The Census Has Revealed A More Multiracial U.S. One Reason? Cheaper DNA Tests

|

August 28th, 2021

A reporter examines a 23andMe Inc. DNA genetic testing kit in Oakland, California, U.S., on Friday, June 8, 2018. The direct-to-consumer genetic-testing industry has grown from some $15 million in sales in 2010 to more than $99 million in 2017, and is projected to reach $310 million by 2022, according to one industry estimate. Photographer: Cayce Clifford/Bloomberg via … Continued

Cayce Clifford / Bloomberg via Getty Images

For about 1 in 10 people counted for last year’s U.S. census, a single check box was not enough to report their racial identities.

Their multifaceted responses to the race question for the 2020 head count helped produce the data released this month for redrawing voting maps, enforcing civil rights laws and guiding federal funds to local communities.

Now, demographers and other researchers are trying to figure out what caused the number of people who identified with more than one racial group to jump over the past decade by an eye-popping 276%.

Related

Top Stories