Data by Race and/or by Ethnicity
Data by Race
The Population MICA provides population estimates for Whites, African-Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, and Asians/Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders. The Missouri state and county level population numbers provided here use estimates developed by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in collaboration with the US Census Bureau. The NCHS estimates use the bridged-race methodology. The bridged-race algorithm transforms population estimates based on 31 race categories into estimates based on only the four race groups referenced above.
In MICAs which use population as the denominator for calculating rates, counts by race are available for all geographies. Rates by race are available for the state, all 115 counties and all the county-based regional geographic categories, which include the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), Local Public Health Agency (LPHA), and Regional Planning Commission (RPC) areas. Rates by race are also available for the city of Kansas City. Rates by race are not available for the cities of Independence, Joplin or Eastern Jackson County or for ZIP code and census tract geographies. Rates by race can only be viewed using the Basic Race option in the Choose Your Data section of the query page. The Basic Race option provides data for Whites, African-Americans, and the total population.
The Expanded Race option provides counts only for Whites, African-Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asians/Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, Some Other Races, and records with Data Unavailable. Rates are not available through the Expanded Race option.
The MICAs that use population as the denominator are: Cancer Incidence MICA, Chronic Disease Death MICA, Chronic Disease Emergency Room MICA, Chronic Disease Inpatient Hospitalization MICA, Death MICA, Emergency Room MICA, Fertility and Pregnancy Rate MICA, Injury MICA, Inpatient Hospitalization MICA, Preventable Hospitalization MICA, and Procedures MICA.
In MICAs which do not use population as the denominator for rate calculations, rates by race are available for all available geographies using both the Basic Race and the Expanded Race options. These MICAs include the Birth MICA, Pregnancy MICA, and all five WIC MICAs.
All data by race which uses Missouri Vital Statistics birth or death data uses the bridged-race methodology. Through 2009, the Missouri Vital Statistics system allowed for reporting of only one race. For data from 2010 to the present, the selection of multiple races is allowed. The bridged-race algorithm transforms the multiple race selections to one that allows for only one race. The single race groups are then combined into the four race groups referenced in the first paragraph. This adjustment is made to the following MICAs: Birth MICA, Pregnancy MICA, Fertility and Pregnancy Rate MICA and Death MICA. In addition, there are vital statistics indicators on several Profiles that use this methodology.
Race in Community Data Profiles
The Community Data Profiles tool has a race option for displaying a table with counts and rates for the White and African-American populations. The race option only displays for counties with substantial African-American populations. Race tabs on Profiles are currently available for the state of Missouri and the following counties/cities: Boone County, Buchanan County, Cape Girardeau County, Cass County, Clay County, Cole County, Dunklin County, Greene County, Jackson County, Jasper County, Mississippi County, New Madrid County, Pemiscot County, Platte County, Pulaski County, St. Charles County, St. Louis County, St. Louis City, Scott County and Kansas City.
One exception is the Minority Health Profile, which shows race counts for all geographies and counts and rates for the geographies listed above.
Data by Ethnicity
The Population MICA provides population estimates for Hispanics or Latinos and Non-Hispanics or Latinos for the state, each of the 115 counties, and for the county-based regional geographic groups. No population data by ethnicity is available for the city geographies, ZIP codes or census tracts.
In Missouri, Hispanic origin is underreported on Missouri death certificates and on inpatient hospitalization and emergency room visit records; therefore, data by ethnicity should be used with caution. Due to the unreliability of data by ethnicity in the PAS and Vital Statistics Death datasets, rates by ethnicity are provided only for Missouri statewide. These MICAs are: Chronic Disease Death MICA, Chronic Disease Emergency Room MICA, Chronic Disease Inpatient Hospitalization MICA, Death MICA, Emergency Room MICA, Injury MICA, Inpatient Hospitalization MICA, Preventable Hospitalizations MICA, Fertility and Pregnancy Rate MICA and Procedures MICA. Counts by ethnicity are available for all geographies available in these MICAs.
Hispanic origin is reported more reliably on Missouri birth certificates and in Missouri WIC Program records. Both counts and rates by ethnicity are available in the Birth MICA, Pregnancy MICA and the five WIC MICAs.
Data by ethnicity are not available at any level of geography in the Cancer Incidence MICA, the Medicaid MICA, or the TANF MICA.