This profile provides key demographic information on Latino eligible voters¹ and other major groups of eligible voters in Massachusetts.² All demographic data are based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey.³

Hispanics in Massachusetts’s Eligible Voter Population

• The Hispanic population in Massachusetts is the 15th largest in the nation.⁴ About 631,000 Hispanics reside in Massachusetts, 1.2% of all Hispanics in the United States.
• Massachusetts’s population is 10% Hispanic, the 18th largest Hispanic population share nationally.
• There are 299,000 Hispanic eligible voters in Massachusetts—the 11th largest Hispanic eligible voter population nationally. California ranks first with 5.9 million.
• Some 6% of Massachusetts eligible voters are Hispanic, ranking 15th in Hispanic eligible voter share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 39%.
• Nearly half (47%) of Hispanics in Massachusetts are eligible to vote, ranking Massachusetts 12th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. By contrast, nearly eight-in-ten (78%) of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters

• Age. About one-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Massachusetts (34%) are ages 18 to 29, similar to the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (33%) in that age range. By contrast, only 21% of all Massachusetts eligible voters and 22% of all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.
• Citizenship and Nativity. Among Hispanic eligible voters in Massachusetts, 25% are naturalized U.S. citizens. This compares with 25% of Hispanic eligible voters in the U.S., but just 10% of all eligible voters in Massachusetts and 8% of eligible voters in the U.S overall.
• Hispanic Origin. Hispanic eligible voters in Massachusetts have a different Hispanic origin profile from Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. More than half (54%) of Hispanic eligible voters in Massachusetts are of Puerto Rican origin, 17% are of Dominican origin, 5% are Mexican, and 24% claim other Hispanic origin. Among all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide, only 14% are Puerto Rican, 3% are Dominican, 59% are Mexican, and 23% are of some other Hispanic origin.
• Educational Attainment. Nearly three-in-ten Latino eligible voters in Massachusetts (28%) have not completed high school, about triple the 10% of all Massachusetts eligible voters who have not completed high school.
• Homeownership. About one-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Massachusetts (34%) live in owner-occupied homes, significantly less than the share of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide (58%). Greater shares of all eligible voters in Massachusetts (67%) and all eligible voters nationwide (69%) live in owner-occupied homes.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Massachusetts, by Race and Ethnicity

• Number of Eligible Voters. White eligible voters outnumber Hispanic eligible voters in Massachusetts by 13 to 1. There is a similar number of Hispanic (299,000) and black (235,000) eligible voters in Massachusetts, and Hispanic eligible voters outnumber Asians by almost 2 to 1.
• Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than black, Asian and white eligible voters in Massachusetts. Some 34% of Latinos are ages 18 to 29, compared with 27% of black and Asian eligible voters and 19% of white eligible voters.
• Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do Asian, black and white eligible voters in Massachusetts. Some 28% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained a high school diploma, compared with 16% of Asian eligible voters, 14% of black eligible voters and 7% of white eligible voters.
• Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters (34%) are less likely to live in owner-occupied homes than black (42%), Asian (65%) or white (72%) eligible voters in Massachusetts.