White Americans

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White Americans (sometimes also called Caucasian Americans) are Americans who identify as white people. In a more official sense, the United States Census Bureau, which collects demographic data on Americans, defines "white" as "[a] person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa".[2] Individuals within this group tend to have light skin tones and various hair colors, mainly brown or blonde and to a lesser extent black or red due to their primarily English and German origins, although Irish, Italian and White Hispanic origin are also prominent. This group constitutes the majority of the people in the United States, although their proportion of the overall population has been gradually declining. As of the latest American Community Survey in 2023, the US Census Bureau estimates that 60.5% of the US population, or 202,651,650 people, are White alone, while Non-Hispanic Whites make up 57.1% of the population. Overall, 72.3% of Americans identify as White alone or in combination.[3][4] European Americans are by far the largest panethnic group of white Americans and have constituted the majority population of the United States since the nation's founding. Middle Eastern Americans constitute a much smaller demographic of white Americans, making up around 1.1% of the US population in 2020.[5]

According to the 2020 census, 61.6% of Americans, or 204,277,273 people, identified as White alone.[6] This represented a national decrease from a 72.4% white alone share of the US population in the 2010 census.[7] The share of Americans identifying as White alone or in combination (including multiracial white people) was 71.0% in 2020, a smaller decline from 74.8% of the population in 2010. As opposed to the declines seen in the white alone population, the number of people identifying as part white (in combination with other races) saw a large increase, growing from 2.4% of the population in 2010, to 9.4% in 2020.[8]

While the large decline in the white alone population observed between 2010 and 2020 has been partly attributed to natural trends, researchers have found that most of the sharp growth in the multiracial population, and commensurate decline in the white alone population, were due to changes in the methodology used by the Census Bureau, leading to a significant number of people who previously identified as white alone in 2010, mostly those identifying as White Hispanics, being reclassified as multiracial in 2020.[9] In 2010, around 53% of Hispanics in the country identified as white alone, while in 2020, this number had declined to only 20.3% of Hispanics.[8]

The US Census Bureau uses a particular definition of "white" that differs from some colloquial uses of the term.[10][11] The Bureau defines "White" people to be those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East or North Africa".[12] Within official census definitions, people of all racial categories may be further divided into those who identify as "not Hispanic or Latino" and those who do identify as "Hispanic or Latino".[13][10] The term "non-Hispanic white", rather than just "white", may be the census group corresponding most closely to those persons who identify as and are perceived to be white in common usage; similarly not all Hispanic/Latino people identify as "white", "black", or any other listed racial category.[10][11] In 2015, the Census Bureau announced their intention to make Hispanic/Latino and Middle Eastern/North African racial categories similar to "white" or "black", with respondents able to choose one, two, or more racial categories, even though the groups mentioned cannot be considered races or ethnicities due to the great racial and ethno-cultural variety of the aforementioned groups; this change was canceled during the Trump administration.[11][14] Other persons who are classified as "white" by the US census but may or may not identify as or be perceived as "white" include Arab Americans and Jewish Americans of European or MENA descent.[15][16][17][18][19] In the United States, the term White people generally denotes a person of European ancestry, but has been legally extended to people of West Asian and North African (Middle Eastern, West Asian, and North African) ancestry.[20][21][22] However, in 2024, the Office of Management and Budget announced that the race categories used by the federal government would be updated, and that Middle Eastern and North African Americans will no longer be classified as white in the upcoming 2030 Census.[23]

History

The term "White race" or "White people" entered the major European languages in the later seventeenth century, originating with the racialization of slavery at the time, in the context of the Atlantic slave trade[24] and the enslavement and dispossession of indigenous peoples in the Spanish Empire.[25] Alastair Bonnett argues that "white identity", as it is presently conceived, is an American construct, reflecting American interpretations of race and history.[26]Script error: No such module "Unsubst". In the context of American history, the term "white" was first used in early colonial Virginia as a way to justify racism against African Americans. The white ruling class in the colonies deemed black people inferior and suitable for slavery, and sought to draw a clear line between European settlers and white indentured servants, who were protected as citizens under colonial law, and chattel slaves of African descent, who possessed no legal rights.[27]

The population of what would become the United States has been enumerated by racial categories since the first permanent British settlers arrived at Jamestown in 1607. A colonial census from 1620, just after the first enslaved Africans were transported to Virginia, recorded the colony's population as including 2,282 "White" individuals and 20 "Negroes".[28] Estimates indicate that whites made up the majority of non-Indigenous inhabitants of the colonies in every year from 1620 to 1780. Following the independence of the United States, every census since 1790 has enumerated the population by perceived race or "color." Although the categories used by the census have varied over time, the classification of a "white" race has been included on every census conducted in the US. The white population, numbering 3,172,006 in 1790, was primarily composed of English descendants, with a smaller minority of Germans, Irish, and Scots.[29] Over the following decades, the white population would grow steadily as the country expanded westward, reaching a population of 19,553,068 in 1850, or 80.7% of the total population.[30] Immigration waves during the 19th and early 20th centuries further grew the white population, which reached 110,286,740 in 1930. The white population also grew considerably in diversity during that time period, driven by large amounts of immigration from Ireland, Italy, Eastern Europe, and Southern Europe, transforming a historically "White Anglo-Saxon Protestant" society into a melting pot of different European ethnic groups. The white population peaked as a percent of the population in 1940, at just under 90% of the total population, and has been gradually declining in share since then, reaching a historic low of 61.6% in 2020, as increased immigration from Asia and Latin America has gradually displaced Europe as the primary source of immigrants to the US.[31]

Self Reported Ancestry

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The most commonly reported ancestries of White Americans include English (12.5%), German (7.6%), Irish (5.3%), Italian (3.2%), and Polish (1.3%).[32] It is difficult to track full or partial ancestry from Spain in White Hispanics, Mestizos, or Mulattoes since people of direct Spanish descent are also classified as Hispanic, and though the census does track Hispanics' national origin, it does not classify it by race. In 2020, 1,896,300 people claimed ancestry from Spain, 0.6% of the total population.[33] However, genetic studies have found that the vast majority of Hispanics in the US have varying amounts of European ancestry, with the largest component being Spanish or Iberian.[34][35][36] The English Americans' demography is also considered a serious under-count, as the stock tend to self-report and identify as simply "Americans" (7%), due to the length of time they have inhabited the United States, particularly if their family arrived prior to the American Revolution.[17][37][19]

The following table lists all self-reported European and Middle Eastern ancestries with over 50,000 members, according to 2022 estimates from the American Community Survey:[38][39]

Ancestry Number in 2022 (Alone) Number as of 2022 (Alone or in any combination) % Total
German 13,241,923 41,137,168 12.3%
English 12,331,696 31,380,620 9.4%
Irish 8,649,243 30,655,612 9.2%
American (Mostly old-stock British Americans) 14,929,899 17,786,214 5.3%
Italian 5,766,634 16,009,774 4.8%
Polish 2,658,632 8,249,491 2.5%
French (Not including French Canadian) 1,360,631 6,310,548 1.9%
Scottish 1,555,579 5,352,344 1.6%
Broadly "European" (No country specified) 3,718,055 4,819,541 1.4%
Swedish 740,478 3,936,772 1.2%
Norwegian 1,224,373 3,317,462 1.0%
Dutch 858,809 3,019,465 0.9%
Scotch-Irish 940,337 2,524,746 0.8%
Arab (Including Lebanese (583,719), Egyptian (334,574), Syrian (203,282), Palestinian (171,969), Iraqi (164,851), Moroccan (140,196), and all other Arab ancestries) 1,502,360 2,237,982 0.7%
Russian 747,866 2,099,079 0.6%
Spanish (Including responses of "Spaniard," "Spanish," and "Spanish American." Many Hispanos of New Mexico identify as Spanish/Spaniard) — 1,926,228 0.6%
French Canadian 694,089 1,626,456 0.5%
Welsh 293,551 1,521,565 0.5%
Portuguese 543,531 1,350,442 0.4%
Hungarian 390,561 1,247,165 0.4%
Greek 486,878 1,200,706 0.4%
Broadly "British" (Not further specified) 503,077 1,196,265 0.4%
Czech 340,768 1,188,711 0.4%
Ukrainian 565,431 1,164,728 0.3%
Danish 268,019 1,127,518 0.3%
Broadly "Eastern European" (Not further specified) 566,715 951,384 0.3%
Broadly "Scandinavian" (Not further specified) 372,673 935,153 0.3%
Swiss 196,120 847,247 0.3%
Finnish 189,603 606,028 0.2%
Slovak 186,902 602,949 0.2%
Lithuanian 167,355 598,508 0.2%
Austrian 123,987 584,517 0.2%
Canadian 249,309 542,459 0.2%
Iranian 392,051 519,658 0.2%
Armenian 282,012 458,841 0.1%
Romanian 251,069 450,751 0.1%
Broadly "Northern European" (No country specified) 273,675 434,292 0.1%
Croatian 128,623 389,272 0.1%
Belgian 96,361 316,493 0.1%
Turkish 168,354 239,667 0.07%
Pennsylvania German 155,563 228,634 0.07%
"Czechoslovakian" (Not further specified) 79,992 227,217 0.07%
Albanian 182,625 223,984 0.07%
"Yugoslavian" (Not further specified) 129,759 198,687 0.06%
Serbian 96,388 191,538 0.06%
Afghan 169,255 189,493 0.06%
Slovene 48,809 153,589 0.05%
Israeli 80,336 144,202 0.04%
Broadly "Slavic" (No country specified) 57,491 140,956 0.04%
Bulgarian 75,386 106,896 0.03%
Assyrian 64,349 93,542 0.03%
Latvian 33,742 91,859 0.03%
Cajun 59,046 91,706 0.03%
Australian 37,180 88,999 0.03%
Macedonian 39,586 65,107 0.02%
Basque 24,219 62,731 0.02%
Icelandic 18,978 53,415 0.02%

Genetics

A 2015 genetic study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics analyzed the genetic ancestry of 148,789 European Americans. The study concluded that British/Irish ancestry is the most common European ancestry among white Americans, with this component ranging between 20% (Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota) and 55% (Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas). These states strongly correlated with those where the largest number of people identified with "American" ancestry on the census.[40] Many white Americans also have ancestry from multiple countries. According to the 2022 American Community Survey, 76,678,228 Americans identified with multiple European, Middle Eastern, or North African ancestry groups, with the large majority of these identifying with various European groups.[41]

Historical and present definitions

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Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote". Definitions of who is "White" have changed throughout the history of the United States.

US census definition

The term "white American" can encompass many different ethnic groups. Although the United States census purports to reflect a social definition of race, the social dimensions of race are more complex than Census criteria. The 2000 US census states that racial categories "generally reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country. They do not conform to any biological, anthropological or genetic criteria."[42]

File:Steve Jobs.jpg
Steven Paul Jobs was an American inventor of Arab (Syrian) and Swiss descent.

The Census question on race lists the categories White or European American, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Asian, plus "Some other race", with the respondent having the ability to mark more than one racial or ethnic category. The Census Bureau defines White people as follows:

"White" refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East or North Africa. It includes people who indicated their race(s) as "White" or reported entries such as German, Italian, Lebanese, Arab, Moroccan, or Caucasian.[12]

File:Lorenzo Lamas.jpg
Lorenzo Lamas is an American actor of Spanish-Argentine and Norwegian descent.

In US census documents, the designation White overlaps, as do all other official racial categories, with the term Hispanic or Latino, which was introduced in the 1980 census as a category of ethnicity, separate and independent of race, despite treating as ethnic groups nationalities from the Americas as ethnically and racially diverse as the United States.[43][44] Hispanic and Latino Americans as a whole make up a racially diverse group and are the largest minority in the country.[45][46]

Beginning in 1930, Mexican was added as a distinct race on the US census with the explanation that "practically all Mexican laborers are of a racial mixture difficult to classify".[47][48] The Mexican racial category was removed in 1940, with new direction that "Mexicans are to be regarded as white unless definitely of Indian or other nonwhite race"; this was continued in 1950.[49] 1970 saw the creation of the Spanish Origin category, which superseded previous classifications for Mexicans, Central and South Americans and is now represented by the Hispanic or Latino "ethnic" category, although technically it cannot be treated as an ethnic or racial group due to the great cultural, ethnic and racial variety existing within the group in question. Hispanic or Latino was again to be raised to racial status for the 2020 census (along with Middle Eastern and North African), but this was canceled by President Donald J. Trump.[50]

The characterization of Middle Eastern and North African Americans as white has been a matter of controversy. In the early 20th century, there were a number of cases where people of Arab descent were denied entry into the United States or deported, because they were characterized as nonwhite, even though the views of the time do not apply to the way racial issues are viewed today.[51] In the early 21st century, MENA (Middle Eastern, North African) Americans began lobbying for the creation of their own racial group and were successful; in 2015, the US Census Bureau announced that it had responded to their requests and would add a "Middle Eastern and North African" racial category to the 2020 census.[52][53] The Trump administration nullified this change after coming to power in 2016.

However, in 2024, the Office of Management and Budget under the Biden administration reinstated the proposed changes, announcing that the race categories used by the federal government would be updated, and that Middle Eastern and North African Americans will no longer be classified as white in the upcoming 2030 Census, and Hispanic and Latino will also be treated similar to a racial, rather than ethnic, category, even though they cannot technically be seen as one or the other due to the great diversity within the group.[23] The Census Bureau defines the planned definition of White people as follows:

"Individuals with origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, including, for example, English, German, Irish, Italian, Polish, and Scottish."[54]

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In cases where individuals do not self-identify, the US census parameters for race give each national origin a racial value.

On some government documents, such as the 2007 SEER program's Coding and Staging Manual, people who reported Muslim (or a sect of Islam such as Shia or Sunni), Jewish, Zoroastrian, Caucasian, Middle Eastern, North African, Mexican, Central American or South American ethnicity as their race in the "Some other race" section, without noting a country of origin or Native American tribal affiliation, were automatically tallied as White.[55] The 1990 US census Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) listed "Caucasian" or "Aryan" among other terms as subgroups of "white" in their ancestry code listing,[56] but 2005 and proceeding years of PUMS codes do not.[57]

Social definition

File:National Origins of the White Population of the USA, 1920.png
National Origins of the White Population, 1920 census.

In the contemporary United States, any one of European descent is typically considered white. However, the US census also considers people of Middle Eastern and North African ancestry to be "white". Many of the ethnic groups classified as "white" by the US census, such as Arab Americans, Berber Americans, Jewish Americans of European, Middle Eastern or North African descent, Mexican Americans of European, Middle Eastern or North African descent, Central Americans of European, Middle Eastern or North African descent or South Americans of European, Middle Eastern or North African descent may not always identify as, and may not always be perceived to be, "white", despite the official parameters used by the United States Census Bureau. This may indicate certain communication gaps between Census officials and the general population.[58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65]

Social perceptions of whiteness have evolved over the course of American history. For example, Benjamin Franklin commented that the Saxons of Germany and the English "make the principal Body of White People on the Face of the Earth", indicating how the great scientific discoveries made by the British and Germans were seen as vital for the development of the white race at the time (18th century).[66] Historically, many individuals of European descent were not readily integrated into mainstream American society, being thrown to the margins of society during the mass immigration movements that occurred between the end of the 19th century and the middle of the 20th century due to linguistic issues (groups who did not speak English or other Germanic languages) and religious issues (non-Christian groups or non-Protestants, such as Catholics and Orthodox), including Irish, Italians, Greeks, Jews, Russians, Poles, Spaniards, Czechs and others.[67] In Minnesota, prejudice against Finnish immigrants led to a debateScript error: No such module "Unsubst". surrounding Finnish whiteness and whether Finns should be classified as a Mongoloid people for speaking a non-Indo-European language, being discarded by the local mainstream society.[65]

David Roediger argues that the construction of the white race in the United States was an effort to mentally distance slave owners from slaves.[68] The process of officially being defined as white by law often came about in court disputes over pursuit of citizenship, which made the social integration of other racial groups, such as African-Americans, difficult for decades (Jim Crow laws).[69]

Demographic information

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White alone 1790–2020
Year Population % of
the US 		% change
(raw) 		% change

(share)

1790 3,172,006 80.7 Steady Steady
1800 4,306,446 81.1 Increase35.8% 0.4
1810 5,862,073 81.0 Increase36.1% -0.1
1820 7,866,797 81.6 Increase34.2% 0.6
1830 10,532,060 81.9 Increase33.9% 0.3
1840 14,189,705 83.2 Increase34.7% 1.3
1850 19,553,068 84.3 Increase37.8% 0.9
1860 26,922,537 85.6 Increase37.7% 1.3
1870 33,589,377 87.1 Increase24.8% 1.5
1880 43,402,970 86.5 Increase29.2% -0.6
1890 55,101,258 87.5 Increase26.9% 1.0
1900 66,809,196 87.9 Increase21.2% 0.4
1910 81,731,957 88.9 Increase22.3% 1.0
1920 94,820,915 89.7 Increase16.0% 1.2
1930 110,286,740 89.8 (highest) Increase16.3% 0.1
1940 118,214,870 89.8 Increase7.2% 0.0
1950 134,942,028 89.5 Increase14.1% -0.3
1960 158,831,732 88.6 Increase17.7% -0.9
1970 178,119,221 87.6 Increase12.1% -1.1
1980 188,371,622 83.1 Increase5.8% -4.4
1990 199,686,070 80.3 Increase6.0% -2.8
2000 211,460,626 75.1 Increase5.9% -4.8
2010 223,553,265 72.4 Increase5.7% -2.7
2020 204,277,273 61.6 Decrease8.4% -9.8
Source: United States census bureau.[70][71][72][73][6]

The fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico as of the 2020 United States census

White Americans constitute the majority of the 332 million people living in the United States, with 71% of the population in the 2020 United States census, including 61.6% who identified as "white alone". This represented a 10.6 percentage point national white demographic decline, from a 72.4% share of the US's self-identified white alone population in 2010.[12][74]Template:NoteTag The white birth rate is below the replacement level.[75]

The largest ethnic groups (by ancestry) among White Americans were English or British, followed by Germans and Irish.[76][77] In the 1980 census 49,598,035 Americans cited that they were of English ancestry, making them 26% of the country and the largest group at the time, and in fact larger than the population of England itself.[78] Slightly more than half of these people would cite that they were of "American" ancestry on subsequent censuses and virtually everywhere that "American" ancestry predominates on the 2000 census corresponds to places where "English" predominated on the 1980 census.[19][79]

White American groups according to the census
Years Non-Hispanic Whites White Hispanics Total
# % # %
2020 191,697,647 57.84% 12,579,626 3.80% 204,277,273

Geographic distribution

File:Percent White Alone by State, 2020.gif
White alone share of population by state, according to the 2020 Census


White Americans alone (including White Hispanics) are the majority racial group in most of the United States. As of 2022, they are not the majority in Hawaii,[80] California,[81] Texas,[82] New Mexico,[83] Nevada,[84] and Maryland,[85] making up just under half of the population in the last four states. If White Hispanics are excluded, they are also a minority in Georgia.[86] They are also a minority in many American Indian reservations, parts of the South, especially areas part of the "black belt", the District of Columbia, all US territories, and in many urban areas throughout the country.

File:White Americans population pyramid in 2020.svg
White Americans (alone/single race) population pyramid in 2020
File:White Americans (of One Race) in 2020.png
White Americans of one race (or alone) in 2020 by county
File:White America (of one race) from 1960 to 2020.gif
White Americans of one race (or alone) from 1960 to 2020

However, when including multiracial Americans, those who identify as part or fully White make up the majority of the population in every state except for Hawaii,[87] along with Puerto Rico.[88]

Overall the highest concentration of those referred to as "non-Hispanic whites" by the Census Bureau are found in the Midwest, New England, the northern Rocky Mountain states, Kentucky, West Virginia, and East Tennessee.[89] The lowest concentration of whites is found in southern, mid-Atlantic, and southwestern states.[13][90][91]

White Population in all 50 states and D.C. (2020 Census)[92]
State or district[92] Total Population White alone population % White Alone White alone or in any combination population % White Alone or in Combination
Alabama 5,024,279 3,220,452 64.1% 3,458,850 68.8%
Alaska 733,391 435,392 59.4% 516,525 70.4%
Arizona 7,151,502 4,322,337 60.4% 5,271,038 73.7%
Arkansas 3,011,524 2,114,512 70.2% 2,317,826 77.0%
California 39,538,223 16,296,122 41.2% 21,597,610 54.6%
Colorado 5,773,714 4,082,927 70.7% 4,757,752 82.4%
Connecticut 3,605,944 2,395,128 66.4% 2,692,022 74.7%
Delaware 989,948 597,763 60.4% 665,198 67.2%
District of Columbia 689,545 273,194 39.6% 319,816 46.4%
Florida 21,538,187 12,422,961 57.7% 15,758,296 73.2%
Georgia 10,711,908 5,555,483 51.9% 6,212,741 58.0%
Hawaii 1,455,271 333,261 22.9% 609,215 41.9%
Idaho 1,839,106 1,510,360 82.1% 1,659,230 90.2%
Illinois 12,812,508 7,868,227 61.4% 8,934,277 69.7%
Indiana 6,785,528 5,241,795 77.2% 5,653,387 83.3%
Iowa 3,190,369 2,694,521 84.5% 2,865,585 89.8%
Kansas 2,937,880 2,222,462 75.6% 2,490,266 84.8%
Kentucky 4,505,836 3,711,254 82.4% 3,942,244 87.5%
Louisiana 4,657,757 2,657,652 57.1% 2,903,192 62.3%
Maine 1,362,359 1,237,041 90.8% 1,299,963 95.4%
Maryland 6,177,224 3,007,874 48.7% 3,421,858 55.4%
Massachusetts 7,029,917 4,896,037 69.6% 5,399,122 76.8%
Michigan 10,077,331 7,444,974 73.9% 8,044,575 79.8%
Minnesota 5,706,494 4,423,146 77.5% 4,748,348 83.2%
Mississippi 2,961,279 1,658,893 56.0% 1,759,356 59.4%
Missouri 6,154,913 4,740,335 77.0% 5,132,279 83.4%
Montana 1,084,225 916,524 84.5% 985,660 90.9%
Nebraska 1,961,504 1,538,052 78.4% 1,674,853 85.4%
Nevada 3,104,614 1,588,463 51.2% 1,981,814 63.8%
New Hampshire 1,377,529 1,216,203 88.3% 1,290,770 93.7%
New Jersey 9,288,994 5,112,280 55.0% 5,897,538 63.5%
New Mexico 2,117,522 1,078,937 51.0% 1,485,973 70.2%
New York 20,201,249 11,143,349 55.2% 12,534,037 62.0%
North Carolina 10,439,388 6,488,459 62.2% 7,128,036 68.3%
North Dakota 779,094 645,938 82.9% 685,762 88.0%
Ohio 11,799,448 9,080,688 77.0% 9,717,936 82.4%
Oklahoma 3,959,353 2,514,885 63.5% 2,991,001 75.5%
Oregon 4,237,256 3,169,096 74.8% 3,593,558 84.8%
Pennsylvania 13,002,700 9,750,687 75.0% 10,451,170 80.4%
Rhode Island 1,097,379 782,920 71.3% 860,658 78.4%
South Carolina 5,118,425 3,243,442 63.4% 3,516,966 68.7%
South Dakota 886,667 715,336 80.7% 759,608 85.7%
Tennessee 6,910,840 4,990,938 72.2% 5,379,080 77.8%
Texas 29,145,505 14,609,365 50.1% 19,528,528 67.0%
Utah 3,271,616 2,573,413 78.7% 2,839,674 86.8%
Vermont 643,077 577,751 89.8% 613,912 95.5%
Virginia 8,631,393 5,208,856 60.3% 5,848,488 67.8%
Washington 7,705,281 5,130,920 66.6% 5,912,348 76.7%
West Virginia 1,793,716 1,610,749 89.8% 1,692,816 94.4%
Wisconsin 5,893,718 4,737,545 80.4% 5,080,160 86.2%
Wyoming 576,851 488,374 84.7% 530,590 92.0%
United States[6] 331,449,281 204,277,273 61.6% 235,411,507 71.0%
White population in all 50 states (plus D.C. and Puerto Rico), as of 2022
State or territory Population

(2022 est.)

White alone (Non Hispanic)[93] White alone[94] White alone or in combination[95]
Alabama 5,074,296 64.1% 65.1% 69.8%
Alaska 733,583 57.4% 59.6% 72.6%
Arizona 7,359,197 51.8% 57.8% 76.5%
Arkansas 3,045,637 67.5% 69.1% 79.3%
California 39,029,344 33.7% 38.9% 56.6%
Colorado 5,839,926 65.0% 70.3% 84.3%
Connecticut 3,626,205 62.0% 65.0% 75.2%
Delaware 1,018,396 58.9% 59.9% 68.2%
District of Columbia 671,803 36.7% 38.4% 47.3%
Florida 22,244,824 50.8% 55.9% 73.9%
Georgia 10,912,876 49.6% 51.3% 58.7%
Hawaii 1,440,196 20.7% 22.2% 43.8%
Idaho 1,939,033 79.0% 81.9% 91.5%
Illinois 12,582,032 58.5% 61.1% 71.3%
Indiana 6,833,037 76.0% 77.5% 84.1%
Iowa 3,200,517 82.8% 84.4% 90.6%
Kansas 2,937,150 73.1% 76.3% 85.8%
Kentucky 4,512,310 82.2% 83.1% 88.8%
Louisiana 4,590,241 56.7% 57.6% 63.9%
Maine 1,385,340 90.2% 90.8% 95.9%
Maryland 6,164,660 47.1% 48.4% 55.4%
Massachusetts 6,981,974 67.0% 68.8% 77.8%
Michigan 10,034,118 72.6% 74.0% 80.7%
Minnesota 5,717,184 76.2% 77.2% 83.5%
Mississippi 2,940,057 55.3% 55.7% 59.8%
Missouri 6,177,957 76.6% 77.6% 84.6%
Montana 1,122,867 83.5% 85.1% 91.7%
Nebraska 1,967,923 75.8% 78.4% 86.8%
Nevada 3,177,772 44.4% 49.1% 65.2%
New Hampshire 1,395,231 86.6% 87.5% 93.9%
New Jersey 9,261,699 51.5% 54.1% 64.8%
New Mexico 2,113,344 34.8% 46.4% 70.8%
New York 19,677,152 52.9% 55.2% 63.4%
North Carolina 10,698,973 60.7% 62.2% 69.4%
North Dakota 779,261 82.0% 83.2% 88.2%
Ohio 11,756,058 76.1% 77.1% 83.1%
Oklahoma 4,019,800 62.6% 65.2% 78.6%
Oregon 4,240,137 71.6% 74.5% 85.8%
Pennsylvania 12,972,008 73.1% 74.4% 80.9%
Puerto Rico 3,221,789 0.6% 26.3% 60.7%
Rhode Island 1,093,734 68.2% 70.5% 80.1%
South Carolina 5,282,634 62.5% 63.6% 69.5%
South Dakota 909,824 79.9% 80.8% 86.7%
Tennessee 7,051,339 71.9% 73.0% 79.5%
Texas 30,029,572 38.9% 47.6% 70.6%
Utah 3,380,800 75.6% 79.2% 87.7%
Vermont 647,064 90.2% 90.9% 96.2%
Virginia 8,683,619 58.7% 60.2% 68.6%
Washington 7,785,786 63.5% 65.9% 77.7%
West Virginia 1,775,156 89.8% 90.3% 94.9%
Wisconsin 5,892,539 79.0% 80.4% 88.0%
Wyoming 581,381 81.4% 84.6% 92.6%

Although all large geographical areas are dominated by White Americans, much larger differences can be seen between specific parts of large cities, as well as regions within certain states, especially in the South, where many rural regions are predominantly African American, or the Southwest, where large rural areas, such as the Colorado Plateau, are predominantly populated by Native Americans.

States with the highest percentages of White Americans, either White Alone or in combination with another race as of 2020:[96]Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

  1. Vermont 95.6%
  2. Maine 95.4%
  3. West Virginia 94.4%
  4. New Hampshire 93.7%
  5. Wyoming 92.0%
  6. Montana 90.9%
  7. Idaho 90.2%
  8. Iowa 89.8%
  9. North Dakota 88.0%
  10. Kentucky 87.5%

States with the highest percentages of non-Latino/Hispanic whites, alone or in combination, as of 2020:[97]Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

  1. Maine 92.0%
  2. Vermont 91.3%
  3. New Hampshire 91.3%
  4. West Virginia 90.4%
  5. Wyoming 90.7%
  6. Idaho 90.7%
  7. Utah 88.7%
  8. Iowa 88.7%
  9. Montana 86.7%
  10. Nebraska 86.0%

Income and educational attainment

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File:Race Income.png

in 2005

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White Americans have the second highest median household income and personal income levels in the nation, by cultural background, only behind Asian Americans. The median income per household member was also the highest, since White Americans had the smallest households of any racial demographic in the nation. In 2006, the median individual income of a White American age 25 or older was $33,030, with those who were full-time employed, and of age 25 to 64, earning $34,432. Since 42% of all households had two income earners, the median household income was considerably higher than the median personal income, which was $48,554 in 2005. Jewish Americans rank first in household income, personal income, and educational attainment among White Americans.[98] In 2005, White households had a median household income of $48,977, which is 10% above the national median of $44,389. Among Cuban Americans, with 86% classified as White, those born in the US have a higher median income and educational attainment level than most other Whites.[99]

The poverty rates for White Americans are the second-lowest of any racial group, with 11% of non-Hispanic white individuals living below the poverty line, 3% lower than the national average.[100] However, due to Whites' majority status, 48% of Americans living in poverty are non-Hispanic white.[101]

White Americans' educational attainment is the second-highest in the country, after Asian Americans'. Overall, nearly one-third of White Americans had a Bachelor's degree, with the educational attainment for Whites being higher for those born outside the United States: 38% of foreign born, and 30% of native born Whites had a college degree. Both figures are above the national average of 27%.[102]

Gender income inequality was the greatest among Whites, with White men outearning White women by 48%. Census Bureau data for 2005 reveals that the median income of White females was lower than that of males of all races. In 2005, the median income for White American females was only slightly higher than that of African American females.[103]

White Americans are more likely to live in suburbs and small cities than their black counterparts.[104]

Proportion in each county

White Americans of one race or alone from 2000 to 2020

White American (of one race or alone) population as of 2000, 2010 and 2020 censuses[72][105][106]
State 2000 2010 2020 Growth
Pop. 2000 % 2000 Pop. 2010 % 2010 Pop. 2020 % 2020 % growth between 2000 and 2010
Template:Flagicon Alabama 3,162,808 71.1% 3,275,394 68.5% 3,220,452 64.1% +3.6%
Template:Flagicon Alaska 434,534 69.3% 473,576 66.7% 435,392 59.4% +9.0%
Template:Flagicon Arizona 3,873,611 75.5% 4,667,121 73.0% 4,322,337 60.4% +20.5%
Template:Flagicon Arkansas 2,138,598 80.0% 2,245,229 77.0% 2,114,512 70.2% +5.0%
Template:Flagicon California 20,170,059 59.5% 21,453,934 57.6% 16,296,122 41.2% +6.4%
Template:Flagicon Colorado 3,560,005 82.8% 4,089,202 81.3% 4,082,927 70.7% +14.9%
Template:Flagicon Connecticut 2,780,355 81.6% 2,772,410 77.6% 2,395,128 66.4% -0.3%
Template:Flagicon Delaware 584,773 74.6% 618,617 68.9% 597,763 60.4% +5.8%
Template:Flagicon District of Columbia 176,101 30.8% 231,471 38.5% 273,194 39.4% +31.4%
Template:Flagicon Florida 12,465,029 78.0% 14,109,162 75.0% 12,422,961 57.7% +13.2%
Template:Flagicon Georgia 5,327,281 65.1% 5,787,440 59.7% 5,555,483 51.9% +8.6%
Template:Flagicon Hawaii 294,102 24.3% 336,599 24.7% 333,261 22.9% +14.4%
Template:Flagicon Idaho 1,177,304 91.0% 1,396,487 89.1% 1,510,360 82.1% +18.6%
Template:Flagicon Illinois 9,125,471 73.5% 9,177,877 71.5% 7,868,227 61.4% +0.6%
Template:Flagicon Indiana 5,320,022 87.5% 5,467,906 84.3% 5,241,791 77.2% +2.8%
Template:Flagicon Iowa 2,748,640 93.9% 2,781,561 91.3% 2,694,521 84.5% +1.2%
Template:Flagicon Kansas 2,313,944 86.1% 2,391,044 83.8% 2,222,462 75.6% +3.3%
Template:Flagicon Kentucky 3,640,889 90.1% 3,809,537 87.8% 3,711,254 82.4% +4.6%
Template:Flagicon Louisiana 2,856,161 63.9% 2,836,192 62.6% 2,675,652 57.1% -0.7%
Template:Flagicon Maine 1,236,014 96.9% 1,264,971 95.2% 1,237,041 90.8% +2.3%
Template:Flagicon Maryland 3,391,308 64.0% 3,359,284 58.2% 3,007,874 48.7% -0.9%
Template:Flagicon Massachusetts 5,367,286 84.5% 5,265,236 80.4% 4,896,037 69.6% -1.9%
Template:Flagicon Michigan 7,966,053 80.2% 7,803,120 78.9% 7,444,974 73.9% -2.0%
Template:Flagicon Minnesota 4,400,282 89.4% 4,524,062 85.3% 4,423,146 77.5% +2.8%
Template:Flagicon Mississippi 1,746,099 61.4% 1,754,684 59.1% 1,658,893 56% +0.5%
Template:Flagicon Missouri 4,748,083 84.9% 4,958,770 82.8% 4,740,335 77% +4.4%
Template:Flagicon Montana 817,229 90.6% 884,961 89.4% 916,524 84.5% +8.3%
Template:Flagicon Nebraska 1,533,261 89.6% 1,572,838 86.1% 1,538,052 78.4% +2.6%
Template:Flagicon Nevada 1,501,886 75.2% 1,786,688 66.2% 1,588,463 51.2% +19.0%
Template:Flagicon New Hampshire 1,186,851 96.0% 1,236,050 92.3% 1,216,203 88.3% +4.1%
Template:Flagicon New Jersey 6,104,705 72.6% 6,029,248 68.6% 5,112,280 55% -1.2%
Template:Flagicon New Mexico 1,214,253 66.8% 1,407,876 68.4% 1,078,927 51% +15.9%
Template:Flagicon New York 12,893,689 67.9% 12,740,974 65.7% 11,143,349 55.2% -1.2%
Template:Flagicon North Carolina 5,804,656 72.1% 6,528,950 68.5% 6,448,459 62.2% +12.5%
Template:Flagicon North Dakota 593,181 92.4% 605,449 90.0% 645,938 82.9% +2.1%
Template:Flagicon Ohio 9,645,453 85.0% 9,539,437 82.7% 9,080,688 77% -1.1%
Template:Flagicon Oklahoma 2,628,434 76.2% 2,706,845 72.2% 2,514,884 63.5% +3.0%
Template:Flagicon Oregon 2,961,623 86.6% 3,204,614 83.6% 3,169,096 74.8% +8.2%
Template:Flagicon Pennsylvania 10,484,203 85.4% 10,406,288 81.9% 9,750,687 75% -0.7%
Template:Flagicon Rhode Island 891,191 85.0% 856,869 81.4% 782,920 71.3% -3.8%
Template:Flagicon South Carolina 2,695,560 67.2% 3,060,000 66.2% 3,243,442 63.4% +13.5%
Template:Flagicon South Dakota 669,404 88.7% 699,392 85.9% 715,336 80.7% +4.5%
Template:Flagicon Tennessee 4,563,310 80.2% 4,921,948 77.6% 4,990,938 72.2% +7.9%
Template:Flagicon Texas 14,799,505 71.0% 17,701,552 70.4% 14,609,365 50.1% +19.6%
Template:Flagicon Utah 1,992,975 89.2% 2,379,560 86.1% 2,573,413 78.7% +19.4%
Template:Flagicon Vermont 589,208 96.8% 596,292 95.3% 577,751 89.8% +1.2%
Template:Flagicon Virginia 5,120,110 72.3% 5,486,852 68.6% 5,208,856 60.3% +7.2%
Template:Flagicon Washington 4,821,823 81.8% 5,196,362 77.3% 5,130,920 66.6% +7.8%
Template:Flagicon West Virginia 1,718,777 95.0% 1,739,988 93.9% 1,610,749 89.8% +1.2%
Template:Flagicon Wisconsin 4,769,857 88.9% 4,902,067 86.2% 4,737,545 80.4% +2.8%
Template:Flagicon Wyoming 454,670 92.1% 511,279 90.7% 488,374 84.7% +12.4%
Template:Flagicon United States of America 211,460,626 75.1% 223,553,265 72.4% 204,277,273 61.6% +5.7%
White population by state (includes Hispanics who identify as white)[107]
State Pop. 2016 % 2016 Pop. 2017 % 2017 percentage
growth		 numeric
growth
Template:Flagicon Alabama 3,371,066 69.35% 3,374,131 69.22% -0.13% +3,065
Template:Flagicon Alaska 490,864 66.20% 486,724 65.79% -0.41% -4,140
Template:Flagicon Arizona 5,753,506 83.28% 5,827,866 83.06% -0.22% +74,360
Template:Flagicon Arkansas 2,372,843 79.41% 2,381,662 79.27% -0.14% +3,740
Template:Flagicon California 28,560,032 72.68% 28,611,160 72.37% -0.31% +51,128
Template:Flagicon Colorado 4,837,197 87.47% 4,894,372 87.29% -0.18% +57,175
Template:Flagicon Connecticut 2,891,943 80.60% 2,879,759 80.26% -0.34% -12,184
Template:Flagicon Delaware 667,076 70.02% 670,512 69.70% -0.32% +3,436
Template:Flagicon District of Columbia 305,232 44.60% 313,234 45.14% +0.54% +8,002
Template:Flagicon Florida 16,022,497 77.56% 16,247,613 77.43% -0.13% +225,116
Template:Flagicon Georgia 6,310,426 61.18% 6,341,768 60.81% -0.37% +31,342
Template:Flagicon Hawaii 370,362 25.92% 366,546 25.67% -0.25% -3,816
Template:Flagicon Idaho 1,567,868 93.32% 1,599,814 93.18% -0.2% +31,946
Template:Flagicon Illinois 9,909,184 77.20% 9,864,942 77.06% -0.14% -44,242
Template:Flagicon Indiana 5,679,252 85.61% 5,690,929 85.36% -0.25% +11,677
Template:Flagicon Iowa 2,860,136 91.35% 2,864,664 91.06% -0.29% +4,528
Template:Flagicon Kansas 2,519,340 86.64% 2,519,176 86.47% -0.17% -164
Template:Flagicon Kentucky 3,901,878 87.96% 3,908,964 87.76% -0.20% +7,086
Template:Flagicon Louisiana 2,958,471 63.13% 2,951,003 63.00% -0.13% -7,468
Template:Flagicon Maine 1,261,247 94.81% 1,264,744 94.67% -0.14% +3,497
Template:Flagicon Maryland 3,572,673 59.30% 3,568,679 58.96% -0.34% -3,994
Template:Flagicon Massachusetts 5,575,622 81.71% 5,576,725 81.29% -0.42% +1,103
Template:Flagicon Michigan 7,906,913 79.60% 7,914,418 79.44% -0.16% +7,505
Template:Flagicon Minnesota 4,687,397 84.84% 4,708,215 84.43% -0.41% +20,818
Template:Flagicon Mississippi 1,771,276 59.33% 1,766,950 59.21% -0.12% -4,326
Template:Flagicon Missouri 5,069,869 83.23% 5,080,444 83.10% -0.13% +10,575
Template:Flagicon Montana 926,475 89.20% 935,792 89.08% -0.12% +9,317
Template:Flagicon Nebraska 1,693,622 88.78% 1,700,881 88.58% -0.20% +7,259
Template:Flagicon Nevada 2,208,915 75.15% 2,235,657 74.57% -0.58% +26,742
Template:Flagicon New Hampshire 1,251,836 93.77% 1,256,807 93.59% -0.18% +4,971
Template:Flagicon New Jersey 6,499,057 72.38% 6,489,409 72.06% -0.32% -9,648
Template:Flagicon New Mexico 1,716,662 82.31% 1,715,623 82.16% -0.15% -1,039
Template:Flagicon New York 13,856,651 69.85% 13,807,127 69.56% -0.29% -49,524
Template:Flagicon North Carolina 7,212,423 71.01% 7,276,995 70.83% -0.18% +64,572
Template:Flagicon North Dakota 663,424 87.81% 661,217 87.53% -0.28% -2,207
Template:Flagicon Ohio 9,578,424 82.41% 9,579,207 82.16% -0.25% +783
Template:Flagicon Oklahoma 2,923,751 74.56% 2,921,390 74.32% -0.24% -2,361
Template:Flagicon Oregon 3,569,538 87.29% 3,607,515 87.08% -0.21% +37,977
Template:Flagicon Pennsylvania 10,525,562 82.31% 10,507,780 82.06% -0.25% -17,782
Template:Flagicon Rhode Island 892,287 84.37% 890,883 84.07% -0.30% -1,404
Template:Flagicon South Carolina 3,393,346 68.2% 3,440,141 68.47% +0.27% +46,795
Template:Flagicon South Dakota 733,199 85.10% 738,554 84.92% -0.18% +5,355
Template:Flagicon Tennessee 5,231,987 78.68% 5,276,748 78.57% -0.11% +44,761
Template:Flagicon Texas 22,166,782 79.44% 22,404,118 79.15% -0.29% +237,336
Template:Flagicon Utah 2,774,606 91.14% 2,820,387 90.93% -0.21% +45,781
Template:Flagicon Vermont 589,836 94.62% 589,163 94.47% -0.15% -673
Template:Flagicon Virginia 5,891,174 70.01% 5,904,472 69.71% -0.30% +13,298
Template:Flagicon Washington 5,820,007 79.93% 5,887,060 79.49% -0.44% +67,053
Template:Flagicon West Virginia 1,712,647 93.66% 1,699,266 93.58% -0.08% -13,381
Template:Flagicon Wisconsin 5,049,698 87.47% 5,060,891 87.32% -0.15% +11,193
Template:Flagicon Wyoming 543,224 92.87% 537,396 92.76% -0.11% -5,828
Template:Flagicon United States 248,619,303 76.87% 249,619,493 76.64% -0.23% +1,000,190
Non-Hispanic population

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Non-Hispanic white population by state[107]
State Pop. 2016 % 2016 Pop. 2017 % 2017 percentage
growth		 numeric
growth
Template:Flagicon Alabama 3,198,381 65.80% 3,196,852 65.58% -0.22% -1,529
Template:Flagicon Alaska 454,651 61.31% 449,776 60.80% -0.51% -4,875
Template:Flagicon Arizona 3,819,881 55.29% 3,849,130 54.86% -0.43% +29,249
Template:Flagicon Arkansas 2,175,521 72.80% 2,177,809 72.49% -0.31% +2,288
Template:Flagicon California 14,797,971 37.66% 14,696,754 37.17% -0.49% -101,217
Template:Flagicon Colorado 3,791,612 68.56% 3,827,750 68.26% -0.30% +36,135
Template:Flagicon Connecticut 2,428,332 67.68% 2,404,792 67.02% -0.66% -23,540
Template:Flagicon Delaware 597,728 62.74% 599,260 62.30% -0.44% +1,532
Template:Flagicon District of Columbia 249,141 36.40% 255,387 36.80% +0.40% +6,246
Template:Flagicon Florida 11,273,388 54.57% 11,343,977 54.06% -0.51% +70,589
Template:Flagicon Georgia 5,499,055 53.32% 5,507,334 52.81% -0.51% +8,279
Template:Flagicon Hawaii 317,026 22.19% 312,492 21.89% -0.30% -4,534
Template:Flagicon Idaho 1,382,934 82.32% 1,408,294 82.02% -0.30% +25,360
Template:Flagicon Illinois 7,915,013 61.65% 7,849,887 61.32% -0.33% -65,126
Template:Flagicon Indiana 5,280,029 79.59% 5,280,420 79.20% -0.39% +391
Template:Flagicon Iowa 2,696,686 86.13% 2,695,962 85.70% -0.43% -724
Template:Flagicon Kansas 2,215,920 76.21% 2,209,748 75.86% -0.35% -6,172
Template:Flagicon Kentucky 3,767,092 84.92% 3,768,891 84.61% -0.31% +1,799
Template:Flagicon Louisiana 2,760,416 58.91% 2,747,730 58.66% -0.25% -12,686
Template:Flagicon Maine 1,243,741 93.50% 1,246,478 93.30% -0.20% +2,737
Template:Flagicon Maryland 3,098,543 51.43% 3,077,907 50.86% -0.57% -20,636
Template:Flagicon Massachusetts 4,972,010 72.86% 4,953,695 72.21% -0.65% -18,315
Template:Flagicon Michigan 7,489,609 75.40% 7,488,326 75.17% -0.23% -1,283
Template:Flagicon Minnesota 4,442,684 80.41% 4,455,605 79.89% -0.52% +12,921
Template:Flagicon Mississippi 1,697,562 56.86% 1,691,566 56.69% -0.17% -5,996
Template:Flagicon Missouri 4,855,156 79.71% 4,859,227 79.48% -0.23% +4,071
Template:Flagicon Montana 897,790 86.44% 905,811 86.23% -0.21% +8,021
Template:Flagicon Nebraska 1,515,494 79.44% 1,516,962 79.00% -0.44% +1,468
Template:Flagicon Nevada 1,465,888 49.87% 1,470,855 49.06% -0.81% +4,967
Template:Flagicon New Hampshire 1,212,377 90.81% 1,215,447 90.52% -0.29% +3,070
Template:Flagicon New Jersey 5,002,866 55.72% 4,962,470 55.10% -0.62% -40,396
Template:Flagicon New Mexico 789,869 38.31% 783,064 37.50% -0.81% -6,805
Template:Flagicon New York 11,047,456 55.69% 10,972,959 55.28% -0.41% -74,497
Template:Flagicon North Carolina 6,447,852 63.48% 6,486,100 63.13% -0.35% +38,248
Template:Flagicon North Dakota 641,945 84.96% 639,029 84.59% -0.37% -2,916
Template:Flagicon Ohio 9,229,932 79.41% 9,219,577 79.08% -0.33% -10,355
Template:Flagicon Oklahoma 2,592,571 66.12% 2,581,568 65.67% -0.45% -11,003
Template:Flagicon Oregon 3,115,656 76.25% 3,139,685 75.79% -0.46% +24,029
Template:Flagicon Pennsylvania 9,841,619 76.96% 9,796,510 76.50% -0.44% -45,109
Template:Flagicon Rhode Island 773,405 73.13% 768,229 72.50% -0.63% -5,176
Template:Flagicon South Carolina 3,165,176 63.82% 3,203,045 63.75% -0.07% +37,869
Template:Flagicon South Dakota 710,509 82.47% 714,881 82.20% -0.27% +4,372
Template:Flagicon Tennessee 4,931,609 74.17% 4,963,780 73.91% -0.26% +32,171
Template:Flagicon Texas 11,862,697 42.51% 11,886,381 42.00% -0.51% +23,684
Template:Flagicon Utah 2,400,885 78.86% 2,434,785 78.49% -0.37% +33,900
Template:Flagicon Vermont 580,238 93.08% 579,149 92.86% -0.22% -1,089
Template:Flagicon Virginia 5,247,231 62.36% 5,241,262 61.88% -0.48% -5,969
Template:Flagicon Washington 5,049,817 69.36% 5,091,370 68.75% -0.61% +41,553
Template:Flagicon West Virginia 1,688,472 92.33% 1,674,557 92.22% -0.11% -13,915
Template:Flagicon Wisconsin 4,710,928 81.60% 4,713,993 81.34% -0.26% +3,065
Template:Flagicon Wyoming 492,235 84.16% 486,565 83.99% -0.17% -5,670
Template:Flagicon United States 197,834,599 61.17% 197,803,083 60.73% -0.44% -31,516

Politics

A majority of White Americans have voted for the Republican Party since the 1968 United States presidential election, with the 1964 United States presidential election being the last election when the Democratic Party won a majority of White voters.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

In 2012, 88% of Romney voters were non-Hispanic white while 56% of Obama voters were non-Hispanic white.[108] In the 2008 presidential election, John McCain won 55% of non-Hispanic white votes.[109] In the 2010 House election, Republicans won 60% of the non-Hispanic white votes.[110]

Some academics and commentators have argued that Donald Trump's presidential election victory in 2016 is an example of "White backlash".[111][112][113]

Year Candidate of
the plurality 		Political
party 		% of
Non-Hispanic White
voteScript error: No such module "Unsubst". 		Result
1980 Ronald Reagan Republican Party 56% Won
1984 Ronald Reagan Republican 66% Won
1988 George H. W. Bush Republican 59% Won
1992 George H. W. Bush Republican 40% Lost
1996 Bob Dole Republican 46% Lost
2000 George W. Bush Republican 55% Won
2004 George W. Bush Republican 58% Won
2008 John McCain Republican 55% Lost
2012 Mitt Romney Republican 59% Lost
2016 Donald Trump Republican 57% Won
2020 Donald Trump Republican 58% Lost
2024 Donald Trump Republican 57% Won

Health

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Culture

From their earliest presence in North America, White Americans have contributed literature, art, cinema, religion, agricultural skills, foods, science and technology, fashion and clothing styles, music, language, legal system, political system, and social and technological innovation to American culture. White American culture derived its earliest influences from English, German, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish settlers and is quantitatively the largest proportion of American culture.[114] The overall American culture reflects White American culture. The culture has been developing since long before the United States formed a separate country. Much of White American culture shows influences from British culture. Colonial ties to Great Britain spread the English language, legal system and other cultural attributes.[115]

Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America

File:Kennedy bros.jpg
Three members of the Kennedy political dynasty, John, Robert and Ted Kennedy. All eight of their great-grandparents emigrated from Ireland.

In his 1989 book Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America, David Hackett Fischer explores the details of the folkways of four groups of settlers from the British Isles that moved to the American colonies during the 17th and 18th centuries from distinct regions of Britain and Ireland. His thesis is that the culture of each group persisted (albeit in modified form), providing the basis for the modern United States.[116]

According to Fischer, the foundation of America's four regional cultures was formed from four mass migrations from four regions of the British Isles by four distinct ethno-cultural groups. New England's formative period occurred between 1629 and 1640 when Puritans, mostly from East Anglia, settled there, thus forming the basis for the New England regional culture.[117] The next mass migration was of southern English Cavaliers and their working class British Isles servants to the Chesapeake Bay region between 1640 and 1675. This spawned the creation of the American Southern culture.[118]

Then, between 1675 and 1725, thousands of Irish, Cornish, English and Welsh Quakers plus many Germans sympathetic to Quaker ideas, led by William Penn, settled the Delaware Valley. This resulted in the formation of the General American culture, although, according to Fischer, this is really a "regional culture", even if it does today encompass most of the US from the mid-Atlantic states to the Pacific Coast.[119] Finally, a huge number of settlers from the borderlands between England and Scotland, sometimes by way of northern Ireland, migrated to Appalachia between 1717 and 1775. This resulted in the formation of the Upland South regional culture, which has since expanded to the west to West Texas and parts of the American Southwest.[120]

In his book, Fischer brings up several points. He states that the US is not a country with one "general" culture and several "regional" cultures, as is commonly thought. Rather, there are only four regional cultures as described above, and understanding this helps one to more clearly understand American history as well as contemporary American life. Fischer asserts that it is not only important to understand where different groups came from, but when. All population groups have, at different times, their own unique set of beliefs, fears, hopes and prejudices. When different groups moved to America and brought certain beliefs and values with them, these ideas became, according to Fischer, more or less frozen in time, even if they eventually changed in their original place of origin.[121]

Admixture

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Admixture in non-Hispanic whites

File:Non-Hispanic White Americans population pyramid in 2020.svg
Population pyramid of Non-Hispanic Whites in 2020.

White Americans have a mean of 98.6% European, 0.19% sub-Saharan African, and 0.18% Native American ancestry according to a study specifically focusing on customers who took a 23andMe DNA test.[122] However, non-European ancestry in White Americans is highly variable; for example, Black ancestry (2% or greater) is found in over five percent of European Americans in Louisiana and South Carolina, and Native American ancestry (2% or greater) is found in over three percent of European Americans in Louisiana and North Dakota. African ancestry is most common in the South and least common in the Midwest; Native American ancestry is more common in Western states than Eastern states.[123]

Older studies have also been performed. DNA analysis on White Americans by geneticist Mark D. Shriver showed an average of 0.7% sub-Saharan African admixture and 3.2% Native American admixture.[124] The same author, in another study, claimed that about 30% of all White Americans, approximately 66 million people, have a median of 2.3% of Black African admixture.[125] Shriver discovered his ancestry is 10 percent African, and Shriver's partner in DNA Print Genomics, J.T. Frudacas, contradicted him two years later stating "Five percent of European Americans exhibit some detectable level of African ancestry."[126]

In a 2007 study, Gonçalves et al. reported sub-Saharan and Amerindian mtDNA lineages at a frequency of 3.1% (respectively 0.9% and 2.2%) in a sample of 1387 American Caucasians as compared to 62% in white Brazilians (respectively 29% and 33%), 98% for white Colombians (respectively 8% and 90%) and 96% for white Costa Ricans (respectively 7% and 89%).[127] A 2003 study on Y-chromosomes and mtDNA found African admixture in European Americans to be "below the limits of detection".[128]

Admixture in Hispanic whites

File:Hispanic Whites population pyramid in 2020.svg
Population pyramid of Hispanic Whites in 2020.

In contrast to non-Hispanic or Latino whites, whose average European ancestry is 98.6%,[129][130] genetic research has found much higher amounts of non-European ancestry in White Hispanics. A study from 2014 found that the average European admixture among self-identified White Hispanic and Latino Americans is 73%, while the average European admixture for Hispanic Americans overall (regardless of their self-identified race) was 65.1%. However, this study only obtained its genetic data from people who took a paid ancestry test from 23andMe, and as such may not be fully representative of the general Hispanic population in the US.[131]

Another study from 2019 focusing on Native American ancestry in the general US population, which did not differentiate Hispanics by self-identified race, found an average of around 55% European ancestry among all Hispanic Americans, compared to over 98% for self identified non-Hispanic whites, and around 20% in African-Americans.[132]

See also

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Notes

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References

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External links

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