U.S. Census: More Hispanics are Listing Themselves as "White"

U.S. Census figures show unexpected growth in the country's white population.

The reason is that more Hispanics are listing themselves as white. The 2010 census changes categorized Hispanic as an ethnicity rather than a race.

The census instructed Latinos that Hispanic origin is not a racial description and asked them to select a recognized category such as white or black. As a result, the 2010 census showed a six percent increase in white Americans even though there was virtually no change in whites who are not Hispanic. Among Hispanics who identified themselves as white, almost half of them are from either Texas or California.