---
title: "Latinos in the 2014 Election: Rhode Island"
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-rhode-island/"
---

# Latinos in the 2014 Election: Rhode Island

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 Rhode Island.[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 Rhode Island’s Eligible Voter Population

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

- The Hispanic population in Rhode Island is the 37th largest in the nation. Rhode Island’s population is 13% Hispanic, the 13th largest Hispanic statewide population share nationally.
- There are 60,000 Hispanic eligible voters in Rhode Island—the 37th largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter population nationally. California ranks first with 6.4 million.
- Some 8% of Rhode Island eligible voters are Hispanic, the 13th largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 40%.
- Some 43% of Hispanics in Rhode Island are eligible to vote, ranking Rhode Island 26th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. By contrast, 82% of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

### Characteristics of Eligible Voters

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

- **Age.** Some four-in-ten Hispanic eligible voters in Rhode Island are ages 18 to 29, somewhat higher than the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (33%) and the share of all Rhode Island eligible voters and of all U.S. eligible voters (both 22%) in that age range.
- **Citizenship and Nativity.** Among Hispanic eligible voters in Rhode Island, 35% are naturalized U.S. citizens. This is higher than the 25% of Hispanic eligible voters in the U.S., but just 9% of all eligible voters in Rhode Island and 8% of eligible voters in the U.S. overall are naturalized U.S. citizens.
- **Hispanic Origin.** Hispanic eligible voters in Rhode Island have a different Hispanic origin profile from Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Puerto Ricans make up 33% of Hispanic eligible voters and Dominicans are another 24%, while those of Mexican origin total 8%. This is a contrast to the U.S. overall, where six-in-ten Hispanic eligible voters (59%) are Mexican, 14% are Puerto Rican, and 3% are Dominican.
- **Educational Attainment.** About one-quarter of Latino eligible voters in Rhode Island (23%) have not completed high school, about twice the 12% of all Rhode Island eligible voters who have not completed high school and the same as the 23% of Hispanics nationwide who have not completed high school.
- **Homeownership.** About one-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Rhode Island (35%) live in owner-occupied homes, compared with 56% of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Greater shares of all eligible voters in Rhode Island (64%) and eligible voters nationwide (67%) live in owner-occupied homes.

### Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Rhode Island, by Race and Ethnicity

[![Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Rhode Island 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-RI-03.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/fact-sheets/2014-state-election-fact-sheets/latinos-in-the-2014-election-rhode-island/ph-2014-10-election-fact-sheet-ri-03/)

- **Number of Eligible Voters.** White eligible voters outnumber Hispanic eligible voters in Rhode Island by an 11-to-1 margin. However, there are about twice as many Hispanic eligible voters in the state as black eligible voters.
- **Age.** Latino eligible voters are younger than white and black eligible voters in Rhode Island. Some 40% of Latinos are ages 18 to 29, compared with 19% of white eligible voters and 31% of black eligible voters.
- **Educational Attainment.** Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do white and black eligible voters in Rhode Island. Some 23% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained a high school diploma, compared with 10% of white and 15% of black eligible voters.
- **Homeownership.** Hispanic eligible voters (35%) are less likely to live in owner-occupied homes than white (68%) or black (49%) eligible voters in Rhode Island.