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Ancestor Appreciation Day: September 27, 2022

Press Release Number CB22-SFS.134

From Census.gov > Topics > Population > Ancestry > About: Ancestry refers to a person’s ethnic origin or descent, “roots,” or heritage, or the place of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. Some ethnic identities, such as “German” or “Jamaican,” can be traced to geographic areas outside the United States, while other ethnicities, such as “Pennsylvania Dutch” or “Cajun,” evolved in the United States.

From the American Community Survey, Why We Ask Questions About... Ancestry: We ask a question about a person’s ancestry or ethnic origin to create statistics about ancestry groups in America.

Local, state, tribal, and federal agencies use data about ancestry to plan and evaluate government programs and policies to ensure that they fairly and equitably serve the needs of all groups. These statistics also help enforce laws, regulations, and policies against discrimination in society.

Image of old photos.

Key Stats

Source: 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-Year Estimates.

Note: The table above is modified to show reported ancestries that total 2 million or more. The top 10 are highlighted (not including Other groups and Unclassified or not reported). The top five are German, English, Irish, American, and Italian — each with more than 10 million. Click on the image for the full, original table.

More Stats

Source: 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-Year Estimates. 

From Topics > Population

Note: Click on the image above for the full interactive visualization in high resolution. Hover over any county for details. Select a state in the upper left dropdown.

Note: Click on the image above for the full infographic in high resolution.

From Census.gov > History

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