FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2001 Public Information Office CB01-CN.45 301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax) 301-457-1037 (TDD) Redistricting Data Office Marshall Turner and Cathy McCully 301-763-0253 or 0254 Census Bureau Delivers Puerto Rico's Census 2000 Population Totals for Legislative Redistricting; First Race and Hispanic Data The U.S. Census Bureau today delivered to Gov. Sila M. Calderon, the majority and minority leaders of the legislature and the chief justice of the commonwealth's Supreme Court the official Census 2000 Redistricting Summary File for Puerto Rico that could be used to redraw the island's electoral districts. The census data allow Puerto Rico's officials to realign the legislative districts, taking into account population shifts since the last census (in 1990) and assuring equal representation for their constituents. These data also are the first population counts for small areas and the first race and Hispanic-origin data from Census 2000. The redistricting file consists of four detailed tables: the first shows the population for each of 63 single and multiple race categories; the second shows the total Hispanic or Latino population and the population not of Hispanic or Latino origin cross-tabulated by the 63 race categories. These tabulations are repeated in the third and fourth tables for the population 18 years and over. (To access the detailed data, go to http://factfinder.census.gov). The redistricting data were not adjusted to reflect estimates of census coverage error measured in a post-census survey of about 14,000 housing units in Puerto Rico called the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation (A.C.E.) Survey. Puerto Rico's officials received summaries for the following areas: municipios (county equivalents), places, barrios and barrios-pueblos (minor civil divisions or MCDs), subbarrios (sub-MCDs), census tracts, block groups and blocks. Race and Hispanic Data As the result of revised standards for collecting data on race and ethnicity issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 1997 (see http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg/ombdir15.html), Census 2000 was the first in which the instructions for respondents said, "Mark one or more races." Census 2000 also was the first time in which the Puerto Rico questionnaire content was the same as that used in the United States and in which data on Hispanic or Latino origin were collected. Data on race were last previously collected in the decennial census in Puerto Rico in 1950. Respondents who reported only one race are shown in six groups: the five groups identified in the OMB standard (White; Black or African American; American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander) and a "Some other race" category. Respondents who selected more than one of the six race groups are included in the "Two or more races" population. There are more than 50 possible combinations of the six race groups. The Census Bureau included the "Some other race" category for responses that could not be classified in any of the race categories on the questionnaire. Data on Hispanics or Latinos, who may be of any race, were obtained from a separate question on ethnicity. How to Find Assistance Additional information about the redistricting program, including news releases for all the U.S. states, may be found on the Internet at http://www.census.gov/clo/www/redistricting.html. Besides being able to access the detailed tables on the Internet, users may also purchase them from the Census Bureau on CD-ROM and later on DVD. (The six custom tables attached to this news release are available only as part of the Puerto Rico news release.) For further information about Puerto Rico's Census 2000 redistricting data,contact: Customer Services Center, U.S. Census Bureau, 301-763-INFO(4636); e-mail: webmaster@census.gov; Redistricting Data Office, U.S. Census Bureau, 301-763-0253 or 0254; e-mail: rdo@census.gov; Census Bureau Regional Office, Boston, 617-424-0510; e-mail: Boston.Regional.Office@census.gov; Puerto Rico State Data Center, 787-728-4430; e-mail: torres_1@p.prstar.net. Description of Six Custom Tables As shown in the first of six custom tables attached to this news release (Table 1), the population who reported one race added to the population who reported two or more races equals the total population. All combinations of two races are shown separately in Table 2. Three examples of combinations are: White and Black or African American, White and Asian, and Black or African American and Asian. Table 3 shows the total number of people who selected a particular race group whether or not they reported any other race. For example, the Asian "alone or in combination" population consists of respondents who reported as Asian alone or as Asian in combination with any of the other five race groups. The same approach applies to each of the other five race groups. People who reported more than one race are included in more than one of the groups. For example, respondents who indicated White and Black or African American are included both in the White alone or in combination population and in the Black or African American alone or in combination population. Therefore, the total of these six groups adds to more than the total population because some individuals reported more than one race. Table 4 was designed to show differences in the population by race and Hispanic origin between 1990 and 2000. Because Puerto Rico did not collect data on these subjects in 1990, there is no Table 4 for Puerto Rico. A note explains why this table is not available. In addition to the custom tables showing data by race and Hispanic or Latino origin for the commonwealth, this news release includes two tables showing data for selected municipios and places in Puerto Rico. Table 5 shows data by race and Hispanic or Latino origin for 2000. Table 6 shows the total population for 1990 and 2000, as well as the change in population from 1990 to 2000.
-X-
