Washington, D.C. – The federal government has recently made significant changes to how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity for the first time in over 25 years. These updates aim to better reflect the growing diversity of the country and provide policymakers with a more comprehensive understanding of the American population their decisions impact.
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget announced that it will now combine questions about race and ethnicity on federal forms, allowing individuals to select multiple options if applicable. Additionally, a new category, “Middle Eastern or North African” (MENA), has been added to the combined question, offering a total of seven choices.
This revision marks the first time since 1997 that the OMB has adjusted its policy on how federal data on race and ethnicity is collected. Meeta Anand, senior director for census and data equity at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, described the combined question as one of the most significant changes seen in this area.
According to Karin Orvis, the United States’ chief statistician, the updated standards will enhance the government’s ability to compare data across federal agencies and improve understanding of how federal programs serve a diverse America. The changes are expected to impact various federal data collection forms, including the census surveys conducted every ten years.
The revised standards are effective immediately, with agencies given 18 months to develop compliance plans and five years to implement them. The process leading to these changes began in June 2022, involving a working group of career staff members from 35 federal agencies, receiving over 20,000 public comments and holding 94 listening sessions.
Advocates have long pushed for a combined question on race and ethnicity, highlighting research showing that separate questions have hindered data collection among Latino respondents. The 2020 Census revealed that the category “Some Other Race” became the second-largest racial group in the United States, underscoring the need for more inclusive standards.
The Arab American Institute hailed the revised standards as a significant accomplishment, particularly for Arab Americans. However, concerns remain that the new MENA category may not fully capture the diversity within these groups, potentially leading to undercounting. Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, who advocated for the MENA category, emphasized the importance of accurately counting Arab Americans to ensure they receive necessary resources and support.