Key facts about U.S. Latinos for National Hispanic Heritage Month
Here are some key facts about the nation’s Latino population by geography, and by characteristics like language use and origin group.
U.S. unauthorized immigrants are more proficient in English, more educated than a decade ago
In 2016, a third of unauthorized immigrant adults were proficient in English – up from a quarter in 2007.
Most Hispanic parents speak Spanish to their children, but this is less the case in later immigrant generations
The share of Latino parents who ensure the Spanish language lives on with their children declines as their immigrant connections become more distant.
Use of Spanish declines among Latinos in major U.S. metros
The share of U.S. Latinos who speak the language has declined over the past decade or so: 73% of Latinos spoke Spanish at home in 2015, down from 78% in 2006.
Digital Divide Narrows for Latinos as More Spanish Speakers and Immigrants Go Online
The long-standing divide in internet use between U.S. Hispanics and whites is now at its narrowest point since 2009, as immigrant and Spanish-dominant Latinos make big strides in going online.
Rise in English proficiency among U.S. Hispanics is driven by the young
in 2014, 88% of Latinos ages 5 to 17 said they either speak only English at home or speak English “very well,” up from 73% in 2000.
2014, Hispanics in the United States Statistical Portrait
There were 55.3 million Hispanics in the United States in 2014, comprising 17.3% of the total U.S. population.
Is speaking Spanish necessary to be Hispanic? Most Hispanics say no
During Saturday’s Republican presidential debate in South Carolina, Marco Rubio questioned (in English) whether Ted Cruz speaks Spanish. Cruz responded in Spanish with a challenge to Rubio to discuss their views on immigration in that language. Rubio’s confrontation with Cruz, who recently became the first Hispanic to win the Iowa caucuses, was interpreted by some […]
Many U.S. Catholics will understand Pope Francis’ Spanish-language Mass
A majority of all Hispanic adults identify as Catholic and a large majority of Hispanic Catholics speak Spanish fluently. Eight-in-ten Hispanic Catholics use mostly Spanish or are bilingual. In fact, they are more likely to be Spanish speakers than non-Catholic Hispanics (68%).
Hispanics of Spanish Origin in the United States, 2013
An estimated 746,000 Hispanics of Spanish origin resided in the United States in 2013, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
