Laws

Massachusetts requires the collection of disaggregated data for AANHPI communities (all state agencies) and Black communities (select agencies).

Effective January 2026, state agencies must collect demographic data on:  

1. Each major Asian group, as reported by the United States Census Bureau, including but not limited to, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese, Asian Indian, Laotian, Cambodian, Bangladeshi, Hmong, Indonesian, Malaysian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Taiwanese, Nepalese, Burmese, Tibetan, and Thai;
2. Each major Pacific Islander group, as reported by the United States Census Bureau, including but not limited to, Native Hawaiian, Guamanian, Samoan, Fijian and Tongan; 
3. Other Asian or Pacific Islander group; 
4. Each major Black or African American group, as reported by the United States Census Bureau, including but not limited to, African American, Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, Ethiopian, Cape Verdean, and Somali;
5. Each major Latino group, as reported by the United States Census Bureau, including but not limited to, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Salvadoran, Dominican and Colombian;
6. Each major White or Caucasian group, as reported by the United States Census Bureau, including but not limited to, German, Irish, English, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and French. 

Individuals may choose more than one subgroup, write in their own, or choose the aggregate category.

The law was passed as part of the 2024 state budget based on language from H.3003. The Department of Administration and Finance is required to issue regulations for implementation of the law by January 1, 2025. 

Additionally, in 2013, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health published a guide for demographic data collection, which includes more than 35 race and ethnicity categories (see page 79). The guidance is not binding, but it may be used by local health departments or other agencies. The guidance will likely be updated given the adoption of the new state law.

Bills

Data disaggregation requirements regarding race and ethnicity were introduced in prior legislative sessions before passing in 2023, including H.3115 and H.5109 from the 2021-2022 session and H.2681 from the 2019-2020 session.

A bill from the 2017-2018 legislative session (H.3361) would have required state agencies to collect data on the five largest Asian American and Pacific Islander ethnic groups residing in the commonwealth.

Other

The Massachusetts API Civic Action Network was involved in advocating for H.3115 (listed above) as well as increasing language access in locations of civic engagement (e.g., voting booths, government offices, etc.).