12 Facts About Hispanic Americans
During National Hispanic Heritage Month, which has been celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 since 1988, we honor the contributions of Hispanic Americans—the largest racial or ethnic minority group in America. These 12 facts offer a snapshot of Hispanic Americans as voters, workers, business owners, students, and believers, based on available data from the Pew Research Center, the Department of Education, and the U.S. Census Bureau.
1) 18% of the U.S. population is Hispanic, as of 2019—making it the largest racial or ethnic minority group in the country.
That’s around 60 million Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino.
2) New Mexico has the largest share of Hispanic Americans—49% of New Mexico residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, as of 2019.
Texas follows with 40%.
3) 61% of Hispanic Americans trace their heritage to Mexico—making it, by far, the most common place of origin.
Puerto Rico follows, with 10% of Hispanic Americans of Puerto Rican heritage.
4) 10% of voters in the 2020 presidential election were Hispanic.
This made Hispanic Americans the third-largest voting bloc, after Whites (72%) and Black Americans (11%).
5) 58% of Hispanic Americans are under the age of 35, as of 2019.
That’s 35 million young people—up 20% from a decade earlier. Hispanic young people one of the largest and fastest-growing youth populations in the country.
6) 16% of Hispanic Americans lived in poverty in 2019—the lowest rate since the Census Bureau started collecting poverty data in 1972.
Overall, 11% of Americans lived in poverty in 2019.
7) 6% of U.S. businesses are owned by Hispanic Americans, as of 2018.
This amounts to 331,625 Hispanic-owned businesses nationwide.
8) 68% of Hispanic Americans age 16 and older participated in the labor force in 2019.
This is slightly higher than the total U.S. labor force participation rate (64%). The labor force includes people who are either working or actively looking for work.
9) 18% of Hispanic Americans age 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher, as of 2019.
By contrast, 33% of all Americans are similarly educated. However, Hispanic undergraduate enrollment is on the rise, more than doubling between 1996 and 2019.
10) 9% of Hispanic American children ages 3 to 18 did not have internet access at home in 2018.
Overall, 6% of American children the same age lacked internet access at home.
11) 72% of Hispanic American adults identify as Christian, as of 2019.
In comparison, 65% of all American adults identify as Christian.
12) 59% of Hispanic American adults say religion is very important in their lives.
Whereas, 53% of all U.S. adults say the same.