What are the main race and ethnicity categories in the United States?

The main race and ethnicity categories in the United States are White, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native. In the census, citizens indicate Latino and Hispanic origin separately from race, as people of Hispanic origin can be of any racial background.

People who tick more than one race are considered to be multiracial. People may also write about how they identify themselves, and such people are usually categorized as "Some other race." The majority of people who write about how they identify themselves describe themselves as belonging to mixed-race communities such as the Mestizo, Mulatto and Creole communities.