The growing Hispanic population in America is reflected by the fact that 22% of all children under the age of 18 in America are Latino, up from only 9% in 1980. A majority of Latino children (52%) are “second generation,” meaning they are the sons or daughters of a foreign-born parent. In 1980, most Latino children were third generation or higher (57%), i.e., the U.S.-born children of U.S.-born parents. Today, that number stands at 37%. Hispanic children who are first or second generation are more likely not to be fluent in English and to have parents with less than a high school education. However, first- and second-generation Latino children are more likely than third-generation Latino children to live in married-couple families, and third-generation or higher children are more likely than the children of immigrant parents to use cigarettes, alcohol or illegal drugs and to engage in delinquent or violent behaviors. Read More

Russell Heimlich  is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.