The Ancestry Dot Map of America

Inspired by Census Dots the interactive racial dot map of the 2020 U.S. Census - the Ancestry Dot Map applies a similar visual language to a different, and arguably more nuanced, dataset: reported ancestry.

Like its predecessor, the Ancestry Dot Map uses colored dots scattered across the landscape of the United States. But instead of visualizing race at the individual level, each dot here represents reported ancestries, drawn from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (2024). The result is a rich, layered portrait of how Americans identify their roots - Western European, African, Asian, Native American etc - mapped geographically.

There are 100 different reported ancestries shown on the map. These are grouped by region in the map menu - just click on these regions in the menu to view and select the 100 individual countries/ancestries.

Zoom in on regions and cities on the map and you begin to see clusters emerge - regional concentrations of particular ancestries that reflect historical migration, settlement patterns, and cultural enclaves. For example zooming in on Los Angeles (screenshot above) and you can clearly see Latino neighborhoods with hardly any residents claiming Western European ancestry - and vice-versa. 

These 'segregated' neighborhoods are often more apparent when you select the two “no reported ancestry” categories - “Black, no reported ancestry” and “White, no reported ancestry”. These estimates are an attempt to account for those who either chose not to report ancestry or identify in ways not captured by standard categories.