Quick Links:

Get a Library Card

Find Magazine and Newspaper Articles

Local History

Donate to the Library

About the Library

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month September 15 - October 15, 2007

2000 Census Facts and Figures, Updated 2004

During this month, America celebrates the culture and traditions of U.S. residents who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean. To mark this observance, the Census Bureau has compiled the following facts from statistics on Hispanics in America.

Population

39.9 million: The estimated Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2003, making people of Hispanic origin the nation's largest race or ethnic minority. Hispanics constitute 13.7 percent of the nation's total population. (This estimate does not include the 3.9 million residents of Puerto Rico.)

102.6 million: The projected Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2050. According to this projection, Hispanics would constitute 24 percent of the nation's total population on that date.

Nearly 67 million: The number of people of Hispanic origin who would have been added to the nation's population between 2000 and 2050, according to this projection. The projected percentage increase (188 percent) would amount to a near tripling.

67%: The proportion of Hispanic-origin people who are of Mexican background. Of the remainder, 14 percent are of Central and South American backgrounds, 9 percent Puerto Rican, 4 percent Cuban and 7 percent other Hispanic origins.

50%: The percentage of the Hispanic-origin population that lives in California and Texas. California is home to 11.9 million Hispanics and Texas to 7.3 million. More than 3-in-4 Hispanics live in seven states, which have Hispanic populations of 1 million or more. They are California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Arizona and New Jersey.

43%: The proportion of New Mexico's population that is Hispanic, highest of any state. California and Texas were next, at 34 percent each.

Families

8.5 million: The number of Hispanic families who reside in the United States. Of these families, 63 percent include their own children under 18 years old.

68%: The percentage of Hispanic families consisting of a married couple.

44%: The percentage of Hispanic families consisting of a married couple with children under 18.

Spanish Language

29 million: The number of U.S. residents age 5 and older who speak Spanish at home. Spanish speakers constitute a ratio of more than 1-in-10 U.S. residents. Among all those who speak Spanish at home, more than one-half say they speak English "very well."

Coming to America

40%: The percentage of the Hispanic population that was foreign-born in 2002. Among the foreign-born Hispanic population that year, 52 percent entered the United States between 1990 and 2002.

61%: The percentage of Hispanic children with at least one foreign-born parent.

9.9 million: The number of foreign-born people in 2002 who were born in Mexico, by far more than any other Latin American country or any other country in the world for that matter. Other Latin American countries of origin with more than half a million foreign-born were Cuba (887,000), El Salvador (873,000), the Dominican Republic (654,000), Colombia (566,000) and Guatemala (511,000). Overall, there are 17.3 million foreign-born people from Latin American countries.

Income and Poverty

$32,997: The real median income of Hispanic households in 2003, down 2.6 percent from the previous year.

22.5%: The poverty rate among Hispanics in 2003, unchanged from 2002.

Education

57%: The percentage of Hispanics 25 and over who had at least a high school education in 2003, up from 53 percent a decade earlier.

11%: The percentage of the Hispanic population 25 and over with a bachelor's degree or higher in 2003, up from 9 percent a decade earlier.

Native residents of Hispanic origin had much higher high-school completion rates (74 percent) and college completion rates (14 percent) in 2003 than their foreign-born counterparts (45 percent and 10 percent, respectively).

2.6 million: The number of Hispanics 18 and over who have at least a bachelor's degree. This is more than double the number in 1990 (1.1 million).

Jobs

36,200: The number of Hispanic physicians and surgeons. Latinos are represented in a wide variety of occupations. For instance, there are about 51,400 Hispanic postsecondary teachers; 34,700 chief executives of businesses; 28,600 lawyers; 5,400 news analysts, reporters and correspondents; and 650 legislators.

22%: The percentage of Hispanics who work in service occupations. Another 21 percent work as operators and laborers and 14 percent in managerial and professional occupations. The percentages of Hispanics working in service occupations as operators and laborers were not statistically different.

Proud to Serve

1.1 million: The number of Latino veterans of the U.S. armed forces. About 63,000 Hispanic-origin people were on active duty in 2002 in the United States.

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month | 2000 Census Facts & Figures, Revised 2002
A Selected Reading List | Novels About Mexican Americans, 1940-1979