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Ancestry refers to the lineage or descent of a person, family, or group, tracing back through generations to identify their origins, heritage, and familial connections. It encompasses the genetic, cultural, and historical ties that link individuals to their forebears, shaping their identity and sense of belonging. Ancestry is a multifaceted concept, intertwining biology, genealogy, history, and culture, and it plays a significant role in how people understand themselves and their place in the world.

At its core, ancestry is rooted in genetics. Each individual inherits a unique combination of DNA from their parents, who in turn inherited their DNA from their own ancestors. This genetic material carries information about physical traits, predispositions to certain health conditions, and even behavioral tendencies. Advances in genetic testing, such as DNA analysis, have made it possible for individuals to trace their biological ancestry with remarkable precision. Companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA offer services that analyze genetic markers to provide insights into a person's ethnic composition and geographic origins, often revealing surprising connections to distant relatives or previously unknown heritage.

Beyond genetics, ancestry is deeply tied to genealogy, the study of family history and lineage. Genealogical research involves constructing family trees, documenting relationships, and uncovering historical records such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, census data, and immigration documents. This process often reveals stories of migration, resilience, and adaptation, offering a window into the lives of ancestors and the challenges they faced. For many, genealogy is a way to honor their forebears and preserve their legacy for future generations.

Cultural ancestry is another critical dimension, encompassing the traditions, languages, customs, and values passed down through generations. It connects individuals to their ethnic or national heritage, shaping their cultural identity and worldview. For example, someone with Irish ancestry might celebrate St. Patrick's Day, learn traditional Irish dance, or explore the Gaelic language, while someone with Japanese ancestry might practice tea ceremonies, study calligraphy, or observe Obon festivals. Cultural ancestry fosters a sense of continuity and belonging, linking individuals to a broader community with shared experiences and values.

Historical ancestry delves into the broader context of a family's or group's past, including significant events, social conditions, and historical movements that shaped their lives. For instance, the transatlantic slave trade, the Irish Potato Famine, or the Jewish diaspora have profoundly influenced the ancestry of millions of people, leaving lasting imprints on their descendants' identities. Understanding historical ancestry often involves grappling with complex narratives of triumph and tragedy, resilience and oppression, and the interplay of individual and collective experiences.

Ancestry also has a deeply personal and emotional dimension. For many, exploring their ancestry is a journey of self-discovery, offering insights into who they are and where they come from. It can foster a sense of pride, connection, and continuity, as well as a deeper appreciation for the struggles and achievements of those who came before. At the same time, it can raise questions about identity, belonging, and the complexities of heritage, particularly for individuals with mixed or multicultural backgrounds.

In a globalized world, ancestry serves as a bridge between the past and the present, connecting individuals to their roots while also highlighting the interconnectedness of human history. It underscores the diversity and richness of human experience, reminding us that every person's story is part of a larger tapestry woven over centuries. Whether through genetic testing, genealogical research, cultural practices, or historical exploration, ancestry offers a profound way to understand ourselves and our place in the world.

A diversification score measures the diversity of ancestries in the county. As the value appoaches 100, ancestry diversity decreases and therefore increasing the risk of a lack of cultural diversity. The ancestry diversification score for this county is:

Most common ancestry not including "Unknown" is:

Ancestry Report Part I
Description	Total Population	American	Native American	Hawaiian	Caribbean (Latino)	Mexican	Central American	South American	Other Hispanic	African American	Sub- Saharan	Caribbean (Black)

Ada County	543,697	22,186	2,401	1,228	3,088	39,297	1,834	3,085	2,934	3,822	2,684	880
Idaho (in 000's)	2,025	95	20	4	9	224	9	9	14	9	4	2
National (in 000's)	343,251	13,890	2,213	626	11,327	38,879	6,181	4,644	3,687	25,893	7,852	7,174
Canyon County	273,755	10,508	1,341	681	1,474	60,621	3,219	1,489	2,955	1,133	389	209
Elmore County	29,708	1,221	221	91	381	4,338	207	125	285	552	106	99
Gem County	22,096	1,724	146	21	25	1,685	47	218	76	15	5	19
Owyhee County	12,749	657	379	8	64	2,844	24	54	108	38	1	2
Boise County	8,537	525	73	5	15	281	22	53	17	10	1	8

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Ada County	10.25	4.08	0.44	0.23	0.57	7.23	0.34	0.57	0.54	0.70	0.49	0.16
Idaho	11.20	4.69	0.97	0.18	0.47	11.05	0.45	0.46	0.71	0.42	0.22	0.09
National	7.83	4.05	0.64	0.18	3.30	11.33	1.80	1.35	1.07	7.54	2.29	2.09
Canyon County	13.56	3.84	0.49	0.25	0.54	22.14	1.18	0.54	1.08	0.41	0.14	0.08
Elmore County	10.89	4.11	0.74	0.31	1.28	14.60	0.70	0.42	0.96	1.86	0.36	0.33
Gem County	11.08	7.80	0.66	0.10	0.11	7.63	0.21	0.99	0.34	0.07	0.02	0.09
Owyhee County	14.35	5.15	2.97	0.06	0.50	22.31	0.19	0.42	0.85	0.30	0.01	0.02
Boise County	13.08	6.15	0.86	0.06	0.18	3.29	0.26	0.62	0.20	0.12	0.01	0.09

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Ada County		86.96	45.66	127.74	121.51	65.41	74.43	122.88	75.66	166.15	228.42	171.76
Idaho		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		86.24	66.67	103.21	706.02	102.50	397.33	292.99	150.59	1,782.92	1,058.46	2,218.04
Canyon County		81.80	50.65	140.70	115.20	200.40	259.44	117.79	151.34	97.82	65.75	81.02
Elmore County		87.58	76.91	173.25	274.39	132.15	153.74	91.12	134.50	439.16	165.10	353.64
Gem County		166.27	68.32	53.75	24.21	69.01	46.93	213.66	48.22	16.04	10.47	91.25
Owyhee County		109.82	307.36	35.49	107.40	201.88	41.54	91.73	118.77	70.45	3.63	16.65
Boise County		131.05	88.41	33.13	37.59	29.79	56.86	134.44	27.92	27.69	5.42	99.45

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Ada County		100.84	68.49	123.77	17.21	63.81	18.73	41.94	50.24	9.32	21.58	7.74
Idaho		115.96	150.00	96.89	14.16	97.56	25.17	34.13	66.41	5.61	9.45	4.51
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Canyon County		94.86	75.97	136.32	16.32	195.51	65.30	40.20	100.50	5.49	6.21	3.65
Elmore County		101.57	115.37	167.86	38.86	128.92	38.69	31.10	89.32	24.63	15.60	15.94
Gem County		192.81	102.48	52.08	3.43	67.33	11.81	72.92	32.02	0.90	0.99	4.11
Owyhee County		127.35	461.05	34.39	15.21	196.95	10.45	31.31	78.87	3.95	0.34	0.75
Boise County		151.97	132.62	32.10	5.32	29.06	14.31	45.89	18.54	1.55	0.51	4.48

Ancestry Report Part II
Description	Total Population	Canadian	British	Dutch	French	German	Italian	Polish	Scandinavian	Scotish/ Irish	Spanish	Other European

Ada County	543,697	3,241	69,820	5,327	10,629	58,517	12,557	4,752	27,751	46,355	3,949	25,025
Idaho (in 000's)	2,025	9	251	18	29	204	36	13	103	148	12	71
National (in 000's)	343,251	1,350	18,069	1,828	3,642	24,708	9,027	4,667	5,969	20,625	1,140	9,563
Canyon County	273,755	574	23,612	2,001	3,194	21,237	2,931	1,162	8,762	14,964	1,426	7,870
Elmore County	29,708	72	2,491	309	517	2,693	561	201	1,090	1,907	137	788
Gem County	22,096	93	2,024	197	496	2,668	346	211	1,227	2,077	27	1,055
Owyhee County	12,749	4	944	127	242	868	62	47	391	680	25	209
Boise County	8,537	57	1,049	150	153	1,195	116	61	372	930	7	263

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Ada County	10.25	0.60	12.84	0.98	1.95	10.76	2.31	0.87	5.10	8.53	0.73	4.60
Idaho	11.20	0.45	12.41	0.89	1.41	10.07	1.76	0.63	5.07	7.29	0.59	3.53
National	7.83	0.39	5.26	0.53	1.06	7.20	2.63	1.36	1.74	6.01	0.33	2.79
Canyon County	13.56	0.21	8.63	0.73	1.17	7.76	1.07	0.42	3.20	5.47	0.52	2.87
Elmore County	10.89	0.24	8.38	1.04	1.74	9.06	1.89	0.68	3.67	6.42	0.46	2.65
Gem County	11.08	0.42	9.16	0.89	2.24	12.07	1.57	0.95	5.55	9.40	0.12	4.77
Owyhee County	14.35	0.03	7.40	1.00	1.90	6.81	0.49	0.37	3.07	5.33	0.20	1.64
Boise County	13.08	0.67	12.29	1.76	1.79	14.00	1.36	0.71	4.36	10.89	0.08	3.08

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Ada County		131.12	103.50	110.17	138.28	106.88	131.37	137.84	100.60	116.88	123.30	130.37
Idaho		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		86.52	42.43	59.88	75.05	71.48	149.60	214.42	34.27	82.37	56.39	78.91
Canyon County		46.12	69.52	82.19	82.53	77.04	60.90	66.94	63.09	74.93	88.42	81.42
Elmore County		53.31	67.58	116.95	123.10	90.02	107.41	106.70	72.32	88.00	78.28	75.13
Gem County		92.58	73.83	100.25	158.78	119.91	89.07	150.60	109.45	128.86	20.74	135.23
Owyhee County		6.90	59.68	112.01	134.27	67.61	27.66	58.14	60.45	73.12	33.29	46.43
Boise County		146.87	99.04	197.56	126.77	139.00	77.29	112.69	85.89	149.34	13.92	87.26

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Ada County		151.55	243.95	183.98	184.26	149.52	87.82	64.28	293.54	141.89	218.65	165.20
Idaho		115.58	235.70	167.00	133.25	139.90	66.85	46.64	291.77	121.40	177.34	126.72
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Canyon County		53.31	163.85	137.25	109.97	107.77	40.71	31.22	184.07	90.97	156.81	103.18
Elmore County		61.62	159.29	195.31	164.03	125.93	71.80	49.76	211.00	106.83	138.82	95.20
Gem County		107.00	174.01	167.41	211.58	167.74	59.54	70.24	319.35	156.44	36.78	171.37
Owyhee County		7.98	140.66	187.05	178.91	94.58	18.49	27.12	176.38	88.77	59.03	58.84
Boise County		169.75	233.43	329.93	168.92	194.46	51.67	52.55	250.60	181.30	24.68	110.57

Ancestry Report Part III
Description	Total Population	Chinese	Filipino	Japanese	Korean	Vietnamese	South Central Asian	South East Asian	Other Asian	Middle Eastern	Other Ancestry	Unknown

Ada County	543,697	2,723	1,646	1,470	1,664	1,307	2,794	1,703	1,081	3,082	68,820	106,045
Idaho (in 000's)	2,025	5	4	3	3	2	4	3	3	5	282	418
National (in 000's)	343,251	4,461	3,010	793	1,541	1,913	5,452	1,643	1,229	1,931	47,322	51,000
Canyon County	273,755	418	481	349	209	233	169	246	165	287	48,380	51,066
Elmore County	29,708	187	348	44	45	0	8	102	50	17	5,095	5,420
Gem County	22,096	2	27	19	0	15	0	5	10	4	3,244	4,368
Owyhee County	12,749	3	2	5	2	0	0	1	16	6	2,667	2,269
Boise County	8,537	0	22	61	0	0	0	0	6	8	921	2,156

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Ada County	10.25	0.50	0.30	0.27	0.31	0.24	0.51	0.31	0.20	0.57	12.66	19.50
Idaho	11.20	0.25	0.19	0.16	0.13	0.10	0.22	0.16	0.12	0.26	13.95	20.62
National	7.83	1.30	0.88	0.23	0.45	0.56	1.59	0.48	0.36	0.56	13.79	14.86
Canyon County	13.56	0.15	0.18	0.13	0.08	0.09	0.06	0.09	0.06	0.10	17.67	18.65
Elmore County	10.89	0.63	1.17	0.15	0.15	0.00	0.03	0.34	0.17	0.06	17.15	18.24
Gem County	11.08	0.01	0.12	0.09	0.00	0.07	0.00	0.02	0.05	0.02	14.68	19.77
Owyhee County	14.35	0.02	0.02	0.04	0.02	0.00	0.00	0.01	0.13	0.05	20.92	17.80
Boise County	13.08	0.00	0.26	0.71	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.07	0.09	10.79	25.25

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Ada County		196.49	157.10	172.15	233.32	230.36	233.41	195.93	160.26	221.92	90.76	94.57
Idaho		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		509.88	455.10	147.08	342.33	534.02	721.40	299.39	288.70	220.20	98.86	72.04
Canyon County		59.91	91.18	81.17	58.20	81.56	28.04	56.21	48.58	41.04	126.72	90.45
Elmore County		246.96	607.86	94.31	115.48	0.00	12.23	214.77	135.66	22.40	122.98	88.46
Gem County		3.55	63.41	54.75	0.00	65.05	0.00	14.15	36.48	7.09	105.27	95.85
Owyhee County		9.23	8.14	24.97	11.96	0.00	0.00	4.91	101.16	18.42	150.00	86.30
Boise County		0.00	133.73	454.97	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	56.65	36.69	77.36	122.45

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Ada County		38.54	34.52	117.05	68.16	43.14	32.35	65.44	55.51	100.78	91.81	131.27
Idaho		19.61	21.97	67.99	29.21	18.73	13.86	33.40	34.64	45.41	101.16	138.81
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Canyon County		11.75	20.03	55.19	17.00	15.27	3.89	18.77	16.83	18.64	128.19	125.55
Elmore County		48.43	133.57	64.12	33.73	0.00	1.70	71.73	46.99	10.17	124.40	122.79
Gem County		0.70	13.93	37.23	0.00	12.18	0.00	4.73	12.64	3.22	106.49	133.05
Owyhee County		1.81	1.79	16.98	3.49	0.00	0.00	1.64	35.04	8.37	151.74	119.78
Boise County		0.00	29.38	309.34	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	19.62	16.66	78.25	169.97

Sources: STI: PopStats, Circa April 2025

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