Race and Ethnicity: This report uses data from the 2014 Panel Survey on Income and Program Participation (SIPP). There are two variables that identify race and ethnicity in the SIPP: race, that groups individuals into the categories “White alone”, “Black alone”, “Asian alone” and “Residual”, with the residual containing those considering themselves to be mixed race as well as other racial or ethnic minorities; and origin, that identifies “Spanish, Hispanic or Latino” individuals.
In line with the Census Bureau convention, the report uses the following classification scheme for race and ethnicity.
White, not Spanish, Hispanic or Latino. Individuals who identify their race as ”White alone” and do not indicate being “Spanish, Hispanic or Latino”. Non-Latino white is used throughout the report.
African American. Individuals who identify their race as “Black alone” irrespective of whether they indicate being “Spanish, Hispanic or Latino”. That is, both Latino and non-Latino individuals belong to this category.
Latino. Individuals who identify their race as “White alone” and indicate being “Spanish, Hispanic or Latino”.
Asian. Individuals who identify their race as “Asian alone” irrespective of whether they indicate being “Spanish, Hispanic or Latino”. That is, both Latino and non-Latino individuals belong to this category.
Other. Individuals who identify their race as “Residual” irrespective of whether they indicate being “Spanish, Hispanic or Latino”. That is, both Latino and non-Latino individuals belong to this category. The “Residual” race category includes “American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN)”, “Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander”, “White‑Black”, “White‑AIAN”, “White‑Asian”, “Black-Asian”, and “Other two or more races” as detailed answer categories.
The above definitions subsume individuals identifying as either African American or Asian and “Spanish, Hispanic or Latino” under the Black and Asian racial categories. This classification is largely pragmatic, as Black/Asian “Spanish, Hispanic or Latino” represent only a very minor part of the sample (only 5.5% of African Americans and 3.1% of Asian Americans are also of Spanish, Hispanic or Latino origin) and statistics on these groups cannot be displayed because of sample constraints.