Census Studies New Options for Race, Ethnicity; Current 'Hispanic' Choice May Hold Down the Count

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Byline: Cory Brown, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

With increasing numbers of Americans deciding they don't fit into any of the five government-defined categories of race offered in the 2010 national head count, officials at the Census Bureau say they are considering major changes to survey questions on race and ethnicity for the upcoming 2020 census.

Officials said Wednesday that they hoped the changes would increase response rates in minority populations, with particular attention to the growing U.S. Hispanic community. Hispanic on the 2010 census was defined as an ethnic category, not a race, leading some 18 million Hispanics - more than a third of the total U.S. Latino …