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There were nearly 60 million Latinos in the United States in 2017, accounting for approximately 18% of the total U.S. population. In 1980, with a population of 14.8 million, Hispanics made up just 6.5% of the total U.S. population. For more, read the accompanying blog post, “Key facts about U.S. Hispanics and their diverse heritage.” For facts on the foreign-born population in the United States, see our profile on U.S. immigrants.

Hispanic population in the U.S., 2000-2017

YearU.S. Hispanic Population
200035,204,000
201050,730,000
201556,477,000
201758,838,000

Top three states by share of U.S. Hispanic population, 2017

StateShare of total U.S. Hispanic population
California26%
Texas19%
Florida9%

Top 10 U.S. metropolitan areas by Hispanic population, 2017

Metro areaU.S. Hispanic population
Los Angeles 6,031,000
New York4,988,000
Miami2,763,000
Houston2,548,000
Riverside, CA2,342,000
Chicago2,122,000
Dallas-Fort Worth2,114,000
Phoenix1,464,000
San Antonio1,359,000
San Diego1,129,000

Length of time in the U.S. for Hispanic immigrants, 2000-2017

Year0 to 10 yearsMore than 10 years
200046%54%
201036%64%
201523%77%
201722%78%

English proficiency of Hispanic population in the U.S., 2017

GroupEnglish proficient
All70%
U.S. born90%
Foreign born36%
Adults64%

Educational attainment of Hispanic population in the U.S., 2017

GroupHigh school or lessTwo-year degree/Some collegeBachelor’s degree or more
All Hispanics59%25%16%
U.S. born Hispanics47%33%20%
Foreign born Hispanics71%17%12%
All Americans39%29%32%

U.S. Hispanic population living in poverty, 2017

GroupShare in poverty
All Hispanics19%
U.S. born Hispanics20%
Foreign born Hispanics18%
All Americans13%

Demographic characteristics of U.S. Hispanic population, 2017

Among U.S. Hispanics
AllU.S. bornForeign born
MEDIAN AGE (in years)292043
AGE
Younger than 59%13%1%
5-1723%32%5%
18-2920%22%14%
30-3915%12%22%
40-4913%8%23%
50-6413%8%23%
65+7%5%12%
NATIVITY
U.S. born67%
Foreign born33%
YEARS IN U.S. (among foreign born)
0-5 years13%
6-10 years9%
11-15 years14%
16-20 years18%
21+ years46%
CITIZENSHIP (among foreign born)
U.S. citizen79%37%
Not a U.S. citizen21%63%
MARITAL STATUS (18 and older)
Married46%36%58%
Divorced/Separated/Widowed16%15%17%
Never married38%49%25%
FERTILITY (among women ages 15 to 44)
Women who have given birth in the past 12 months7%6%8%
HOUSEHOLD TYPE, BY PERSONS
Married-couple household58%57%61%
Other family household25%26%21%
Non-family household17%17%17%
IN A MULTIGENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLD
Multigenerational household9%9%6%

Economic characteristics of U.S. Hispanic population, 2017

Among U.S. Hispanics
AllU.S. bornForeign born
MEDIAN ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME$49,010$53,000$45,200
MEDIAN ANNUAL PERSONAL EARNINGS (ages 16 and older with positive earnings)
All$25,000$26,000$25,000
Full-time, year-round workers$34,000$37,000$30,000
EMPLOYMENT STATUS (civilians ages 16 and older)
Employed63%61%66%
Not employed4%5%3%
Not in labor force33%34%31%
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE (civilians ages 16 and older in the labor force)6%7%5%
LIVING IN POVERTY
All ages19%20%18%
Younger than 1827%26%31%
18-6416%15%17%
65 and older18%15%20%
HOMEOWNERSHIP (households)
Owner-occupied47%49%46%
Renter-occupied53%51%54%

Origin country-specific fact sheets

Argentines

Colombians

Cubans

Dominicans

Ecuadorians

Guatemalans

Hondurans

Mexicans

Nicaraguans

Panamanians

Peruvians

Puerto Ricans

Salvadorans

Spaniards

Venezuelans

Download Data

Download the Excel sheet with data on U.S. Hispanics.
Download previous years’ data

Methodology

Pew Research Center’s fact sheets on U.S. Latinos and the accompanying blog post examine the Latino population of the United States overall and by its 15 largest origin groups — Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Salvadorans, Cubans, Dominicans, Guatemalans, Colombians, Hondurans, Spaniards, Ecuadorians, Peruvians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, Argentines and Panamanians. These sheets provide detailed geographic, demographic and economic characteristics for all Latinos and for each Latino origin group. They are based on Pew Research Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010, 2015 and 2017 American Community Survey (ACS) and the 2000 U.S. decennial census.

The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of more than 3 million addresses. It covers the topics previously covered in the long form of the decennial census. The ACS is designed to provide estimates of the size and characteristics of the resident population, which includes persons living in households and group quarters. For more details about the ACS, including the sampling strategy and associated error, see the 2010, 2015 or 2017 American Community Survey’s Accuracy Statement provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The specific data sources for these fact sheets are the 1% samples of the 2010, 2015 and 2017 American Community Survey (ACS) Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) provided by the University of Minnesota and the 5% sample of the 2000 decennial census. IPUMS assigns uniform codes, to the extent possible, to data collected by the decennial census and the ACS from 1850 to 2017. For more information about IPUMS, including variable definition and sampling error, please visit the “IPUMS Documentation and User Guide.”

Due to differences in the way in which IPUMS and Census Bureau adjust income data and assign poverty status, data provided on these topics might differ from data that are provided by the Census Bureau.

For the purposes of these fact sheets, the foreign born include those persons who identified as naturalized citizens or non-citizens and are living in the 50 states or the District of Columbia. Persons born in Puerto Rico and other outlying territories of the U.S. and who are now living in the 50 states or the District of Columbia are included in the U.S.-born population.