2030 U.S. Census

What is going on with the 2030 Census?

Planning for the 2030 Census is underway.  The United States Office of the Chief Statistician formally announced a proposal, which included "[a]dding a response category for Middle Eastern and North African, separate and distinct from the 'White' category[.]"  On March 28, 2024, the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued updated standards which included "[a]dding Middle Eastern or North African as a new minimum category."

Who will be included in the proposed MENA category?

Each census respondent will make the personal determination as to whether to self-identify under the MENA category.  For guidance, the OMB is currently planning to offer the following details in the MENA category:

"Middle Eastern or North African:  Lebanese, Iranian, Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi, Israeli, Another group (for example, Moroccan, Yemeni, Kurdish, etc.)"

How is the U.S. Census connected to the California Judiciary?

California Government Code section 12011.5, subdivision (n), requires the Governor's Office to collect, on an aggregate statewide basis, demographic data relative to ethnicity and race of judicial applicants and appointments.  

That provision instructs that "[t]he State Bar and the Administrative Office of the Courts shall use the following ethnic and racial categories: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, White, some other race, and more than one race, as those categories are defined by the United States Census Bureau for the 2010 Census for reporting purposes."  (Gov. Code, § 12011.5, subd. (n)(4).)  Presently, the category "White or Caucasian" includes persons having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.  

When the 2030 Census modifies its categories, this would give reason to amend the Government Code so that the Governor's Office, the State Bar, and the Administrative Office of the Courts could use the new updated categories, including the MENA category.

What is MENA JOC's view of the proposal?

MENA JOC supports the addition of a MENA category to the U.S. Census.  The MENA community currently lacks meaningful federal or state data both as a group and for individual subsets of the broader MENA category.  This has real-world effects on the representation and rights of MENA persons throughout California, as well as MENA persons' access to justice.  The MENA community is a significant minority population that continues to be underrepresented due to this lack of data.  By and large, MENA persons do not see themselves accurately reflected in the U.S. Census, which shapes both federal and local community engagement, anti-discrimination efforts, and funding allocation.  MENA persons have long histories of refugeehood and racialization, as well as legal, educational, workplace, economic, and linguistic marginalization.  Accurate data collection is a first step to ensure that our laws and policies equitably address the needs and experiences of MENA persons living in California.

Isn't there a California legislative proposal regarding the collection of demographic data for MENA persons?

Yes, it's AB 2763.  For more information and updates on that, please go to our News & Events page.