Complete Archive of Pew Hispanic Center Publications

Most of what the public learns about Hispanics comes not through focused coverage of the life and times of the nation's largest minority group but through event-driven news stories in which Hispanics are one of many elements. According to a media content analysis done jointly by the Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Pew Hispanic Center, just 645 out of 34,452 stories studied contained substantial references to Hispanics. And only a tiny number, 57 stories, focused directly on the lives of Hispanics in the U.S. The sample of news stories for this study appeared in major media outlets between February 9 and August 9, 2009.

10.7.2009
The Changing Pathways of Hispanic Youths Into Adulthood

10.7.2009
Latinos and Education: Explaining the Attainment Gap

9.25.2009
Hispanics, Health Insurance and Health Care Access
Six-in-ten Hispanic adults in the U.S. who are neither citizens nor legal permanent residents lack health insurance. That is more than twice as high as the rate among Hispanic adults who are citizens or legal permanent residents and more than three times the rate for the adult U.S. population. Almost all adult Hispanic immigrants who are neither citizens nor legal permanent residents are estimated to be undocumented. This group is also more likely than other Hispanic adults to lack a usual health care provider and seek services at a clinic or health center. About one-in-three of those without a usual provider report finances are a factor but the majority say they do not need one.

7.22.2009
Mexican Immigrants: How Many Come? How Many Leave?
The flow of immigrants from Mexico to the United States has declined sharply since mid-decade, but there is no evidence of an increase in Mexican-born migrants returning home from the U.S.

Survey data from the U.S. and Mexico reveal a large flow of migrants back to Mexico, but the size of the return flow appears to be stable since 2006. As for immigration to the U.S. from Mexico, surveys from both countries attest to recent substantial decreases in the number of new arrivals, reinforced by U.S. Border Patrol data showing markedly reduced apprehensions of Mexicans trying to cross into the United States illegally.

7.13.2009
Puerto Ricans in the United States, 2007

5.28.2009
Latino Children: A Majority Are U.S.-Born Offspring of Immigrants
The number of Hispanic children has nearly tripled since 1980 and their demographic profile has changed. More than half of the nation's 16 million Hispanic children are now "second generation," meaning they are the U.S.-born sons or daughters of at least one foreign-born parent. In 1980, a majority of Hispanic children were third or higher generation -- the U.S.-born sons or daughters of U.S.-born parents. This report also looks at the differences in the socio-economic profile and legal status of Hispanic children by generation.

5.28.2009
Who’s Hispanic?
Is Judge Sonia Sotomayor the first Hispanic ever nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court, or does that distinction belong to Justice Benjamin Cardozo, who served on the court from 1932-38 and whose family tree apparently had some roots in Portugal? The question of who's Hispanic -- and who isn't -- turns out to be pretty complicated.

5.12.2009
Through Boom and Bust: Minorities, Immigrants and Homeownership
During the housing boom of 1995-2005, the nation's minority groups experienced greater gains than whites in homeownership rates. But in the market meltdown since then, homeownership rates have fallen more steeply for most minorities than for whites. Through both boom and bust, Hispanics and blacks have been far more likely than whites to receive higher-priced loans and carry higher debt relative to their incomes. Meantime, while immigrants have a substantially lower homeownership rate than the native born, they also have experienced a smaller decline in the rate during the market bust. The report also examines how demographic patterns are related to foreclosure rates across the nation's 3,141 counties.

4.30.2009
Dissecting the 2008 Electorate: Most Diverse in U.S. History
The electorate in last year's presidential election was the most racially and ethnically diverse in U.S. history, with nearly one-in-four votes cast by non-whites. The nation's three biggest minority groups--blacks, Hispanics and Asians--each accounted for unprecedented shares of the presidential vote. Additionally, the levels of participation by black, Hispanic and Asian eligible voters all increased from 2004 to 2008, reducing the gap between themselves and white eligible voters. This was particularly true for black eligible voters. Their voter turnout rate increased 4.9 percentage points, from 60.3% in 2004 to 65.2% in 2008, nearly matching the voter turnout rate of white eligible voters (66.1%).

4.15.2009
Mexican Immigrants in the United States, 2008

4.14.2009
A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States
The nation's 11.9 million unauthorized immigrants are more geographically dispersed than in the past, according to a new Pew Hispanic Center demographic and geographic analysis of this group that includes population and labor force estimates for each state. Undocumented immigrants also are more likely than either U.S. born residents or legal immigrants to live in a household with children, a growing share of whom--73%--are U.S. born citizens. The new report also finds that the recent rapid growth in the undocumented immigrant labor force has come to a halt, and estimates that the nation's 8.3 million unauthorized immigrant workers in March 2008 made up 5.4% of the labor force.

4.7.2009
Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure
Latinos' confidence in the U.S. criminal justice system is closer to the relatively low levels expressed by blacks than to the higher levels expressed by whites, according to a pair of nationwide surveys by the Pew Research Center. Six-in-ten (61%) Hispanics say they have a great deal or a fair amount of confidence that the police in their communities will do a good job enforcing the law, compared with 78% of whites and 55% of blacks. Fewer than half of Latinos say they are confident that Hispanics will be treated fairly by the courts (49%) and police officers (45%).

3.31.2009
Sharp Growth in Suburban Minority Enrollment
Yields Modest Gains in School Diversity
The student population of America's suburban public schools has shot up by 3.4 million in the past decade and a half, and virtually all of this increase (99%) has been due to the enrollment of new Latino, black, and Asian students. Suburban school districts in 2007 educated a student population that was 41.4% non-white, up from 28% in 1993. Despite the sharp rise in the racial and ethnic diversity of suburban district enrollments overall, there has been only a modest increase in the racial and ethnic diversity of student populations at the level of the individual suburban school. For example, in 2007, the typical white suburban student attended a school which had a 75% white student body; in 1993, this same figure had been 83%.

3.5.2009
Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2007

3.5.2009
Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2007

2.18.2009
A Rising Share: Hispanics and Federal Crime
Sharp growth in illegal immigration and increased enforcement of immigration laws have altered the ethnic composition of offenders sentenced in federal courts. Latinos, who are 13% of the U.S. adult population, accounted for 40% of all sentenced federal offenders in 2007—up from 24% in 1991. Immigration offenses now represent about one-quarter of all federal convictions, compared with 7% in 1991. Most Latinos with federal sentences are not U.S. citizens. Hispanics are more likely to receive a prison term but it is generally shorter than prison terms for whites and blacks.

2.12.2009
Unemployment Rose Sharply Among Latino Immigrants in 2008
The current recession is having an especially severe impact on employment prospects for immigrant Hispanics. The unemployment rate for foreign-born Latinos increased 2.9 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of 2008 compared with an economy-wide increase of 2.0 percentage points. Trends in other key indicators, such as the employment rate, the number employed and labor force participation, also reveal a more severe impact on immigrant Latinos. Native-born Hispanics and blacks have also felt strong negative effects from the recession.

1.15.2009
Hispanics and the New Administration: Immigration Slips as a Top Priority
A year and a half after much debate over immigration reform in Congress, the issue appears to have receded in importance among Latinos. Only three-in-ten (31%) Latinos rate immigration as an "extremely important" issue facing the incoming Obama administration. The top-rated issue among Latinos is the economy; some 57% of Hispanics say it is an "extremely important" one for the new president to address. Looking forward, Hispanics are optimistic about the new administration. More than seven-in-ten (72%) say they expect Obama to have a successful first term.

1.8.2009
Hispanics and the Economic Downturn: Housing Woes and Remittance Cuts
Like the U.S. population as a whole, Latinos are feeling the sting of the recession. Almost one-in-ten (9%) Latino homeowners say they missed a mortgage payment or were unable to make a full payment and 3% say they received a foreclosure notice in the past year, a new Pew Hispanic Center survey finds. Some 36% say they are worried that their own home may go into foreclosure. The recession has also seen a decline in the amount of money that Hispanic immigrants sent in the past year to relatives or others in their country of origin.

12.15.2008
Latino Workers in the Ongoing Recession: 2007 to 2008
A small but significant decline has occurred during the current recession in the share of Latino immigrants active in the U.S. labor force. The decrease is sharpest among immigrants from Mexico and among immigrants who arrived in the U.S. since 2000. But the increase in the unemployment rate for immigrant Hispanics so far is not as high as the increase for native-born Hispanics. This development, however, could be an artifact, a consequence of the withdrawal of foreign-born Hispanics from the labor force.

11.5.2008
The Hispanic Vote in the 2008 Election
Updated November 7, 2008 to reflect updated exit poll results.
Hispanics voted for Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden over Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin by a margin of more than two-to-one in the 2008 presidential election, 67% versus 31%, according to an analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center of exit polls from Edison Media Research as published by CNN. The Center's analysis also finds that 9% of the electorate was Latino, up from 8% in 2004. This report contains an analysis of exit poll results for the Latino vote in 9 states and for the U.S.

10.29.2008
Among Hispanics in Florida, 2008 Voter Registration Rolls Swing Democratic
Unlike in the rest of the country, the Latino vote in the Sunshine State has tended to be heavily Republican; but changing politics and demographics have produced a substantial shift in electoral rolls.

10.23.2008
Latinos Account for Half of U.S. Population Growth Since 2000
Hispanics have accounted for more than half (50.5%) of the overall population growth in the United States in this decade, a significant new demographic milestone for the nation's largest minority group. A new Pew Hispanic Center report analyzes Latino growth and settlement patterns over the past three decades. Browse our interactive maps that provide details about the changing Latino population and our interactive databases that offer demographic information about Latinos in each of the nation's 50 states and 3,141 counties.

10.2.2008
Trends in Unauthorized Immigration: Undocumented Inflow Now Trails Legal Inflow
There were 11.9 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States in March 2008, according to new Pew Hispanic Center estimates. The unauthorized immigrant population grew more slowly in the period from 2005 to 2008 than it did earlier in the decade. The inflow of immigrants who are undocumented has now fallen below that of immigrants who are legal permanent residents, reversing a trend that began a decade ago.

10.2.2008
Sharp Decline in Income for Non-Citizen Immigrant Households, 2006-2007
Incomes of non-citizen households--nearly half of which are led by undocumented immigrants--fell 7.3% from 2006 to 2007, in sharp contrast to an increase of 1.3% for all U.S. households. Household incomes of non-citizens who are Hispanic; from Latin America; recently arrived; male; less educated; and employed in construction, production or service occupations fell the most.

9.18.2008
2008 National Survey of Latinos: Hispanics See Their Situation in U.S. Deteriorating; Oppose Key Immigration Enforcement Measures
Half (50%) of all Latinos say that the situation of Latinos in this country is worse now than it was a year ago, according to a new nationwide survey of 2,015 Hispanic adults conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center. On the question of immigration enforcement, Latinos disapprove of all five enforcement measures asked about in this survey--and generally do so by lopsided margins.

8.26.2008
One-in-Five and Growing Fast: A Profile of Hispanic Public School Students
The number of Hispanic students in the nation's public schools nearly doubled from 1990 to 2006, accounting for 60% of the total growth in public school enrollments over that period. Strong growth in Hispanic enrollment is expected to continue for decades, according to a recently released U.S. Census Bureau population projection. In 2050, there will be more school-age Hispanic children than school-age non-Hispanic white children. This report presents demographic, language, and family background characteristics of the nation's 10 million Hispanic public school students.

8.13.2008
Hispanics and Health Care in the United States: Access, Information and Knowledge
More than one in four Hispanic adults in the United States lack a usual health care provider and a similar proportion report obtaining no health care information from medical professionals in the past year. At the same time, more than eight in 10 receive health information from alternative sources, such as television and radio. This includes most of those who get no information from doctors or other medical professionals. The report is based on a nationally representative bilingual survey of 4,013 Hispanic adults. It also examines Hispanics' knowledge of diabetes-a serious chronic disease that is more prevalent among Hispanics than non-Hispanic whites.

7.24.2008
2008 National Survey of Latinos: Hispanic Voter Attitudes
Hispanic registered voters support Democrat Barack Obama for president over Republican John McCain by 66% to 23%, according to a nationwide survey of 2,015 Latinos conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, from June 9 through July 13, 2008. In addition to their strong support for Obama, Latino voters have moved sharply into the Democratic camp in the past two years, reversing a pro-GOP tide that had been evident among Latinos earlier in the decade. The report also examines Hispanic registered voter engagement, ratings of national conditions, and top campaign issues.

6.26.2008
The Role of Schools in the English Language Learner Achievement Gap
Students designated as English language learners (ELL) tend to go to public schools with low standardized test scores. However, these low levels of assessed proficiency are not solely attributable to poor achievement by ELL students. These same schools report poor achievement by other major student groups as well, and have a set of characteristics associated generally with poor standardized test performance--such as high student-teacher ratios, high student enrollments and high levels of students who live in poverty or near poverty. When ELL students are not isolated in these low-achieving schools, their gap in test score results is considerably narrower.

6.4.2008
Latino Labor Report, 2008: Construction Reverses Job Growth for Latinos
The latest economic slowdown has had a disproportionate impact on Latino workers. From an historic low in late 2006, the unemployment rate for Latinos rose sharply in 2007 and currently stands well above the rate for non-Latinos. Immigrant Hispanics, especially Mexican and recent arrivals, have been hurt the most by the slump in the construction industry. Weekly earnings for most groups of Hispanic workers also slipped backward last year. There are no signs Latino immigrants are leaving the U.S. labor market but they now play a smaller role in the growth of the Hispanic workforce than in recent years.

5.8.2008
Hispanic Women in the United States, 2007

3.7.2008
The Hispanic Vote in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primaries
This report examines the turnout, demographic characteristics, opinions and voting patterns of the Hispanic electorate in Democratic primaries and caucuses held so far in 2008.

3.7.2008
Hispanics Key to Clinton Victories in Nation's Two Biggest States
Sen. Hillary Clinton would not have won primaries in the nation's two largest states--Texas and California--if Latinos had not turned out in such large numbers and if they had not voted so heavily in her favor, according to an analysis of exit polling data. She also would not have carried a third state--New Mexico--without Latino support.

2.11.2008
U.S. Population Projections: 2005-2050
If current trends continue, immigrants arriving from 2005 to 2050 and their descendants will account for 82% of the population growth in the United States during this period, according to new projections from the Pew Research Center.

1.23.2008
Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2006

1.23.2008
Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2006

1.23.2008
Arizona: Population and Labor Force Characteristics, 2000-2006

12.13.2007
2007 National Survey of Latinos: As Illegal Immigration Issue Heats Up, Hispanics Feel a Chill
The 2007 National Survey of Latinos finds Hispanics are feeling a range of negative effects from the increased public attention to immigration and stepped up enforcement measures.

12.6.2007
Hispanics and the 2008 Election: A Swing Vote?
This report analyzes Census data and voting trends on a state-by-state basis to explore the potential of Latinos to be a "swing vote" in the 2008 presidential election.

11.29.2007
English Usage Among Hispanics in the United States
Nearly all adult children of Latino immigrants, but only a small minority of immigrants, describe themselves as fluent in English. English is spoken more commonly at work than at home by all generations. Hispanic immigrants report greater fluency in English if they are highly educated, arrived in the United States as children or have spent many years here. Those born in Puerto Rico and South America are the most likely to say they are proficient in English; Mexican-born are the least likely.

10.25.2007
Between Here and There: How Attached Are Latino Immigrants to Their Native Country?
Most Latino immigrants maintain some connection to their native country by sending remittances, traveling back or telephoning relatives, but just one-in-ten engages in all three activities on a regular basis and nearly three-in-ten engage in none. The attachment of Latino immigrants to their native country is related to where they came from, their age at arrival, and their years in the U.S, and their attitudes toward the U.S.

8.30.2007
The Changing Racial and Ethnic Composition of U.S. Public Schools
Since 1993-94 white students have become less isolated from minority students while, at the same time, black and Hispanic students have become slightly more isolated from white students. These two seemingly contradictory trends stem mainly from the increase of more than 55% in the Hispanic slice of the public school population.

8.21.2007
1995-2005: Foreign-Born Latinos Make Progress on Wages
Foreign-born Latinos, especially the newly arrived, were much less likely to be low-wage earners in 2005 than in 1995. Yet despite progress into the middle of the wage distribution, many foreign-born Latinos remain low-wage earners. Over the same period, foreign-born Asians boosted their presence in the high-wage workforce.

7.24.2007
The Latino Electorate: An Analysis of the 2006 Election

6.6.2007
How Far Behind in Math and Reading are English Language Learners?
The fast-growing number of students designated as English language learners are among the farthest behind in reading and math, according to an analysis that is based on standardized test scores. About 51% of 8th grade ELL students trail whites in reading and math, meaning that the scores for one out of every two will have to improve for the group to achieve parity. In the 4th grade, 35% of ELL students are behind in math and 47% are behind in reading when compared with their white counterparts.

5.30.2007
Indicators of Recent Migration Flows from Mexico

4.25.2007
Changing Faiths: Latinos and the Transformation of American Religion
Hispanics are transforming the nation's religious landscape, especially the Catholic Church, not only because of their growing numbers but also because they are practicing a distinctive form of Christianity. Religious expressions associated with the pentecostal and charismatic movements are a key attribute of worship for Hispanics in all the major religious traditions -- far more so than among non-Latinos. The growth of the Hispanic population is also leading to the emergence of Latino-oriented churches across the country.

3.28.2007
Growing Share of Immigrants Choosing Naturalization
The proportion of all legal foreign-born residents who have become naturalized U.S. citizens rose to 52% in 2005, the highest level in a quarter of a century and a 14 percentage point increase since 1990, according to an analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center. Mexicans still have a comparatively lower tendency to become U.S. citizens, but the number of naturalized citizens from Mexico rose by 144% from 1995 to 2005--the sharpest increase among immigrants from any major sending country.

3.14.2007
Latinos Online
Internet use is comparatively low among Latinos, though there are considerable differences within this diverse population. Hispanics whose primary language is Spanish and who have lower levels of education are largely disconnected from the internet, but those who are born in the U.S. and are English speakers have rates comparable to non-Hispanic whites.

3.7.2007
Construction Jobs Expand for Latinos Despite Slump in Housing Market

1.4.2007
Latinos and the War in Iraq

11.27.2006
Latinos and the 2006 Mid-term Election

10.10.2006
From 200 Million to 300 Million: The Numbers behind Population Growth

10.5.2006
The Changing Landscape of American Public Education: New Students, New Schools
This report examines the intersection of two trends that have transformed the landscape of American public education in recent years: a rapid increase in enrollment and a surge in the opening of new schools. The report describes the racial and ethnic components of enrollment growth at various levels of the K-12 system. It also examines the composition of enrollment in newly-opened schools and older schools still in operation as well as the impact of rapid growth in Hispanic enrollment. Detailed statistics at the state level are also provided.

10.2.2006
Hispanics and the 2006 Election

9.27.2006
Latino Labor Report 2006: Strong Gains in Employment
The Hispanic unemployment rate reached a historic low in the second quarter of 2006. The gap between the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rates for Latinos and non-Latinos was the smallest since 1973, when employment data on Latinos first became available. Wages for Latino workers also rose at a faster rate than for other workers in 2005-06. The healthy job market for Hispanic workers has been driven by the construction industry. But construction is showing signs of a slowdown that could impact Latino employment in the near future, especially for foreign-born workers.

8.29.2006
A Statistical Portrait of Hispanics at Mid-Decade

8.29.2006
A Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population at Mid-Decade

8.25.2006
Cubans in the United States

8.10.2006
Growth in the Foreign-Born Workforce and Employment of the Native Born
Rapid increases in the foreign-born population at the state level are not associated with negative effects on the employment of native-born workers. An analysis of the relationship between growth in the foreign-born population and the employment outcomes of native-born workers revealed wide variations but no consistent pattern across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The size of the foreign-born workforce, its relative youth and low education level are also unrelated to the employment prospects for native workers. These findings emerge from the analysis of Census Bureau data for the boom years of the 1990s and the subsequent recession and slowdown.

7.13.2006
2006 National Survey of Latinos: The Immigration Debate
The first major survey of Latinos in the wake of the pro-immigration marches and the debate in Congress reveals how the battle over immigration reform has affected Hispanic public opinion. More than half of Latinos believe the debate has increased discrimination. Almost two-thirds think the pro-immigrant marches signal the beginning of a new and lasting social movement. And in marked contrast to prior surveys, a majority now believes Hispanics are working together to achieve common goals.

7.5.2006
Gender and Migration
This report examines the gender composition of migration to the U.S. The report shows that while females have been an increasing share of migrants worldwide in recent decades, the U.S. has defied the trend. Legal migration to the U.S. is in fact more female as it is elsewhere, but the effects of a growing and largely male unauthorized migration has meant that women are slightly smaller share of the foreign born population than 25 years ago. The report also shows that the profile of the female immigrant to the U.S. has changed considerably over the past quarter century. In 2004, recently arrived female migrants were better educated, older and less likely to have children than their counterparts in 1980.

6.7.2006
Hispanic Attitudes Toward Learning English

5.22.2006
Modes of Entry for the Unauthorized Migrant Population

5.17.2006
The State of American Public Opinion on Immigration in Spring 2006: A Review of Major Surveys

4.26.2006
Estimates of the Unauthorized Migrant Population for States based on the March 2005 CPS

4.13.2006
The Labor Force Status of Short-Term Unauthorized Workers

4.5.2006
Recently Arrived Migrants and the Congressional Debate on Immigration

3.30.2006
America's Immigration Quandary: No Consensus on Immigration Problem or Proposed Fixes
Americans are increasingly concerned about immigration. A growing number believe that immigrants are a burden to the country, taking jobs and housing and creating strains on the health care system. Yet the public remains largely divided in its views of the overall effect of immigration. Roughly as many believe that newcomers to the U.S. strengthen American society as say they threaten traditional American values, and over the longer term, positive views of Latin American immigrants, in particular, have improved dramatically. Reflecting this ambivalence, the public is split over many of the policy proposals aimed at dealing with the estimated 11.5 million-12 million unauthorized migrants in the U.S. The poll is based on a survey conducted nationally and in five cities in conjunction with the Pew Research Center for People and the Press.

3.7.2006
Size and Characteristics of the Unauthorized Migrant Population in the U.S.: Estimates Based on the March 2005 Current Population Survey
Analysis of the March 2005 Current Population Survey shows that there were 11.1 million unauthorized migrants in the United States a year ago. Based on analysis of other data sources that offer indications of the pace of growth in the foreign-born population, the Center developed an estimate of 11.5 to 12 million for the unauthorized population as of March 2006.

2.22.2006
Pew Hispanic Center Survey of Mexicans Living in the U.S. on Absentee Voting in Mexican Elections
Strict requirements, insufficient information about registration procedures and lack of public interest hobbled Mexico's first effort to conduct absentee voting among its more than ten million adult citizens living in the United States, according to a Pew Hispanic Center survey. About one-half of one percent of Mexicans in the U.S. sought absentee ballots for the presidential election in July during a registration period which ended last month. Full toplines are available under "Other Resources."

12.15.2005
The Occupational Status and Mobility of Hispanics
A research report sponsored by the Pew Hispanic Center finds a worsening in the occupational status of Hispanics and a growing gap with respect to whites during the 1990s. That is surprising because the decade was witness to the longest economic expansion in recent U.S. history. But even as unemployment was on the decline for all racial and ethnic groups, structural shifts in employment across industries contributed to a greater division in the occupational status of Hispanics and whites. The occupations in which Hispanics are concentrated rank low in wages, educational requirements and other indicators of socioeconomic status.
Read the research paper

12.6.2005
Survey of Mexican Migrants, Part Three: The Economic Transition to America
This study analyzes the employment experience of migrants before they left Mexico, their transition into the U.S. labor market, and their economic status in their new jobs. It uses the Pew Hispanic Center's Survey of Mexican Migrants, which interviewed 4,836 migrants, mostly believed to be undocumented, as they were applying for identity cards issued by Mexican consulates. The vast majority were gainfully employed before they left for the U.S. Failure to find work at home does not seem to be the primary reason that the estimated 6.3 million undocumented migrants from Mexico have come to the U.S.

11.1.2005
The High Schools Hispanics Attend: Size and Other Key Characteristics
A report on the characteristics of high schools attended by different racial and ethnic groups finds that Hispanic teens are more likely than blacks and whites to attend the nation's largest public high schools.

11.1.2005
The Higher Drop-Out Rate of Foreign-Born Teens: The Role of Schooling Abroad
A report on high school enrollment points to the importance of schooling abroad in understanding the dropout problem for immigrant teens, finding that those teens have often fallen behind in their education before reaching the United States.

11.1.2005
Recent Changes in the Entry of Hispanic and White Youth into College
A report on college enrollment finds that the number of young Hispanics going to college is increasing.

9.27.2005
Rise, Peak and Decline: Trends in U.S. Immigration 1992 – 2004
A new report by the Pew Hispanic Center, "Rise, Peak and Decline: Trends in U.S. Immigration 1992 – 2004," provides the first detailed analysis of recent year-to-year immigration flows to the United States. Using newly developed statistical methods, Jeffrey S. Passel, one of the nation's most respected demographers in the field of immigration and a senior research associate at the Center, breaks down the overall increases in the foreign-born population that the United States has experienced since the early 1990s into estimates of annual flows and charts key changes in its major components, including countries of origin and legal status. With co-author and Center director Roberto Suro, Passel offers new insights into the pace and content of migration. The report is based on multiple data sources compiled by the US Census Bureau.

8.16.2005
Attitudes toward Immigrants and Immigration Policy: Surveys among Latinos in the U.S. and in Mexico
The Pew Hispanic Center released findings from major new surveys conducted in the U.S. and Mexico on attitudes toward immigrants and immigration policy options. A survey of U.S. Latinos shows that views are not unanimous on unauthorized migrants and U.S. policy toward them. A separate survey in Mexico reveals the size of the Mexican population that is considering migration to the United States, including those inclined to come without legal status.

7.26.2005
The New Latino South: The Context and Consequences of Rapid Population Growth
The Pew Hispanic Center released a new report that examines the rapid growth of the Hispanic population in the South. The study details the distinctive characteristics of the Latinos moving to new settlement areas, the very successful economic development models that prompted the Hispanic influx and the consequences for local policymakers. The report provides detailed demographic and economic data on six states: Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

6.27.2005
Hispanics and the 2004 Election: Population, Electorate and Voters
Hispanics accounted for half of the population growth in the United States between the elections of 2000 and 2004 but only one-tenth of the increase in the total votes cast, according to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis of new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This gap between the very substantial growth of the Hispanic population and much more modest growth in Hispanic electoral clout has been developing for a generation but has widened considerably in recent years.

6.14.2005
Unauthorized Migrants: Numbers and Characteristics
Contrary to the stereotype of undocumented migrants as single males with very little education who perform manual labor in agriculture or construction, a new Pew Hispanic Center report shows that most of the unauthorized population lives in families, a quarter has at least some college education and that illegal workers can be found in many sectors of the US economy. The report builds on previous work that estimated the size and geographic dispersal of the undocumented population and offers a portrait of that population in unprecedented detail by examining family composition, educational attainment, income and employment.

5.2.2005
Latino Labor Report, 2004: More Jobs for New Immigrants but at Lower Wages
Hispanics, mostly recently arrived immigrants, accounted for over 1 million of the 2.5 million new jobs created in 2004. But Hispanics are the only major group of workers to have suffered a two-year decline in wages and they now earn 5 percent less than two years ago. The growing supply and concentration of immigrant Latinos in certain occupations suggests that they are competing with each other in the labor market to their own detriment. While non-Hispanics moved into high-skill occupations, the vast majority of new jobs for Hispanic workers were in relatively low-skill occupations calling for little other than a high school education.

3.21.2005
Estimates of the Size and Characteristics of the Undocumented Population
The undocumented population of the United States now numbers nearly 11 million people, including more than 6 million Mexicans according to new estimates by the Pew Hispanic Center, based on the most recent official data available. State-level data shows that Arizona and North Carolina now rank among the states with the largest populations of unauthorized migrants. The estimates were developed by Jeffrey S. Passel, a senior research associate at the Center and a veteran demographer who specializes in the foreign-born population.

3.16.2005
Hispanics and the Social Security Debate
This report examines the demographic and economic characteristics that define Latinos' stake in the Social Security debate as well as their views on major policy options. The topics covered in the report include: the impact of President Bush's proposals for individual investment accounts on various segments of the Hispanic population; Hispanics' reliance on Social Security compared with other racial and ethnic groups; and the role of Latino workers in helping finance the system as the Baby Boom generation heads to retirement. In addition a new public opinion survey of a nationally representative sample of the Hispanic population examines Latino views of President Bush's proposals and other issues in the policy debate.

3.14.2005
Survey of Mexican Migrants, Part Two: Attitudes about Voting in Mexican Elections and Ties to Mexico
As the Mexican Congress debates a proposal that would grant Mexican citizens living in the United States the right to vote in Mexican presidential elections for the first time, the Pew Hispanic Center releases another in its series of reports on an unprecedented survey of Mexican migrants in the United States. The survey findings reveal whether the migrants would vote if they could and which segments of the migrant population are likely to meet key eligibility requirements. The report also explores other ties between the Mexican migrant population in the United States and their home country.

3.2.2005
Survey of Mexican Migrants, Part One: Attitudes about Immigration and Major Demographic Characteristics
As the debate over immigration reform intensifies, the Pew Hispanic Center has conducted an unprecedented survey of Mexican migrants in the United States, including thousands who say they have no U.S.-issued identity documents. The survey explores their willingness to participate in a temporary worker program of the sort proposed by President Bush as well as a permanent legalization program. The survey also provides detailed information on demographic characteristics, living arrangements and work experiences. The survey sample is comprised of 4,836 Mexican adults interviewed as they applied for identity cards at Mexican consulates in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Dallas, Atlanta, Raleigh and Fresno.

2.17.2005
Spanish Language TV Coverage of the 2004 Campaigns
This study, conducted in partnership with the Lear Center Local News Archive (University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication), provides important baseline data on how U.S. politics is covered by the Spanish-language broadcast media. On the 29 days prior to the November 2, 2004 election, the nightly half-hour network news on Telemundo, Univision, ABC, CBS and NBC was monitored. In addition, local evening news coverage from 5:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on affiliates of ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Telemundo and Univision in three markets was captured and analyzed during that period.

2.7.2005
Survey On Latino Attitudes On The War In Iraq
Attitudes towards the war in Iraq are more negative among Latinos than in the general population, according to a Pew Hispanic Center survey conducted as President George W. Bush began his second term. A slight majority of Hispanics (51%) think U.S. troops should be withdrawn from Iraq as soon as possible. Significantly fewer (37%) say that the United States should keep military troops in Iraq until the situation has stabilized.

1.24.2005
Hispanic Trends: A People in Motion
From Trends 2005: a publication of the Pew Research Center

12.27.2004
Dispersal and Concentration: Patterns Of Latino Residential Settlement
This Pew Hispanic Center report reveals that some 20 million Hispanics--57 percent of the total--live in neighborhoods mostly populated by non-Hispanics. Rather than clustering in ethnic enclaves, these Latinos, including large shares of the immigrant and low-income populations, are scattered in neighborhoods where on average only seven percent of the residents are Hispanics. The remaining 43 percent of Latino population lives in densely Hispanic neighborhoods that are large and growing especially in major metropolitan areas with long-standing Latino populations. There is diversity, however, even in these neighborhoods where Latinos are the dominant population. A mix of native-born and immigrant Latinos, Spanish and English speakers, the poor and middle income all live together in these heavily Hispanic areas.

12.6.2004
Shades of Belonging: Latinos and Racial Identity
The findings of this study suggest that Hispanics see race as a measure of belonging, and whiteness as a measure of inclusion, or of perceived inclusion. The report reveals that Latinos' choice to identify as white, or not, does not exclusively reflect permanent markers such as skin color or hair texture but that race is also related to characteristics that can change, such as economic status and perceptions of civic enfranchisement. Whiteness is clearly associated with distance from the immigrant experience. Thus, the U.S.-born children of immigrants are more likely to declare themselves white than their foreign-born parents, and the share of whiteness is higher still among the grandchildren of immigrants. In addition, the acquisition of U.S. citizenship is associated with whiteness.

10.18.2004
The Wealth of Hispanic Households: 1996 to 2002
According to the study, the median net worth of Hispanic households in 2002 was $7,932. This was only nine percent of $88,651, the median wealth of non-Hispanic White households at the same time. The net worth of Non-Hispanic Blacks was only $5,988. Thus, the wealth of Latino and Black households is less than one-tenth the wealth of White households even though Census data show their income is two-thirds as much.

10.1.2004
Florida Hispanic Electorate

7.22.2004
Pew Hispanic Center/Kaiser Family Foundation 2004 National Survey Of Latinos: Politics and Civic Participation
Hispanic voters are more concerned this year about issues that affect all Americans -- such as education, the economy, health care and the war against terrorism -- than about immigration, according to a new comprehensive survey of Latino registered voters. As has long been the case, these voters are much more concerned about education than the general public, and they are most likely to say education will be extremely important in their vote for president this year, according to the survey released today by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation. A separate poll shows that among Latino registered voters, the presidential race stands at Bush 32% versus Kerry 62% as of mid-July.

7.22.2004
Pew Hispanic Center/Kaiser Family Foundation National Survey of Latinos: Political and Civic Participation

6.23.2004
Latino Youth Finishing College: The Role Of Selective Pathways
This new study from the Pew Hispanic Center that finds that the white/Latino gap in finishing college is larger than the high school completion gap. The study reveals that Latino undergraduates are at a disadvantage in competing for college degrees because of two important factors: many Hispanic undergraduates disproportionately enroll on campuses that have low bachelor's degree completion rates, and they have different experiences than white students even when they enroll on the same campuses.

6.23.2004
Latino Youth and the Pathway to College
This study was conducted by the Educational Policy Institute through a grant from the Pew Hispanic Center to provide the most up-to-date analysis of Latino achievement through postsecondary education. The study analyses the latest installment of the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS), begun in 1988 with eighth grade students and followed up several times, with the last follow-up survey in 2000: eight years after scheduled high school graduation.

6.23.2004
Federal Policy and Latinos in Higher Education
The purpose of this study is to describe federal legislation and programs that support higher education and to assess Latino participation in these programs. While there are many programs at the state, institutional, and community levels that facilitate access to higher education for Latinos, the Higher Education Act (HEA), due for reauthorization this year, is the main policy vehicle at the federal level for postsecondary education programs. These programs provide concrete examples of educational activities that can inform--and be informed by--local activities and programs to facilitate Latino student access, persistence, and completion of higher education. A series of developments in the costs and financing of colleges and universities set the context for HEA reauthorization.

6.16.2004
Latino Labor Report, First Quarter 2004: Wage Growth Lags Gains in Employment
The "jobless recovery" may have turned around, but gains for Latinos have not been widespread. Immigrant Latinos, especially the most recent arrivals, have captured the most jobs.

6.7.2004
The Remittance Marketplace: Prices, Policy and Financial Institutions
Research by the Pew Hispanic Center points to difficulties in achieving further price reductions; limited penetration of the market by financial institutions. On the eve of the annual summit meeting of the world's leading industrialized nations, the Pew Hispanic Center released a detailed evaluation of how much it costs for immigrants to send money back home to their families in Latin America.

4.19.2004
Changing Channels And Crisscrossing Cultures: A Survey Of Latinos On The News Media
Getting the news could be the single most extensive cross-cultural experience for the Hispanic population in America, according to a report issued today the Pew Hispanic Center. A growing number of Hispanics switch between English and Spanish to get the news. Rather than two audiences sharply segmented by language, the survey shows that many more Latinos get at least some of their news in both English and Spanish than in just one language or the other.

3.19.2004
Latinos in California, Texas, New York, Florida and New Jersey
This survey brief compares the views and experiences of Latinos living in five states with large Latino populations. Topics include country of origin, identity, citizenship, politics and discrimination.

3.19.2004
Assimilation and Language
This survey brief explores the concept of assimilation and the role of language in explaining this process.

3.19.2004
Bilingualism
This survey brief explores the languages Latinos speak in the United States. A close look is taken at those Latinos who speak both English and Spanish.

3.19.2004
Generational Differences
This survey brief explores the differences in demographics, attitudes and experiences of first, second and third generation or higher Latinos. It also looks at "generation one and a half," those Latinos who arrived in the United States before age 10.

3.19.2004
Health Care Experiences
This survey brief examines Latinos' experiences with health care in the United States. Topics discussed include coverage, accessing health care services, and communicating with health care providers.

2.23.2004
Latino Labor Report, 2003: Strong but Uneven Gains in Employment
Latinos experienced substantial gains in the U.S. labor market in 2003. The number of Hispanics added to the employment rolls was twice as high as in 2002, and unemployment eased downward. For the first time since January 2000, Latinos experienced increases in employment that consistently outpaced their population growth in the United States.

1.26.2004
Pew Hispanic Center/Kaiser Family Foundation National Survey Of Latinos: Education
National Survey of Latinos: Education is a new comprehensive survey of Latino attitudes toward education, public schools and a variety of education issues, including the No Child Left Behind Act. This national survey is released against the backdrop of major changes in the nation's K-12 system as states and school districts apply sweeping new federal requirements. Conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation, the survey includes substantial comparison samples of whites and African Americans.

1.26.2004
Pew Hispanic Center/Kaiser Family Foundation National Survey of Latinos: Education

1.8.2004
Latino Attitudes On The War In Iraq, The Economy And The 2004 Election

1.7.2004
Immigration Data Excerpts: From the 2002 National Survey of Latinos and 2002 Pew Hispanic Center Report on Undocumented Workers
In light of President George W. Bush's January 7, 2004 announcement of a new immigration initiative, the Pew Hispanic Center provided information about attitudes towards immigrant and immigration policy, and estimates of the size of the undocumented population in the United States. Sources for the data are the National Survey of Latinos, conducted in 2002 jointly by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Center's March 2002 report entitled "How Many Undocumented: The Numbers Behind the U.S.-Mexico Migration Talk."

11.24.2003
Remittance Senders And Receivers: Tracking The Transnational Channels

10.14.2003
The Rise Of The Second Generation: Changing Patterns In Hispanic Population Growth

10.7.2003
Jobs Lost, Jobs Gained: The Latino Experience in the Recession and Recovery

9.25.2003
2003 Multilingual Survey Of California Voters

6.12.2003
Hispanic Youth Dropping Out of U.S. Schools: Measuring the Challenge

4.8.2003
Survey Of Latino Attitudes On The War With Iraq

3.27.2003
Hispanics In The Military

3.1.2003
Hispanics in the Military

2.18.2003
Survey Of Latino Attitudes On A Possible War With Iraq

12.17.2002
Pew Hispanic Center/Kaiser Family Foundation 2002 National Survey Of Latinos

12.4.2002
The Improving Educational Profile Of Latino Immigrants

11.22.2002
Billions In Motion: Latino Immigrants, Remittances And Banking