Census 2000 showed that the United States population on April 1, 2000, was 281.4 million. Of the total, 6.8 million people, or 2.4 percent, reported¹ more than one race. Census 2000 asked separate questions on race and Hispanic or Latino origin. Hispanics who reported more than one race are included in the Two or more races population.

This report, part of a series that analyzes population and housing data collected from Census 2000, provides a portrait of the Two or more races population in the United States and discusses its distribution at both the national and subnational levels. It is based on the Census 2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, which was among the first Census 2000 data products released and used by each state to draw boundaries for legislative districts.²

The term “Two or more races” refers to people who chose more than one of the six race categories. These individuals are referred to as the Two or more races population, or as the population that reported more than one race.

Data on race has been collected since the first U.S. decennial census in 1790. Census 2000 was the first decennial census that allowed individuals to selfidentify with more than one race.

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¹ In this report, the term “reported” is used to refer to the answers provided by respondents, as well as responses assigned during the editing and imputation processes.
² This report discusses data for the United States, including the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are shown in Table 2 and Figure 3. The Census 2000 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File was released on a state-by-state basis in March 2001.