How we did this<\/summary>\nAs part of our ongoing research about Hispanics in the United States, we analyzed how this group has changed over time using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The decennial census (PL94-171 census data<\/a>) provided some historical state and national population counts, and population estimates<\/a> provided the latest data on total population, births and immigration.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe also examined characteristics of the U.S. Hispanic population using the American Community Survey (ACS), which provides data for states and the U.S. on Hispanic origin, language use, country of birth and educational attainment. Data from the 2024 ACS and some earlier years is from tabulations released by the U.S. Census Bureau<\/a>. Some ACS data for earlier years is from Pew Research Center tabulations of microdata from IPUMS-USA<\/a> from the University of Minnesota.<\/p>\n\n\n\nData on characteristics and legal status of U.S. immigrants in 2023 comes from Center analysis of augmented and supplemented 2023 American Community Survey data (IPUMS<\/a>). Read the methodology<\/a> of this recent report<\/a> for more details.<\/p>\n\n\n\nData on births and their parents\u2019 ethnicity comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics\u2019 \u201cNational Vital Statistics System, Natality, 2016-2024.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\nHere are some key facts about today\u2019s U.S. Latino population (click on each to learn more):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Latinos have played a major role in U.S. population growth.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The sources of Hispanic population growth have changed in recent years.<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Latinos are younger than other racial and ethnic groups.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Immigrants have declined as a share of the U.S. Hispanic population since 2000.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Most Latinos are U.S. citizens.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- U.S. Latinos trace their roots to many countries.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Puerto Rico\u2019s population continues to decline.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- California and Texas have the nation\u2019s largest Hispanic populations.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Hispanic populations in U.S. metropolitan areas vary widely.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The religious affiliation of U.S. Latinos is changing.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The share of U.S. Hispanics who speak English proficiently is growing.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The share of U.S. Hispanics with college experience is rising.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Latinos have played a major role in U.S. population growth<\/h4>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/SR_25.10.22_latino-key-facts_1.png?w=640\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe U.S. Hispanic population reached 68 million in 2024, almost doubling in size since 2000. Hispanics made up 20% of people in the U.S. in 2024, up from 13% in 2000 and just 5% in 1970.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The arrival of large numbers of immigrants<\/a> from Latin America in 2023 and 2024 led to Hispanic population increases of almost 2 million annually, the largest yearly increases on record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/SR_25.10.22_latino-key-facts_2.png?w=640\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nHispanics have played a major role in overall U.S. population growth since 2000. The nation\u2019s population grew by 58.7 million people from 2000 to 2024, and Hispanics accounted for 56% of this increase \u2013 a greater share than any other racial or ethnic group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next-closest groups were non-Hispanic people who identify as Asian and those who identify with two or more races. Their respective populations grew by 10.9 million during this time, each accounting for 19% of the overall increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sources of Hispanic population growth have changed in recent years<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Immigration was the principal driver of Hispanic population growth during the 1980s and \u201990s, though Hispanic births also made a significant contribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/SR_25.10.22_latino-key-facts_3.png?w=640\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis changed dramatically after 2000. Births became the main source of Hispanic population growth, especially as immigration declined<\/a> after the Great Recession in 2008 and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMore recently, immigration has again played a leading role in Latino population growth. From 2021 to 2024, both legal and illegal immigration rose sharply<\/a>, with more than a million immigrants from Latin America arriving annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn 2025, the pattern is expected to revert to 2000-2021 trends as a result of recent immigration policy changes by the Trump administration. Preliminary data<\/a> suggests that births will likely exceed the number of newly arriving immigrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHispanic births aren\u2019t just a major driver of Hispanic population growth. They\u2019re also a major driver of overall U.S. population growth. In 2024, 32% of infants born in the U.S. had a Hispanic mother or father<\/a>, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data \u2013 significantly larger than the share of Americans who are Hispanic (20%).<\/p>\n\n\n\nLatinos are younger than other racial and ethnic groups<\/h4>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/SR_25.10.22_latino-key-facts_4.png?w=640\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn 2024, the median age among Hispanics in the U.S. was 31.2. By comparison, the median age was 36.2 among Black Americans, 39.0 among Asian Americans and 43.2 among White Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expressed another way, Hispanics account for a larger share of the U.S. population in younger age groups and a smaller share of the population in older age groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among Hispanics, those born in the U.S. are younger than immigrants. In 2023, the median age of U.S.-born Hispanics was 21.4, while it was 43.6 among immigrant Hispanics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Immigrants have declined as a share of the U.S. Hispanic population since 2000<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
A record 22.7 million Hispanics were immigrants in 2024, up from 14.1 million in 2000. But as a percentage<\/em> of the nation\u2019s Hispanic population, their share has declined in recent decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn 2000, 40% of Hispanics were immigrants. That percentage fell to 32% in 2021 before ticking up to 33% in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/SR_25.10.22_latino-key-facts_5.png?w=620\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nMost Latinos are U.S. citizens<\/h4>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/SR_25.10.22_latino-key-facts_6.png?w=620\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn 2024, 79% of all U.S. Latinos were U.S. citizens, up from 71% in 2000. Two-thirds (67%) are U.S. citizens by birth, including people born in the U.S. and its territories (e.g., Puerto Rico) plus people born abroad to American parents. About 13% of Latinos are immigrants who have become naturalized U.S. citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to Hispanic immigrants, Pew Research Center estimates that 59% are lawful immigrants while 41% are unauthorized immigrants<\/a>, based on data from 2023. This is larger than the share of all U.S. immigrants who are unauthorized (27%).<\/p>\n\n\n\nLooked at another way, Latino unauthorized immigrants represented 14% of all U.S. Latinos in 2023. This is larger than unauthorized immigrants\u2019 share (4%) of the U.S. population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Related:<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>What the data says about immigrants in the U.S.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nU.S. Latinos trace their roots to many countries<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Hispanics have family roots in the countries of Latin America and Spain. But while Hispanics come from many countries, a few groups made up most of the population in 2024:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Mexicans are the largest single group. The roughly 40 million people of Mexican origin in the U.S. represented 57% of the nation\u2019s Hispanic population in 2024.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- At 6.1 million, people of Puerto Rican origin are the next largest group in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. An additional 3.2 million Hispanics lived in Puerto Rico last year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Eight other Hispanic origin groups have 1 million or more people: Cubans, Salvadorans, Dominicans, Guatemalans, Colombians, Hondurans, Venezuelans and Ecuadorians.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Spaniards accounted for nearly 1 million U.S. Hispanics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/SR_25.10.22_latino-key-facts_7.png?w=640\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nOther Latino origin groups are smaller but have also seen fast growth since 2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Venezuelans are the fastest-growing Hispanic origin group, more than doubling in number between 2019 and 2024.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The number of Ecuadorians increased by 48%, the second-fastest growth rate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Chileans (+47%), Colombians (+43%) and Nicaraguans (+41%) all grew rapidly as well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
By contrast, the number of people of Mexican or Puerto Rican origin grew much more slowly during the same period (+5% for each group).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nPuerto Rico\u2019s population continues to decline<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Puerto Rico\u2019s population has declined by 500,000 people since 2010, from 3.7 million to 3.2 million. This decline has been driven by migration to the U.S. mainland and low fertility rates<\/a>, as well as the devastation caused by hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/SR_25.10.22_latino-key-facts_8.png?w=620\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nCalifornia and Texas have the nation\u2019s largest Hispanic populations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n![\"Line](\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/SR_25.10.22_latino-key-facts_9.png?w=640\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn 2024, 16.1 million Hispanics lived in California, more than in any other state. And 12.6 million lived in Texas, the second-largest Hispanic population by state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Latinos are also the largest racial or ethnic group in both states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- California reached this demographic milestone in 2014<\/span><\/a>. By 2024, Latinos accounted for 41% of the population.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- In Texas, Latinos became the largest racial or ethnic group in 2021 and now make up 40% of the population.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/SR_25.10.22_latino-key-facts_10.png?w=640\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nRounding out the top five states with the largest Hispanic populations are Florida (6.7 million), New York (4.0 million) and Illinois (2.5 million).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These five states together were home to 62% of the nation\u2019s Latino population in 2024. But this figure is lower than in 2010, reflecting the increasingly disperse Latino population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In New Mexico, Hispanics account for almost half of the population (49%). Hispanics have been the state\u2019s largest racial or ethnic group since the early 2000s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hispanic populations in U.S. metropolitan areas vary widely<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Hispanic populations in U.S. metropolitan areas differ widely in their origins. But in several places, Mexicans stand out. This is especially the case in the Western U.S. For example, 74% of Hispanics in the Los Angeles metro area and 85% of those in California\u2019s Riverside metro area are of Mexican origin. People of Mexican origin also account for around three-quarters of the Latino population in the Chicago (75%) and Dallas metro areas (77%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Northeast has more diverse Hispanic populations. In the New York metro area, Dominicans and Puerto Ricans are the largest Hispanic origin groups. In the Washington, D.C., metro area, about a third of Hispanics are of Salvadoran origin, the largest group in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some metro areas in the South also have diverse Hispanic populations. Notably, the Miami metro area has a sizable Cuban population, accounting for about 40% of the area\u2019s total Latino population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/SR_25.10.22_latino-key-facts_11.png?w=640\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe religious affiliation of U.S. Latinos is changing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Catholics are the largest religious group among Latinos<\/a>, though their share is declining. In 2024, 42% identified as Catholic<\/a>, down from 67% in 2010. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAround a quarter of Latinos (27%) were religiously unaffiliated in 2024, describing themselves as atheist, agnostic or \u201cnothing in particular.\u201d That was up from 10% in 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another 17% of Latinos identify as Evangelical Protestants. This share has been relatively stable since 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The share of U.S. Hispanics who speak English proficiently is growing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
In 2024, 71% of Latinos ages 5 and older \u2013 44.8 million people \u2013 spoke English proficiently. That was up from 59% in 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also examined characteristics of the U.S. Hispanic population using the American Community Survey (ACS), which provides data for states and the U.S. on Hispanic origin, language use, country of birth and educational attainment. Data from the 2024 ACS and some earlier years is from tabulations released by the U.S. Census Bureau<\/a>. Some ACS data for earlier years is from Pew Research Center tabulations of microdata from IPUMS-USA<\/a> from the University of Minnesota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Data on characteristics and legal status of U.S. immigrants in 2023 comes from Center analysis of augmented and supplemented 2023 American Community Survey data (IPUMS<\/a>). Read the methodology<\/a> of this recent report<\/a> for more details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Data on births and their parents\u2019 ethnicity comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics\u2019 \u201cNational Vital Statistics System, Natality, 2016-2024.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n Here are some key facts about today\u2019s U.S. Latino population (click on each to learn more):<\/p>\n\n\n\n The U.S. Hispanic population reached 68 million in 2024, almost doubling in size since 2000. Hispanics made up 20% of people in the U.S. in 2024, up from 13% in 2000 and just 5% in 1970.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The arrival of large numbers of immigrants<\/a> from Latin America in 2023 and 2024 led to Hispanic population increases of almost 2 million annually, the largest yearly increases on record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hispanics have played a major role in overall U.S. population growth since 2000. The nation\u2019s population grew by 58.7 million people from 2000 to 2024, and Hispanics accounted for 56% of this increase \u2013 a greater share than any other racial or ethnic group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next-closest groups were non-Hispanic people who identify as Asian and those who identify with two or more races. Their respective populations grew by 10.9 million during this time, each accounting for 19% of the overall increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Immigration was the principal driver of Hispanic population growth during the 1980s and \u201990s, though Hispanic births also made a significant contribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This changed dramatically after 2000. Births became the main source of Hispanic population growth, especially as immigration declined<\/a> after the Great Recession in 2008 and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More recently, immigration has again played a leading role in Latino population growth. From 2021 to 2024, both legal and illegal immigration rose sharply<\/a>, with more than a million immigrants from Latin America arriving annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2025, the pattern is expected to revert to 2000-2021 trends as a result of recent immigration policy changes by the Trump administration. Preliminary data<\/a> suggests that births will likely exceed the number of newly arriving immigrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hispanic births aren\u2019t just a major driver of Hispanic population growth. They\u2019re also a major driver of overall U.S. population growth. In 2024, 32% of infants born in the U.S. had a Hispanic mother or father<\/a>, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data \u2013 significantly larger than the share of Americans who are Hispanic (20%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2024, the median age among Hispanics in the U.S. was 31.2. By comparison, the median age was 36.2 among Black Americans, 39.0 among Asian Americans and 43.2 among White Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Expressed another way, Hispanics account for a larger share of the U.S. population in younger age groups and a smaller share of the population in older age groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among Hispanics, those born in the U.S. are younger than immigrants. In 2023, the median age of U.S.-born Hispanics was 21.4, while it was 43.6 among immigrant Hispanics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A record 22.7 million Hispanics were immigrants in 2024, up from 14.1 million in 2000. But as a percentage<\/em> of the nation\u2019s Hispanic population, their share has declined in recent decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2000, 40% of Hispanics were immigrants. That percentage fell to 32% in 2021 before ticking up to 33% in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2024, 79% of all U.S. Latinos were U.S. citizens, up from 71% in 2000. Two-thirds (67%) are U.S. citizens by birth, including people born in the U.S. and its territories (e.g., Puerto Rico) plus people born abroad to American parents. About 13% of Latinos are immigrants who have become naturalized U.S. citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to Hispanic immigrants, Pew Research Center estimates that 59% are lawful immigrants while 41% are unauthorized immigrants<\/a>, based on data from 2023. This is larger than the share of all U.S. immigrants who are unauthorized (27%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looked at another way, Latino unauthorized immigrants represented 14% of all U.S. Latinos in 2023. This is larger than unauthorized immigrants\u2019 share (4%) of the U.S. population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Related:<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>What the data says about immigrants in the U.S.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hispanics have family roots in the countries of Latin America and Spain. But while Hispanics come from many countries, a few groups made up most of the population in 2024:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Latino origin groups are smaller but have also seen fast growth since 2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n By contrast, the number of people of Mexican or Puerto Rican origin grew much more slowly during the same period (+5% for each group).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Puerto Rico\u2019s population has declined by 500,000 people since 2010, from 3.7 million to 3.2 million. This decline has been driven by migration to the U.S. mainland and low fertility rates<\/a>, as well as the devastation caused by hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2024, 16.1 million Hispanics lived in California, more than in any other state. And 12.6 million lived in Texas, the second-largest Hispanic population by state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Latinos are also the largest racial or ethnic group in both states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rounding out the top five states with the largest Hispanic populations are Florida (6.7 million), New York (4.0 million) and Illinois (2.5 million).<\/p>\n\n\n\n These five states together were home to 62% of the nation\u2019s Latino population in 2024. But this figure is lower than in 2010, reflecting the increasingly disperse Latino population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In New Mexico, Hispanics account for almost half of the population (49%). Hispanics have been the state\u2019s largest racial or ethnic group since the early 2000s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hispanic populations in U.S. metropolitan areas differ widely in their origins. But in several places, Mexicans stand out. This is especially the case in the Western U.S. For example, 74% of Hispanics in the Los Angeles metro area and 85% of those in California\u2019s Riverside metro area are of Mexican origin. People of Mexican origin also account for around three-quarters of the Latino population in the Chicago (75%) and Dallas metro areas (77%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Northeast has more diverse Hispanic populations. In the New York metro area, Dominicans and Puerto Ricans are the largest Hispanic origin groups. In the Washington, D.C., metro area, about a third of Hispanics are of Salvadoran origin, the largest group in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some metro areas in the South also have diverse Hispanic populations. Notably, the Miami metro area has a sizable Cuban population, accounting for about 40% of the area\u2019s total Latino population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Catholics are the largest religious group among Latinos<\/a>, though their share is declining. In 2024, 42% identified as Catholic<\/a>, down from 67% in 2010. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Around a quarter of Latinos (27%) were religiously unaffiliated in 2024, describing themselves as atheist, agnostic or \u201cnothing in particular.\u201d That was up from 10% in 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another 17% of Latinos identify as Evangelical Protestants. This share has been relatively stable since 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2024, 71% of Latinos ages 5 and older \u2013 44.8 million people \u2013 spoke English proficiently. That was up from 59% in 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Latinos have played a major role in U.S. population growth<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe sources of Hispanic population growth have changed in recent years<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nLatinos are younger than other racial and ethnic groups<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nImmigrants have declined as a share of the U.S. Hispanic population since 2000<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nMost Latinos are U.S. citizens<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nU.S. Latinos trace their roots to many countries<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
Puerto Rico\u2019s population continues to decline<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nCalifornia and Texas have the nation\u2019s largest Hispanic populations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nHispanic populations in U.S. metropolitan areas vary widely<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe religious affiliation of U.S. Latinos is changing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The share of U.S. Hispanics who speak English proficiently is growing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Line](\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/SR_25.10.22_latino-key-facts_12.png?w=640\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n