OBJECTIVES: The ADA/EASD guidelines suggest the management and treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can be impacted by many factors such as age, comorbidities, hypoglycemia risk, and treatment adherence.  Understanding how the T2DM disease burden differs across race/ethnic groups may aid in individualization of treatment. METHODS: Using data from the 2011 patient-reported US National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS), we characterized the T2DM population by profiling patients by race/ethnicity (White, African American [AA], Hispanic, or Other).  NHWS results were stratified, then weighted and projected to reflect the demographic composition of the total adult population (based on Census data for gender, age, race/ethnicity, and educational attainment). RESULTS: Of the total 7,828 patients with T2DM, 75.8% were White, 11.4% were AA, 6.7% were Hispanic, and 6.1% were Other (includes Asian American and American Indian).  The top 3 comorbidities per group were the same for the 3 predominant groups: hypertension (62% Whites, 64% AAs, 55% Hispanics), high cholesterol (66% Whites, 58% AAs, 57% Hispanics), and pain (55% Whites, 50% AAs, 51% Hispanics).  However, significantly more Whites reported high cholesterol than AAs and Hispanics (P=0.002 and P=0.001, respectively).  Sixty three to seventy nine percent of White, AA, and Hispanic patients with T2DM reported body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2; <10% of all patients reported BMI <25 kg/m2.  Furthermore, Hispanics reported lower medication adherence than Whites (57.4% vs 65% adherent; P=0.008); adherence among AAs was 63%.  Hypoglycemia was reported by 54% of Hispanics, 51% of Whites, and 49% of AAs.  CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the characteristics of patients with T2DM by race/ethnicity can provide insights on the types of diabetes management challenges that different patient populations may face.  These observations may encourage providers to engage minority populations in their health care management and tailor education to the individual.