---
title: "Latinos in the 2014 Election: Missouri"
description: "This profile provides key demographic information on Latino eligible voters[1. Eligible voters are defined as U.S. citizens ages 18 and older. Eligible voters are not the same as registered voters. To cast a vote, in all states except North Dakota, an eligible voter must first register to vote.] and other major groups of eligible voters […]"
date: "2014-10-16"
authors:
  - name: "Anna Brown"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/fact-sheet/latinos-in-the-2014-election-missouri/"
---

# Latinos in the 2014 Election: Missouri

This profile provides key demographic information on Latino eligible voters[1. Eligible voters are defined as U.S. citizens ages 18 and older. Eligible voters are not the same as registered voters. To cast a vote, in all states except North Dakota, an eligible voter must first register to vote.] and other major groups of eligible voters in Missouri.[2. The terms “Hispanic” and “Latino” are used interchangeably. References to other races and ethnicities are to the non-Hispanic components of those populations.] All demographic data are based on Pew Research Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 American Community Survey.[3. This statistical profile of eligible voters is based on the Census Bureau's 2012 [American Community Survey](http://www.census.gov/acs/www) (ACS). The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of about 3 million addresses. The data used for this statistical profile come from the 2012 ACS Integrated Public Use Microdata Series ([IPUMS](http://usa.ipums.org/usa/)), representing a 1% sample of the U.S. population. Like any survey, estimates from the ACS are subject to sampling error and (potentially) measurement error. More information is available on [ACS sampling strategy](http://usa.ipums.org/usa/design.shtml) and [associated error](http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/pums/Accuracy/2012AccuracyPUMS.pdf).]

### Hispanics in Missouri’s Eligible Voter Population

[![Population and Electorate in the United States and Missouri, 2012](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2014/10/PH-2014-10-election-fact-sheet-MO-01.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/fact-sheets/2014-state-election-fact-sheets/latinos-in-the-2014-election-missouri/ph-2014-10-election-fact-sheet-mo-01/)

- The Hispanic population in Missouri is the 30th largest in the nation. About 218,000 Hispanics reside in Missouri, 0.4% of all Hispanics in the United States.
- Missouri’s population is 4% Hispanic, the 41st largest Hispanic statewide population share nationally.
- There are 97,000 Hispanic eligible voters in Missouri—the 28th largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter population nationally. California ranks first with 6.4 million.
- Some 2% of Missouri eligible voters are Hispanic, the 40th largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 40%.
- Some 44% of Hispanics in Missouri are eligible to vote, ranking Missouri 23rd nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. By contrast, 78% of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

### Characteristics of Eligible Voters

[![Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Missouri and the United States, 2012](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2014/10/PH-2014-10-election-fact-sheet-MO-02.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/fact-sheets/2014-state-election-fact-sheets/latinos-in-the-2014-election-missouri/ph-2014-10-election-fact-sheet-mo-02/)

- **Age.** About one-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Missouri (36%) are ages 18 to 29, about the same as the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (33%) in that age range. By contrast, only 21% of all Missouri eligible voters and 22% of all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.
- **Citizenship and Nativity.** Among Hispanic eligible voters in Missouri, 15% are naturalized U.S. citizens. This is less than the 25% of Hispanic eligible voters in the U.S., but just 2% of all eligible voters in Missouri and 8% of eligible voters in the U.S. overall are naturalized U.S. citizens.
- **Hispanic Origin.** Hispanic eligible voters in Missouri have a different Hispanic origin profile from Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Some 71% of Hispanic eligible voters in Missouri are of Mexican origin, 8% are of Puerto Rican origin, and 21% claim other Hispanic origin. Among all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide, 59% are Mexican, 14% are Puerto Rican, and 27% are of some other Hispanic origin.
- **Educational Attainment.** Some 15% of Latino eligible voters in Missouri have not completed high school, higher than the 12% of all Missouri eligible voters who have not completed high school and a smaller share than the 23% of Hispanics nationwide who have not completed high school.
- **Homeownership.** About six-in-ten Hispanic eligible voters in Missouri (59%) live in owner-occupied homes, compared with 56% of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Greater shares of all eligible voters in Missouri (70%) and eligible voters nationwide (67%) live in owner-occupied homes.

### Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Missouri, by Race and Ethnicity

[![Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Missouri and the United States, by Race and Ethnicity, 2012](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2014/10/PH-2014-10-election-fact-sheet-MO-03.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/fact-sheets/2014-state-election-fact-sheets/latinos-in-the-2014-election-missouri/ph-2014-10-election-fact-sheet-mo-03/)

- **Number of Eligible Voters.** White eligible voters outnumber Hispanic eligible voters in Missouri by 39 to 1, and blacks outnumber Hispanics by more than 5 to 1. There are about twice as many Hispanic (97,000) as Asian (43,000) eligible voters.
- **Age.** Latino eligible voters are younger than white, black and Asian eligible voters in Missouri. Some 36% of Latinos are ages 18 to 29, compared with 20% of white eligible voters, 27% of black eligible voters and 25% of Asian eligible voters.
- **Educational Attainment.** Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do white eligible voters in Missouri. Some 15% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained a high school diploma: higher than the 11% of white eligible voters but lower than the 18% of black eligible voters. Roughly equal shares of Hispanic and Asian eligible voters (16%) have no high school diploma. A slightly larger share of Hispanics compared with blacks have a bachelor’s degree or more (19% vs. 14%), but Hispanics have a lower rate of bachelor’s degrees than whites (25%) or Asians (40%).
- **Homeownership.** Hispanic eligible voters (59%) are more likely to live in owner-occupied homes than black eligible voters (44%) in Missouri, but are less likely to live in owner-occupied homes than white or Asian (both 73%) eligible voters.