An estimated 679,000 Hispanics of Peruvian origin lived in the United States in 2017, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Peruvians in this statistical profile are people who self-identified as Hispanics of Peruvian origin; this includes immigrants from Peru and those who trace their family ancestry to Peru.
Peruvians are the 11th-largest population of Hispanic origin living in the United States, accounting for about 1% of the U.S. Hispanic population in 2017. Since 2000, the Peruvian-origin population has increased 174%, growing from 248,000 to 679,000 over the period. At the same time, the Peruvian foreign-born population living in the U.S. grew by 120%, from 193,000 in 2000 to 423,000 in 2017. By comparison, Mexicans, the nation’s largest Hispanic origin group, constituted 36.6 million, or 62%, of the Hispanic population in 2017.
Peruvian-origin population in the U.S., 2000-2017
This statistical profile compares the demographic and economic characteristics of the Peruvian-origin population in the U.S. with the characteristics of U.S. Hispanics and the U.S. population overall. It is based on Pew Research Center tabulations of the 2017 American Community Survey. Key facts include:
Immigration status
- Among Hispanics in the U.S., about 33% are foreign born, compared with 62% of U.S. Peruvians.
- About 46% of foreign-born Peruvians have been in the U.S. for over 20 years, and 58% of foreign-born Peruvians are U.S. citizens.
Educational attainment
- About 16% of U.S. Hispanics ages 25 and older have obtained at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 32% of Peruvians.
- Among Peruvians ages 25 and older, the U.S. born are more likely than the foreign-born to have a bachelor’s degree or higher (44% vs. 30%).
Income
- Among U.S. Hispanics, the median annual personal earnings for those ages 16 and older was $25,000, compared with $30,000 for Peruvians.
- Looking at full-time, year-round workers, U.S. Hispanics earned less than Peruvians ($34,000 vs. $40,000).
Poverty status
- The share of U.S. Hispanics who live in poverty (19%) is greater than among Peruvians (11%).
- About 10% of U.S.-born Peruvians live in poverty, as do 11% of foreign-born Peruvians.
Homeownership
- The rate of homeownership among U.S. Hispanics is 47% compared with 51% for Peruvians.
- Among Peruvians in the U.S., rates of homeownership are similar for the U.S. born and the foreign born (50% vs. 51%).
Top states of residence
- The Peruvian population is concentrated in Florida (19%), California (16%) and New Jersey (14%).
Age
- The median age of U.S. Hispanics (29) is lower than that of Peruvians (38) and the U.S. population (38).
Marital status
- U.S. Hispanics ages 18 and older are less likely to be married (46%) than Peruvians (51%).
- Among Peruvians ages 18 and older, those who are foreign born are more likely to be married than the U.S. born (57% vs. 29%).
Fertility
- Some 7% of U.S. Hispanic women ages 15 to 44 gave birth in the 12 months prior to the July 2017 American Community Survey. That rate for Peruvian women was 5%.
Language
- About 70% of U.S. Hispanics ages 5 and older speak only English at home or speak English at least “very well,” compared with 64% of Peruvians.
- Similarly, 64% of Hispanic adults are English proficient, as are 58% of Peruvian adults.
Download the data
Download the Excel sheet with data on Hispanics of Peruvian origin in the U.S.
Other U.S. Hispanic fact sheets
- Facts on U.S. Latinos
- Origin group-specific fact sheets:
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• Cubans |
• Mexicans |
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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.
