Demography
Rapid growth is the overriding characteristic of the Hispanic population, but that growth comes in many forms according to nativity, country of origin and other factors. The Center has focused attention on how patterns of Latino population growth vary in different parts of the country and in particular the emergence of new settlement areas where the Hispanic presence was once sparse but is now briskly increasing.
Related Publications
1.21.2010
Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2008
1.21.2010
Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2008
12.22.2009
Latinos Online, 2006-2008: Narrowing the Gap
12.11.2009
Graphic: Latino Youths Optimistic But Beset by Problems
12.11.2009
Between Two Worlds: How Young Latinos Come of Age in America
12.7.2009 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. 9.25.2009 7.22.2009 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 5.28.2009 5.28.2009 4.15.2009 4.7.2009 See Also: A Rising Share: Hispanics and Federal Crime 3.31.2009 3.5.2009 3.5.2009 2.18.2009 10.23.2008 10.2.2008 5.8.2008 2.11.2008 1.23.2008 1.23.2008 1.23.2008 12.13.2007 12.6.2007 11.29.2007 7.24.2007 3.28.2007 10.10.2006 10.5.2006 8.29.2006 8.29.2006 8.25.2006 7.5.2006 6.7.2006 5.22.2006 4.26.2006 4.5.2006 3.30.2006 3.7.2006 9.27.2005 7.26.2005 6.27.2005 6.14.2005 3.21.2005 3.16.2005 3.14.2005 3.2.2005 1.24.2005 12.27.2004 3.19.2004 3.19.2004 1.7.2004 10.14.2003 3.27.2003 3.1.2003 12.4.2002 7.30.2002 3.21.2002 1.24.2002 1.1.2002 1.1.2002
Hispanics in the News: An Event-Driven Narrative
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.
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.
Puerto Ricans in the United States, 2007
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.
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.
Mexican Immigrants in the United States, 2008
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%).
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%.
Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2007
Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2007
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.
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.
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.
Hispanic Women in the United States, 2007
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.
Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2006
Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2006
Arizona: Population and Labor Force Characteristics, 2000-2006
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.
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.
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.
The Latino Electorate: An Analysis of the 2006 Election
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.
From 200 Million to 300 Million: The Numbers behind Population Growth
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.
A Statistical Portrait of Hispanics at Mid-Decade
A Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population at Mid-Decade
Cubans in the United States
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.
Hispanic Attitudes Toward Learning English
Modes of Entry for the Unauthorized Migrant Population
Estimates of the Unauthorized Migrant Population for States based on the March 2005 CPS
Recently Arrived Migrants and the Congressional Debate on Immigration
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hispanic Trends: A People in Motion
From Trends 2005: a publication of the Pew Research Center
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.
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.
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.
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."
The Rise Of The Second Generation: Changing Patterns In Hispanic Population Growth
Hispanics In The Military
Hispanics in the Military
The Improving Educational Profile Of Latino Immigrants
Latino Growth In Metropolitan America: Changing Patterns, New Locations
How Many Undocumented: The Numbers Behind The U.S.-Mexico Migration Talks
The Socioeconomic Status of Hispanic New Yorkers: Current Trends and Future Prospects
Hispanic Health: Divergent and Changing
U.S. Born Hispanics Increasingly Drive Population Developments