Notice2024-26827
The Census Bureau's Proposed Race/Ethnicity Code List for the American Community Survey and the 2030 Census
Primary source
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Published
November 18, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentCensus Bureau
Abstract
As part of the Race/Ethnicity Coding Improvement Project, the U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau) is seeking feedback on the proposed race/ethnicity code list that will be used when the combined race/ ethnicity question is implemented in the American Community Survey (ACS) and the 2030 Census. The Census Bureau aims to enhance and improve the code list that was used in the 2020 Census and is currently used in the ACS to ensure that detailed race and/or ethnicity responses are accurately coded and tabulated in future data collections.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 222 (Monday, November 18, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 222 (Monday, November 18, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 90663-90664]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-26827]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
[Docket Number: 241112-0289; RTID 0607-XC079]
The Census Bureau's Proposed Race/Ethnicity Code List for the
American Community Survey and the 2030 Census
AGENCY: Census Bureau, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for public comment.
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SUMMARY: As part of the Race/Ethnicity Coding Improvement Project, the
U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau) is seeking feedback on the proposed
race/ethnicity code list that will be used when the combined race/
ethnicity question is implemented in the American Community Survey
(ACS) and the 2030 Census. The Census Bureau aims to enhance and
improve the code list that was used in the 2020 Census and is currently
used in the ACS to ensure that detailed race and/or ethnicity responses
are accurately coded and tabulated in future data collections.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments must be received on or before
February 18, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Comments are being requested through the following method:
Electronic submission: Submit public comments using the Federal
eRulemaking Portal.
1. Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> and enter Docket Number USBC-2024-0022
in the search field.
2. Click the ``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields.
3. Enter or attach your comments.
[[Page 90664]]
All comments responding to this document will be a matter of public
record. Relevant comments will generally be available on the Federal
eRulemaking Portal at: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
All comments received are part of the public record. All Personally
Identifiable Information (e.g., name and address) voluntarily submitted
by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential
Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
You may submit attachments to electronic comments in Microsoft Word,
Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about this notice,
please contact: Roberto Ramirez at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9eccf1fcfbeceaf1b0ccb0ccfff3f7ecfbe4defdfbf0edebedb0f9f1e8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f9ab969b9c8b8d96d7abd7ab9894908b9c83b99a9c978a8c8ad79e968f">[email protected]</span></a> or
(301) 763-6044. Please direct media inquiries to the Census Bureau's
Public Information Office at (301) 763-3030.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Census Bureau is conducting its Race/
Ethnicity Coding Improvement Project, which provides an opportunity for
the public to provide feedback on how detailed race and/or ethnicity
and American Indian or Alaska Native populations will be coded when the
combined race/ethnicity question is implemented in the ACS and the 2030
Census. As in previous updates to the code list, all updates will be
based on three criteria: (1) Federal scientific research and evidence;
(2) stakeholder feedback, and (3) alignment with the U.S. Office of
Management and Budget's updated 2024 Statistical Policy Directive No.
15 (see <a href="https://spd15revision.gov">https://spd15revision.gov</a>). The Census Bureau anticipates
publishing a summary of the feedback received and the final code list
in a future notice. An upcoming live question-and-answer webinar will
provide an opportunity for the public to ask any procedural questions
about how to respond to this Notice.
The Census Bureau is seeking feedback on how race and/or ethnicity
and American Indian or Alaska Native populations are coded, and it is
not seeking feedback on how the U.S. Office of Management and Budget
defined race/ethnicity categories through Statistical Policy Directive
No. 15, which are a minimum set of categories that all Federal agencies
must use when collecting information on race and ethnicity, regardless
of the collection mechanism, as well as additional guidance on the
collection, compilation, and dissemination of these data.
Coding is the process that assigns a numeric code to the responses
that are provided in the write-in areas on the race and/or ethnicity
question. The numeric codes are used to process and tabulate the data.
For example, if a respondent provides a write-in response of
``Ghanaian,'' the code list is used to assign this response code
`3180.'
Race and/or ethnicity groups may have several terms on the code
list that receive the same code. This may include spelling variations,
abbreviations, or in-language names. For example, responses of ``Coeur
D'Alene Tribe'' receive the code `5708,' as do responses of ``Coeur
D'Alene Tribe of Indians'' and ``Schitsu'umsh.'' In our data products,
all responses of ``Coeur D'Alene Tribe,'' ``Coeur D'Alene Tribe of
Indians'' and ``Schitsu'umsh'' are tabulated together because they are
given the same code, and they are therefore all included in the
population count for ``Coeur D'Alene Tribe.''
On the proposed code list, some race and/or ethnicity groups have a
range of codes associated with them. An example of this is ``Italian''
(codes 1205-1209), which includes terms that receive the codes `1206'
(Italian), `1207' (Sardinian) and `1208' (Sicilian). Providing various
groups with their own codes allows the Census Bureau to continue
conducting research and see how often the group is reported. Unique
codes are often provided for groups when Census Bureau research
indicates that there are increasing numbers of people reporting a
particular term in the decennial census.
Once the coding operation is completed, the codes are used in the
editing process and to tabulate estimates and counts that are published
in our ACS and decennial data products. Note that because a group has a
unique code, that does not guarantee that data will be published for
that group, as population thresholds, editing processes, or other
processes may prevent us from publishing data for certain groups
regardless of if they have a unique code.
Request for Public Comment
The Census Bureau is soliciting public comment to improve the race/
ethnicity code list. This feedback will enable the Census Bureau to
more accurately collect, process, and tabulate detailed racial, ethnic,
and tribal responses reported in the race/ethnicity question. The
Census Bureau is seeking feedback on the following questions, but will
consider all comments received on topics germane to this notice:
1. Are there any groups missing from the proposed code list? If so,
please identify them and suggest how the groups should be classified
and why.
2. Are any groups on the proposed code list misclassified? If so,
please identify them and suggest an alternative classification or
indicate if the term should be removed.
3. Are there alternative terms, abbreviations, or in-language terms
people may use to identify with a specific group that should be added
to the proposed code list? If so, please identify them and suggest a
classification.
4. The 2020 Census race/ethnicity code list at: <a href="https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/technical-documentation/complete-tech-docs/detailed-demographic-and-housing-characteristics-file-a/2020-hispanic-origin-and-race-code-list.xlsx">https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/technical-documentation/complete-tech-docs/detailed-demographic-and-housing-characteristics-file-a/2020-hispanic-origin-and-race-code-list.xlsx</a> was
organized into regional categories (e.g., Chinese and Japanese
aggregated into East Asian) and counts for these regional categories
were published in 2020 Census data products. Based on stakeholder
feedback and the challenging nature of categorizing groups into
regional categories when the boundaries are not clearly defined, may
change over time, or may overlap, the Census Bureau is proposing to
remove its definitions and concepts of regional categories so that data
users would have more flexibility to create their own regional
categories using the disaggregated data. How do you use the data
produced for regional categories from the 2020 Census? How would
removing regional categories from the code list and tabulated products
impact your ability to use the detailed race/ethnicity data? Would the
ability to create your own regional categories using disaggregated data
be useful to your work?
The proposed race/ethnicity code list can be accessed at: <a href="https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/2030-race-and-or-ethnicity-code-list/">https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/demo/2030-race-and-or-ethnicity-code-list/</a>.
Robert L. Santos, Director, Census Bureau, approved the publication
of this notice in the Federal Register.
Dated: November 12, 2024.
Shannon Wink,
Program Analyst, Policy Coordination Office, U.S. Census Bureau.
[FR Doc. 2024-26827 Filed 11-15-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
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