Yes, Sikhs were counted as a distinct detailed group in the 2020 Census. The U.S. Census Bureau made considerable updates to the race and ethnicity code list for the 2020 Census based on extensive research and outreach over the past decade. “Sikh” was included as a distinct detailed population group within the “Asian” racial category, and not classified as “Asian Indian” as it was in the 2010 Census when it was viewed as a religious response.  

The Census Bureau included “Sikh” as a unique code in the 2020 Census code list (see technical documentation, Appendix F). The inclusion of “Sikh” as a unique code in the 2020 Census code list means that data for the Sikh population are eligible for tabulation in the 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A (Detailed DHC-A) and Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B (Detailed DHC-B). 

Hundreds of new codes were added to the 2020 Census code list to reflect the ways that people self-identify. Examples of other newly coded groups include Russian, Jordanian, and Ghanaian. These detailed data were collected through a write-in option on the 2020 Census race question. The Census Bureau follows U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards for classifying data on race and ethnicity.