Glossary

A person who describes himself or herself as Mexican American, Chicano, Mexican, Mexicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central American, South American, or from some other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.

Beginning in 2003, BJS implemented methodological changes to reflect new guidelines from OMB for the collection and reporting of race and ethnicity data in government surveys. This caused changes to the “Other” race category. Prior to 2003, the “Other” race category included American Indian/Aleut Eskimo, Asian/Pacific Islander, and other races. Since 2003, the “Other” race category has included American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, other races, and two or more races. For the National Crime Victimization Survey, respondents may self-identify with one or more racial categories. Also see User’s Guide section on Collection and Reporting of Race and Ethnicity Data.

Race

Racial categories are defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

In general, the N-DASH uses this coding for race:

• White
• Black
• Other

Hispanic Ethnicity

A classification based on Hispanic culture and origin, without considering race.

Race/Hispanic ethnicity

Race and Hispanic ethnicity are combined into one variable in this platform, using the following categories for Custom Graphics:

• White (non-Hispanic)
• Black (non-Hispanic)
• Other (non-Hispanic and American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander; or persons of two or more races)
• Hispanic

Race and Hispanic ethnicity are combined into one variable in this platform, using the following categories for Quick Graphics:

• White (non-Hispanic)
• Black (non-Hispanic)
• Asian (non-Hispanic)
• Other (non-Hispanic and American Indian or Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander; or persons of two or more races)
• Hispanic