Race & Ethnicity

data essayNov 3, 2025

Census takers in 1800 were provided a standard questionnaire, but how they collected and organized information was up to them, as shown in this tally of Ohio residents. (U.S. Census Bureau)

How the U.S. government measures race has changed substantially since censuses began in 1790. Today, Americans differ on whether the government should ask about race.

Related: The changing categories used to measure race

reportMay 20, 2025

short readOct 22, 2025

short readMar 17, 2025

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Race & Ethnicity

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short readsMay 8, 2014

Hispanic Millennials are less religious than older U.S. Hispanics

A new survey on religious trends among U.S. Hispanics finds that Hispanic Millennials mirror young American adults overall in their lower rates of religious affiliation and commitment compared with their older counterparts.
short readsMay 7, 2014

Fewer Hispanics are Catholic, so how can more Catholics be Hispanic?

This paradox is possible because of the growing size of the Hispanic population.
featureMay 7, 2014

U.S. Hispanics: Religious, Social and Political Differences

A major survey of U.S. Hispanics conducted by the Pew Research Center asked more than 5,000 respondents about their religious, social and political views. See how their responses compare to the U.S. general public, and note the differences within the Hispanic population among four major religious groups.
reportMay 7, 2014

The Shifting Religious Identity of Latinos in the United States

A new survey finds that nearly one-in-four Hispanic adults are now former Catholics, while rising numbers are Protestant or unaffiliated with any religion.
short readsMay 5, 2014

Millions of Americans changed their racial or ethnic identity from one census to the next

Americans of mixed race, American Indians, Pacific Islanders and Hispanics were among those most likely to check different boxes.
short readsApr 30, 2014

5 facts about the modern American family

In 1960, 37% of households included a married couple raising their own children. More than a half-century later, just 16% of households look like that.
reportApr 29, 2014

Hispanic Nativity Shift

The slowdown in growth of the Hispanic foreign-born population coincides with a decline in Mexican migration to the U.S.
reportApr 29, 2014

2012, Hispanics in the United States Statistical Portrait

*Visit the most recent data. This statistical profile of the Latino population is based on Pew Research Center’s Hispanic Trends Project tabulations of the Census Bureau’s 2012 American Community Survey (ACS). Users should exercise caution when comparing the 2012 estimates with estimates for previous years. Population estimates in the 2012 ACS are based on the […]
reportApr 29, 2014

2012, Foreign-Born Population in the United States Statistical Portrait

*Visit the most recent data. This statistical profile of the foreign-born population is based on Pew Research Center’s Hispanic Trends Project tabulations of the Census Bureau’s 2012 American Community Survey (ACS). Users should exercise caution when comparing the 2012 estimates with estimates for previous years. Population estimates in the 2012 ACS are based on the […]
reportApr 24, 2014

More Hispanics, Blacks Enrolling in College, but Lag in Bachelor’s Degrees