Many more Georgia residents call themselves mixed race

ATLANTA – The 2010 Census found that one out of 50 Georgians described themselves as mixed-race, a notable increase from 2000.

Georgia was one of nine states where the number of residents who claimed at least two races increased by at least 70 percent between the last two national population counts.

The U.S. Census Bureau detailed the findings Thursday.

In 2010, 207,489 Georgia residents claimed multiple races. That's an 82 percent increase over the 114,188 in 2000. The 2010 group was 2.1 percent of Georgia's total population. It was 1.4 percent in 2000.

The 2010 census included six race categories.

Georgia's mixed-race growth far outpaced the national figures.

More than 9 million Americans claimed at least two races in 2010. That was up about a third from the 6.8 million in 2000.