How many latinos are there in the united states

Committees and Working Groups. Key Initiatives. Report to Congress. Minority Population Profiles. Health Disparities Data Widget. Data Collection Standards. Briefs and Publications. Think Cultural Health. Continuing Education. Active OMH Grants.

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The Latino population is driving these transformations. While today one of every eight residents of the United States is Latino, it is projected that Latinos could account for one of every five residents by , one of every four by , and one of every three by Latinos are already having a significant impact on the various societal institutions and on all segments of society in the United States.

Although Latinos represented hardly a blip on the national radar screen only a few decades ago, demographic processes have made Latinos critical to the future social and economic direction of the United States. Ongoing immigration has significantly affected the Latino experience in the United States. The continued flows of Latino immigrants ensure that the Spanish language and diverse Latino cultures will endure in the United States.

The combination of established and newcomer Latinos in the United States further enhances the diversity that exists across and within Latino groups.

The growth of the Latino population has also led to a blurring of many boundaries. Transnational migration has blurred international and identity boundaries. Immigration has blurred the boundaries associated with nativity, even within families. The increasing use of Spanish through its dominance in foreign-language instruction in colleges and universities, its entrance into mainstream popular culture, and the bilingual context in which many Latinos operate have also blurred language boundaries.

But the experiences of the various Latino groups in the United States have been quite different, and even the blurring of place and linguistic boundaries has not eliminated one important distinction. Mexicans and Puerto Ricans are the two groups that were initially incorporated into the United States through warfare. Even U. In contrast, other Latino groups have come to the United States as voluntary immigrants, either escaping political persecution or in search of economic opportunity.

By and large, these groups have tended to fare better socially and economically, the exception being Dominicans and foreign-born Central Americans. The Latino population needs to be seen as a valuable resource for this country. For example, the business community will increasingly rely on Latinos as entrepreneurs, employees, investors, and consumers.

The bilingual and bicultural nature of the Latino population also makes Latinos a valuable resource as the U. The higher education system will increasingly find Latinos among the ranks of potential students and educators. At In contrast, Latinos are far less likely to have a government job, and the gap widens at the senior executive level in the public sector.

Unemployment rates for Latinos vary depending on where they live, their education level, and whether they are foreign born or native. The unemployment rate for Latinos averaged The Latino unemployment numbers are tied in part to the fact that Latinos are overrepresented in industries such as construction and manufacturing, both of which lost the most jobs during the recession, and that they are underrepresented in sectors that experienced job growth during the recession—education and health services.

Unemployment rates for Latinos vary depending on educational attainment. Across all racial groups, greater educational attainment is correlated to improved employment outcomes. Unemployment continues to be higher for those with fewer years of schooling. In unemployment for Latinos with only a high school degree was The Latino labor force is also more likely to be foreign born than the rest of the workforce.

In more than half Historically, foreign-born Latinos experience lower unemployment rates than native-born Latinos. Across ethnic groups within the Latino community, Puerto Ricans have the highest unemployment rates, and Cubans experience the lowest level of unemployment.

It is no surprise that states with larger Latino populations have a larger number of unemployed Latinos. Within states, Latinos are more likely to move within a county, indicating they are more likely to move for employment opportunities. During the Great Recession employment rates fell sharply—particularly among Latinos. As mentioned earlier, Latino workers lost jobs primarily in construction, manufacturing, professional and business services. Collectively, these jobs accounted for nearly 1.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the construction industry will grow by 2. This growth should greatly benefit Latinos, who are overrepresented in this industry; the majority of this growth, however, will be coming from regained jobs that were lost during the recession. The health care and social assistance industry is projected to grow the most, with an additional 5.

Unfortunately, Latino workers are significantly underrepresented in these sectors, making up only Conversely, one area holding great economic promise for Latinos—and an area in which they are prominent—is small-business ownership.

According to the Census Bureau Survey of Business Owners, Latino-owned businesses were the fastest-growing small-business segment prior to the recession. Hispanics own 2. The strides in business ownership are particularly apparent among Latino women.

In fact, Latina entrepreneurs start businesses in the United States at a rate six times the national average and are the fastest-growing segment among women-owned businesses. Currently, 1 in 10 women-owned businesses are owned by Latinas. The Census Bureau indicates that Hispanic-owned businesses increased at more than twice the rate of the national average.

More than half About 30 percent of Hispanic-owned businesses were concentrated in wholesale trade, construction, and retail trade. Education has long been recognized as a gateway to success. As one of the fastest-growing demographics in our country, educational attainment among Latinos is especially important to ensure that our youth are academically equipped to meet the challenges of the future. Educational attainment among young Latinos has progressed significantly over past few years and has led to the narrowing of the education gap between Hispanics and other racial and ethnic groups, particularly when it comes to postsecondary education.

While Latinos have been making great strides in educational attainment, they continue to lag behind other racial and ethnic groups. From to there was a 24 percent increase in college enrollment among Latinos. The overall number of young adults aged 18 to 24 years old attending college in the United States hit an all-time high in October at According to the Pew Hispanic Center, from to the number of Hispanic young adults enrolled in college grew by ,, compared with an increase of 88, young blacks and 43, young Asian Americans and a decrease of , young whites.

Certainly the current demographic changes have played a crucial role in the advanced educational attainment levels among young Latinos. Increasing levels of population growth and high birthrates have made Latinos the fastest-growing ethnic group in the country. Yet it is not just population growth, but rather rising educational attainment, that is the driving force behind the increase in Latino college enrollment rates.

The share of young Latinos enrolled in college nearly doubled from to , from 13 percent to 27 percent. There is still more work to be done, however, because while Hispanics have reached record numbers in terms of college enrollment—32 percent of to year-olds—they continue to lag in comparison to all other racial and ethnic groups. African Americans 38 percent , Asians 62 percent , and young white adults 43 percent continue to be more likely to attend college than Hispanics.

In October nearly half 46 percent of all young Latinos attended a community college, while 54 percent attended four-year universities. Among other racial and ethnic groups, the vast majority of young adults who attend college are enrolled at four-year universities. While enrollment rates have greatly increased among Latinos this does not always translate into a college degree.

Clearly, Latinos are narrowing the gap in educational attainment, but they continue to lag behind other racial and ethnic groups in college-completion rates and are still the least educated.