Racial representation statistics show how different racial and ethnic groups appear across public institutions, schools, and occupations. The measures below cover the 119th U.S. Congress, the federal civilian workforce in fiscal year 2021, public K–12 education in 2020–21, and employment data from the 2024 annual average. Categories and definitions vary by source, so each period and scope is identified.
Contents
- Congress
- Federal workforce
- Public K–12 teachers
- Public K–12 principals
- Management and business
- STEM and technical work
Racial representation in the 119th Congress
The 119th Congress covers 2025–2027. The counts below distinguish House and Senate membership and use the racial or ethnic group labels in the historical congressional records.
According to the Black-American Members by Congress record, the 119th Congress includes 66 Black members in the House and 5 in the Senate, or 71 Black members overall.
The Hispanic-American Representatives, Senators, Delegates, and Resident Commissioners by Congress record lists 53 Hispanic members in the House and 7 in the Senate, or 60 Hispanic members overall, in the 119th Congress.
The Asian and Pacific Islander American Representatives, Senators, Delegates, and Resident Commissioners by Congress record lists 21 Asian and Pacific Islander American members in the House and 3 in the Senate, or 24 members overall.
These are membership counts for a specific Congress, not percentages of the total U.S. population and not estimates of every racial identity represented by a member. The historical pages also use distinct group-specific records, so the categories should not be treated as a single mutually exclusive table.
Racial representation in the federal civilian workforce
The Government Accountability Office reported the following racial and ethnic composition for the federal civilian workforce in fiscal year 2021. The GAO report, “Federal Workforce: Data Reveal Minor Demographic Changes 2011–2021”, is the source for each figure in this section.
| Group or reporting category | Share of federal workforce, FY 2021 |
|---|---|
| White | 67.9% |
| Black or African American | 19.8% |
| Asian | 6.9% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 2.0% |
| More than one race | 2.8% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| Hispanic | 10% |
White employees made up 67.9% of the federal workforce, while Black or African American employees made up 19.8%. Asian employees represented 6.9%. Employees reporting more than one race represented 2.8%, American Indian or Alaska Native employees represented 2.0%, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander employees represented 0.6%.
Hispanic employees made up 10% of the federal workforce, compared with 18% of the civilian labor force. This comparison is a workforce-to-labor-force comparison for fiscal year 2021; it should not be read as a direct comparison between the racial categories in the table because Hispanic ethnicity can be reported alongside race.
Racial representation among public K–12 teachers
The National Center for Education Statistics reported the percentage distribution of public K–12 school teachers by race and ethnicity for the 2020–21 school year. The NCES teachers’ race/ethnicity table provides the figures.
| Group or reporting category | Public K–12 teachers, 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| White, non-Hispanic | 79.9% |
| Hispanic, regardless of race | 9.4% |
| Black or African American, non-Hispanic | 6.1% |
| Asian, non-Hispanic | 2.4% |
| Two or more races, non-Hispanic | 1.6% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic | 0.4% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | 0.2% |
White, non-Hispanic teachers accounted for 79.9% of public K–12 teachers in 2020–21. Hispanic teachers, regardless of race, accounted for 9.4%, and Black or African American, non-Hispanic teachers accounted for 6.1%.
The remaining reported categories were Asian, non-Hispanic teachers at 2.4%; teachers of two or more races, non-Hispanic, at 1.6%; American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic teachers at 0.4%; and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic teachers at 0.2%.
The table describes public K–12 teachers during one school year. It does not provide a trend across years, a representation measure for private schools, or a comparison with the racial and ethnic composition of students.
Racial representation among public K–12 school principals
The NCES principals’ race/ethnicity table reports public K–12 school principals for the 2020–21 school year. The distribution was 77.1% White, non-Hispanic; 10.4% Black or African American, non-Hispanic; and 9.3% Hispanic, regardless of race.
Asian, non-Hispanic principals represented 1.0% of the group. Principals of two or more races, non-Hispanic, represented 1.3%. American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic principals represented 0.6%, while Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic principals represented 0.3%.
| Group or reporting category | Public K–12 principals, 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| White, non-Hispanic | 77.1% |
| Black or African American, non-Hispanic | 10.4% |
| Hispanic, regardless of race | 9.3% |
| Asian, non-Hispanic | 1.0% |
| Two or more races, non-Hispanic | 1.3% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic | 0.6% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | 0.3% |
The teacher and principal figures describe related but different school roles. They should be compared as separate distributions rather than combined into one education workforce statistic.
Racial representation in management and business occupations
The Bureau of Labor Statistics table “Employed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity” reports 2024 annual-average employment. The figures below are occupation-specific percentages; Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category and may overlap with race categories.
Management, business, and financial operations employed 30.602 million people: 79.8% White, 9.7% Black, 7.4% Asian, and 11.8% Hispanic or Latino. Management alone employed 20.657 million people and was 81.0% White, 9.1% Black, 6.9% Asian, and 12.3% Hispanic or Latino.
| 2024 occupation | Employment | White | Black | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief executives | 1.728 million | 86.0% | 6.1% | 6.4% | 6.1% |
| General and operations managers | 1.440 million | 80.1% | 9.8% | 5.3% | 12.3% |
| Marketing managers | 513,000 | 82.6% | 4.4% | 9.0% | 10.4% |
| Sales managers | 555,000 | 87.4% | 7.8% | 3.1% | 10.2% |
| Public relations and fundraising managers | 149,000 | 88.5% | 6.5% | 3.7% | 12.3% |
| Computer and information systems managers | 732,000 | 71.9% | 6.7% | 19.5% | 8.2% |
| Financial managers | 1.445 million | 77.4% | 10.2% | 9.5% | 10.6% |
| Human resources managers | 306,000 | 78.9% | 13.1% | 5.1% | 14.8% |
Industrial production managers employed 290,000 people and were 81.1% White, 8.5% Black, 7.6% Asian, and 14.9% Hispanic or Latino. Purchasing managers employed 221,000 people and were 83.0% White, 8.0% Black, 5.5% Asian, and 8.6% Hispanic or Latino.
Management analysts employed 1.099 million people and were 77.2% White, 8.4% Black, 10.9% Asian, and 8.8% Hispanic or Latino. Accountants and auditors employed 1.778 million people and were 75.6% White, 9.8% Black, 11.8% Asian, and 11.1% Hispanic or Latino.
Racial representation in STEM and technical occupations
In 2024, computer and mathematical occupations employed 6.386 million people. The group was 64.2% White, 9.6% Black, 23.3% Asian, and 8.3% Hispanic or Latino, according to the same BLS 2024 annual-average occupation table.
| 2024 occupation | Employment | White | Black | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer systems analysts | 547,000 | 69.3% | 10.1% | 18.9% | 10.4% |
| Information security analysts | 243,000 | 74.5% | 18.1% | 5.9% | 10.3% |
| Computer programmers | 334,000 | 70.4% | 8.9% | 17.1% | 10.8% |
| Software developers | 2.077 million | 54.2% | 6.2% | 36.8% | 5.7% |
| Software quality assurance analysts and testers | 82,000 | 56.3% | 14.3% | 16.7% | 10.3% |
| Computer support specialists | 633,000 | 67.4% | 13.7% | 15.1% | 8.5% |
| Database administrators and architects | 148,000 | 65.9% | 6.8% | 26.8% | 3.4% |
| Network and computer systems administrators | 154,000 | 77.8% | 8.2% | 9.8% | 15.3% |
| Computer network architects | 139,000 | 64.6% | 14.3% | 19.5% | 8.5% |
Software developers employed 2.077 million people and had the highest Asian share among the listed computer occupations at 36.8%; the same occupation was 54.2% White, 6.2% Black, and 5.7% Hispanic or Latino. Database administrators and architects employed 148,000 people and were 65.9% White, 6.8% Black, 26.8% Asian, and 3.4% Hispanic or Latino.
Architecture and engineering occupations employed 3.552 million people in 2024. They were 76.8% White, 7.3% Black, 13.1% Asian, and 10.5% Hispanic or Latino. Electrical and electronics engineers employed 266,000 people and were 68.6% White, 5.8% Black, 24.3% Asian, and 9.2% Hispanic or Latino.
These occupation figures are 2024 annual averages, not forecasts. They describe employed people within detailed occupation groups and do not by themselves measure access to training, hiring rates, promotion rates, pay, or changes over time.