Mississippi Mosaic: Exploring Racial and Ethnic Diversity

Transcription

1 Mississippi Mosaic: Exploring Racial and Ethnic Diversity John J. Green, PhD Lynn C. Woo, MA Cliff Holley, MA A Population Snapshot from The University of Mississippi Center for Population Studies March 2013

2 Exploring Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Mississippi In discussions of race and ethnicity, Mississippi is often characterized as a white and black state Although a majority of Mississippians do selfidentify as either white or black, the population is more diverse Policy and program discussions around inequality in education, employment, health, and civil rights should consider the presence of all racial and ethnic groups in the state The information presented here is intended to serve as a resource for people interested in exploring the diversity of this state

3 Researching Race and Ethnicity Respondents to the U.S. Census Bureau s 2010 Decennial Census were asked to self-identify race Respondents could choose one or more racial categories Respondents were also asked if they were of Hispanic or Latino origin (in combination with any race) The U.S. Census Bureau asks about race in a similar manner as part of the American Community Survey The American Community Survey also asks respondents about their country of birth

4 Racial Categories Reported in Mississippi 2010 American Indian and Alaska Native ~1% Asian ~1% Black or African American 37% Some Other Race ~1% Two or More Races ~1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Less than 1% White 59% In 2010, Mississippi residents were most likely to report white or black racial identity Still, it is noteworthy that the number of people who reported other racial categories totaled 114,228 of the 2,967,297 total people counted Source: QT-P3-Geography-Mississippi and Mississippi Counties: Race and Hispanic or Latino Origin: Census Summary File 1 Figure created by the University of Mississippi Center for Population Studies

5 The spatial location of different racial groups is of interest American Indians/Alaska Natives represented approximately 0.5% of the population in 2010 They were mostly concentrated in Neshoba County Asians account for slightly less than 1% of the population in 2010 They were primarily living in metropolitan areas and places with colleges and universities Harrison County, located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, had the largest number of people identifying as Asian DRAFT DOCUMENT FOR COMMENT

6 100% Mississippi Counties in which American Indians/Alaska Natives Reside % 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% Mississippi (Remaining) Jackson County Harrison County Newton County Leake County Approximately 1/3 of American Indians in Mississippi live in the area of Neshoba County 20% 10% Neshoba County 0% Source: Excerpt from QT-P3-Geography-Mississippi and Mississippi Counties: Race and Hispanic or Latino Origin: Census Summary File 1 Figure created by the University of Mississippi Center for Population Studies

7 Mississippi Counties in which Asians Reside % 90% Mississippi (Remaining) 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% Lamar County Lafayette County Oktibbeha County Rankin County Hinds County DeSoto County Madison County Jackson County The majority of Asians live in areas where there are urban cities and/or major colleges and universities 10% Harrison County 0% Source: Excerpt from QT-P3-Geography-Mississippi and Mississippi Counties: Race and Hispanic or Latino Origin: Census Summary File 1 Figure created by the University of Mississippi Center for Population Studies

8 Hispanic or Latino Origin Reported in Mississippi 2010 A small percent of Mississippi respondents indicated Hispanic or Latino origin However, this 2.7% consists of 81,481 people 97.3% 2.7% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) Not Hispanic or Latino Source: QT-P3-Geography-Mississippi and Mississippi Counties: Race and Hispanic or Latino Origin: Census Summary File 1 Figure created by the University of Mississippi Center for Population Studies

9 Origin at Birth Among Mississippi ACS Respondents ( Estimates)

10 Origin at Birth by Region Among Foreign Born U.S. and Mississippi ACS Respondents ( Estimates) 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% Americas Oceania Africa Asia Europe 0% Similar to the United States as a whole, a large portion of the foreign born population in Mississippi consists of people from other countries in the Americas, followed in prevalence by Asia Interestingly, there is variation in these figures between counties (select examples provided here) American Community Survey 5-Year Estimate Figure created by the University of Mississippi Center for Population Studies

11 Summary A large portion of Mississippi respondents to the Decennial Census and the American Community Survey identified themselves racially as either white or black However, there is racial and ethnic diversity in this state While relatively smaller in size, respondents identifying as Asian, American Indian, Hispanic, and/ or foreign born constitute a substantial number of people Discussions of inequality and the reduction of disparities should take the full spectrum of racial and ethnic groups into account

12 University of Mississippi Center for Population Studies The University of Mississippi Center for Population Studies (CPS) educates, conducts research, and engages in public outreach concerning population issues in the State of Mississippi and beyond. The CPS works in collaboration with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and numerous partners within the University of Mississippi (UM) system and other institutions, including colleges/universities, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. Among its programmatic initiatives, the CPS is the lead agency of the State Data Center of Mississippi and the Institute for Community-Based Research. The CPS also houses the Editorial Office of Community Development, the official journal of the Community Development Society. Center for Population Studies: State Data Center of Mississippi: Institute for Community-Based Research: