To analyze race and hispanic origin population groups the Census Bureau cross tabulates the totals for these groups with other characteristics and reports them on the Summary Files. For analysis that requires cross tabulations not on the Summary Files, users must use the microdata files to do their own analysis.
Reporting Cross Tabulations Based on Basic Race and Hispanic Origin
- Cross Tabulations between Race and Hispanic Origin
- On Summary File 1
- Hispanic/not-hispanic counts are cross tabulated with the six basic race categories for those who reported one race and with a single total for those reporting two or more races.
- Hispanic/not-hispanic counts are cross tabulated with the six basic race categories for those who reported that basic category alone or in combination with other categories.
- Not Hispanic counts are cross tabulated with all 57 combinations of basic race.
- On Summary File 3
- Hispanic/not-hispanic counts are cross tabulated with the six basic categories for those who reported one race and with the one total for those reporting two or more races.
- On Summary File 2 and Summary File 4
- Not Hispanic counts are cross tabulated with all 57 combinations of basic race.
- On Summary File 1
- Cross Tabulations with Other Characteristics
Summary File 1 (SF1) and Summary File 2 (SF2) report only those characteristics that were captured on the short form questionnaire. In addition to race and hispanic origin, these are: age, sex, and household relationship (families, group quarters). Summary File 3 (SF3) and Summary File 4 (SF4) report the wide range of socio-demographic characteristics that are reported on the long form.
There are two techniques for reporting cross tabulations: one used on SF1 and SF3 and the other used on SF2 and SF4. See below for an outline of how race and Hispanic origin totals appear on the Summary Files.
- On Summary File 1 and Summary File 3
- six basic race categories for those reporting one race,
- those reporting two or more races,
- hispanic,
- white alone - not hispanic.
- On Summary File 2 and Summary File 4
- totals in the six basic categories for those who reported one race with a single total for those reporting two or more races,
- totals in the six basic categories for those who reported that basic category alone or in combination with other categories,
- all combinations of the basic race categories (57 combinations),
- totals for total hispanic/not hispanic.
- On Summary File 1 and Summary File 3
Reporting Cross Tabulations Based on Detailed Race and Hispanic
- Cross Tabulations between Race and Hispanic Origin Detailed
Categories
No cross tabulations are done among detailed race and detailed hispanic origin categories. - Cross Tabulations With Other Characteristics
- On Summary File 2 and Summary File 4
The SF1 tables for characteristics like age, household, family, etc., and those socio-demographic characteristics from the long form that appear on SF4 are reported for the following race/hispanic origin categories:- totals in the detailed categories for those who reported that race alone,
- totals in the detailed categories for those who reported that detailed category alone or in combination with other categories.
- totals for totals detailed hispanic categories.
- On Summary File 2 and Summary File 4
How Race and Hispanic Origin Totals appear on the Summary Files
- On Summary File 1 and Summary File 3
The population totals for race and hispanic origin are presented as different tables within the files; for example table P3 Race, is all combinations of race while P7 Race (total population) is the totals for those who reported one race with a single count for all those with more than one race.
When other characteristics are cross tabulated by race, the tables about that characteristic all have the same number, but a letter is added for the race breakdowns; for example, P12 Sex by age (total population), P12A Sex by age (White alone).
Tip! When using the American FactFinder interface to get information about a detailed race or hispanic group (eg. Mexican or Japanese) on Summary File 1, do a keyword search for the group you are looking for and you will get a list of all the tables that reference it. - On Summary File 2 and Summary File 4
The list of available data tables does not reference race and hispanic origin. Rather than repeating subject tables for all race/hispanic origin groups, selecting race and hispanic origin population groups is done in a step that is separate from choosing the data tables. With American Fact Finder this additional step is the last one before the table displays. With the Allocate extraction interface it is the first decision you make.

