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Title: Who Is Hmong? Questions and Evidence from the U.S. Census
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2005
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Abstract: According to the U.S. Census, the nations Hmong population grew sharply from 94,439 in 1990 to 169,428 (counting those who said their race was only Hmong) or 186,310 (counting those who said their race was Hmong or a combination of Hmong and another race) in 2000. But under closer examination, these figures raise a number of questions. Many Hmong-Americans and scholars have suggested that the Census significantly undercounted the Hmong. More fundamentally, it is difficult to determine where we should draw the line between the Hmong community and the rest of the population or, indeed, between any two ethnic communities. Our purpose here is to explore the boundaries of the Hmong community. After careful examination of detailed Census data, we have concluded that the usual criterion used to identify a person in the data as Hmong is too narrow, and that a broader, more inclusive definition more accurately delineates the Hmong ethnic group. In particular, we propose that anyone who reported in the Census that his or her race, ancestry, or language was Hmong should be included in the Hmong community. This broader definition implies that the Hmong population in 2000 might have been as large as 204,948. In this article we explain why identification of ethnic groups in the Census data can be ambiguous, review the possible sources of relevant Census evidence, and describe our methodology. Using our summary of the data, one can calculate the population estimates that would be implied by a range of alternative criteria. We believe that it would be more accurate to apply a broad definition of the Hmong community in statistical studies, but we provide the tools to make an independent judgment.
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Authors: Udalova, Victoria; Carroll, Wayne
Publisher: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Migration and Immigration, Poverty and Welfare, Race and Ethnicity
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