century (starting from World War I)^[5][6] resulted in more than six million African Americans leaving the Southern U.S. (especially rural areas) and moving to other parts of the United States (especially to urban areas) due to the greater economic/job opportunities, less anti-black violence/lynchings,^[8] and a smaller amount of segregation/discrimination there.^[9][10] Due to the Great Migration, many large cities outside of the former Confederacy (such as New York City, Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland) experienced huge increases in the African American percentage of their total population.^[9]

Whites (including Non-Hispanic Whites) have historically made up the overwhelming majority (usually between eighty and ninety percent) of the total United States population.^[5] The United States historically had few Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans, especially before the late 20th century.^[5] Most Asian Americans^[5] historically lived in the Western United States.^[11][12] The Hispanic and Asian population of the United States has rapidly increased in the late 20th and 21st centuries, and the African American percentage of the U.S. population is slowly increasing as well since reaching a low point of less than ten percent in 1930.^[5]

Historical data for all races and for Hispanic origin (1610–2020)

The United States census enumerated Whites and Blacks since 1790, Asians and Native Americans since 1860 (though all Native Americans in the U.S. were not enumerated until 1890), "some other race" since 1950, and "two or more races" since 2000.^[2] Mexicans were counted as White from 1790 to 1930, unless of apparent non-European extraction.^[13] Hispanics (as well as the Non-Hispanic White population) were enumerated since 1940 (with the exception of 1950 and 1960), but some estimates for the Hispanic (and Non-Hispanic White) population were made for certain years before 1940 (as well as for 1950 and 1960).^[2][14][15]