In the United States, and particularly in the Southwest, Anglo, short for Anglo-American, is used to refer to non-Hispanic White Americans or non-Hispanic European Americans, most of whom speak the English language but are not necessarily of English descent. The term has been regularly used by mainstream media such as the Los Angeles Times. In the 2000 Census, 24.5 million Americans (8.7%) reported English ancestry.^[4] The figure is self-reported and is likely far higher in reality since partial English ancestry is common among Americans who, accordingly, tend to emphasize the more distinctive aspects of their heritage to census takers^{[citation needed]}.

Anglo can simply refer to English-speaking population or media. The term is also used as a technically incorrect synonym for "White". Non-hispanic Whites constitute 66% of the total population. Also, Anglo is usually found in contrast with Jewish, even though most non-Anglo people do not see this contrast.^{[citation needed]}

Most non-Hispanics in the United States who speak English but are not of English ancestry generally do not identify themselves as "Anglo" and some of them find the term offensive. For instance, some Cajuns in south Louisiana use the term to refer to area whites who do not have Francophone backgrounds. Irish Americans, the second largest ethnic goup in the United States following German-Americans, also often take umbrage at being called "Anglo."^[5] Additionally, other white ethnic groups who do not identify as having English ancestry such as Italian Americans, Greek Americans, Jewish Americans, Russian Americans, Polish Americans, and Middle Eastern Americans tend not to identify themselves as Anglo. Americans of English descent may also be offended at being labeled "Anglo" (as opposed to Anglo-American or Anglo-Saxon).