A geographical analysis of multiethnic households in the United States

The multiethnic nature of US society is a well‐documented and recognised phenomenon. However, how people of different ethnic groups have mixed together has not been clearly described, especially the geographical variations in different types of mixing. Using the household‐level data provided by the 5% PUMS data from the 1990 Census, this paper reports the pattern of ethnic mixing at the household level in the US, and also describes the geographical patterns of different types of multiethnic households at both the state level and the PUMA level. Several of the largest metropolitan areas are also examined in greater detail. The strong dominance of whites in the process of ethnic mixing is clear, as is the expected dominance of blacks in southeastern US and the dominance of Hispanics in the southwest at the state level. The PUMA‐level analysis reveals local clusters of ethnic mixing that are not apparent at the state‐level analysis. The social distances between groups, which affect the level of racial integration, are therefore reflected in these more detailed studies. Ethnic mixes involving other smaller ethnic groups such as the Japanese and Filipinos are also identified. The most common mix within an area is usually associated with one of the largest groups in the US, but less common mixes, especially in urban areas, form ethnic kaleidoscopes, which indicate integration involving many ethnic groups. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.