CB00-FF.11 September 11, 2000
Hispanic Heritage Month 2000:
September 15-October 15
Income and Poverty
- Hispanic households experienced their third consecutive year of rising
income, going from $27,043 in 1997 to $28,330 in 1998 a 4.8 percent
increase. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-188.html
- Hispanic per-capita income rose 4.5 percent between 1997 and 1998, from
$10,941 to $11,434. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-188.html
- The poverty rate for Hispanics declined during the same period, from 27.1
percent to 25.6 percent and the number of Hispanics who were poor in 1998
(8.1 million) did not change statistically from 1997.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-188.html
- The 1998 poverty rate among Hispanic groups ranged from about 31 percent
for Puerto Ricans and Mexicans to 14 percent for Cubans.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-38.html
- Families of Hispanic origin had a significant decline in their poverty
rate: 22.7 percent in 1998, down from 24.7 percent in 1997.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-188.html
Voting
- The voting-age population of Hispanics in November 2000 is expected to
be 16 percent greater than in November 1996.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-125.html
- The voter registration rate for Hispanics increased from 31 percent to
34 percent between 1994 and 1998.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-114.html
- More than one-half million more Hispanics voted in the 1998 congressional
election than in the previous one held four years earlier (4.1 million
compared with 3.5 million). In contrast, the number of people overall
casting ballots declined by 2.6 million.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-139.html
- The voter turnout rate among Hispanics remained unchanged between the
1994 and 1998 congressional elections, at 20 percent, in contrast to
the turnout rate among all adults, which declined from 45 percent to
42 percent. If noncitizens had been subtracted from the total number of
persons of voting age, the Hispanic turnout rate would have been about
13 percentage points higher in 1998.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-114.html
Education
- The proportion of the Hispanic population age 25 and over with a high school
degree or higher increased from 51 percent in 1988 to 56 percent in 1998.
The proportion of Hispanics with a bachelor's degree was 11 percent in 1998,
not significantly different from the 10 percent at this level of education
a decade earlier. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-221.html
- The estimated proportion of the Hispanic population age 25 and over with
at least a bachelor's degree in 1999 ranged from 25 percent for Cubans
to 7 percent for Mexicans.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-38.html
- Hispanics were a more sizable presence in 1998 in our nation's
elementary and high schools (14 percent) than they were in the general
population (11 percent).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-179.html
Families
- In 1999, about 68 percent of Hispanic families were married-couple families,
while 24 percent were maintained by a woman with no husband present and
8 percent, by a man with no wife present.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-38.html
- Eight in 10 Cuban families were maintained by a married couple in 1999,
the highest percentage among Hispanic groups.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-38.html
- In 1999, 34 percent of Hispanics, age 15 and older, had never been
married, while 55 percent were currently married, 4 percent were widowed
and 7 percent were divorced.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-38.html
Coming to America
- In 1997, 13.1 million (1 in 2) of the nation's foreign-born residents
were born in Latin America, an impressive increase from the 1.8 million
(1 in 5) who resided in this country as recently as 1970.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-195.html
- In 1997, there were four Latin American countries among the top 10 countries
of birth of the nation's foreign-born: Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic
and El Salvador. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-195.html
- Although U.S. residents born in Latin America can be found all across the
country, most live in only a few areas. The difference is the place of
birth of their Latin American-born residents. For example, in 1997, about 3
out of 4 U.S. residents born in the Caribbean lived either in the New York
or the Miami metro areas. And more than half of the Mexican-born population
lived in the Los Angeles and Chicago metro areas and the state of Texas.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-195.html
- In the Miami metropolitan area in 1997, people from Latin America made
up the overwhelming majority (87 percent) of the foreign-born
population. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-195.html
Population Distribution
- On July 1, 2000, an estimated 32.4 million Hispanics lived in the United
States. They comprised 11.8 percent of the total population on July 1,
2000, up from 9.0 percent on April 1, 1990. (These totals do not include
persons living in Puerto Rico, estimated at 3.9 million as of July 1,
1999.) http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/intfile3-1.txt
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-253.html
- The nation's resident Hispanic population increased by 10.1 million
people between April 1, 1990, and July 1, 2000.
http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/intfile3-1.txt
- The nation's resident Hispanic population is young, with an estimated
median age on July 1, 2000, of 26.6 years.
http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/intfile3-1.txt
- Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of the nation's Hispanics in 1999 were
of Mexican origin. People of Puerto Rican origin accounted for 10
percent of the total Hispanic population, while people of Cuban origin,
Central and South American origin and other Hispanics accounted for 4
percent, 14 percent and 7 percent, respectively.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-38.html
- According to projections, the Hispanic population will triple from 31.4
million in 1999 to 98.2 million in 2050. Under this scenario, the
percentage of Hispanics in the total population will rise from 12 percent
to 24 percent over the period and by 2005 they would become the nation's
largest minority group.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-05.html
- It is estimated that between April 1, 1990, and July 1, 2000, Hispanics
accounted for 38 percent of the nation's resident population growth.
According to projections, between July 1, 2000, and July 1, 2050, Hispanics
will account for the majority (51 percent) of the nation's population
growth. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-05.html
http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/intfile3-1.txt
As of July 1, 1999, according to population estimates:
- The Hispanic population of seven states totaled at least 1 million each:
California (10.5 million), Texas (6.0 million), New York (2.7 million),
Florida (2.3 million), Illinois (1.3 million), Arizona (1.1 million) and
New Jersey (1.0 million). Combined, California and Texas were home to
more than half of the nation's Hispanics.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-126.html
- The states with the highest concentration of Hispanics were New Mexico
(where Hispanics constituted 41 percent of the total population),
California (32 percent), Texas (30 percent), Arizona (23 percent),
Nevada (17 percent) and Florida, Colorado and New York (15 percent each).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-126.html
- The 10 counties with the largest Hispanic population were Los Angeles,
Calif. (4.1 million), Dade, Fla. (1.2 million), Cook, Ill. (930,000),
Harris, Texas (910,000), Orange, Calif. (800,000), Bexar, Texas
(780,000), San Diego, Calif. (750,000), Maricopa, Ariz., and Bronx,
N.Y. (about 580,000 each), and San Bernardino, Calif. (570,000).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-126.html
- All six counties where at least 90 percent of the residents were
Hispanic were in Texas. These counties were Starr (98 percent), Webb
(95 percent), Maverick (95 percent), Jim Hogg (93 percent), Brooks
(92 percent) and Zavala (91 percent).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-126.html
Between April 1, 1990, and July 1, 1999, according to population estimates:
- California (2.8 million), Texas (1.7 million), Florida (760,000), New
York (450,000) and Arizona (400,000) added more Hispanics than any other
states. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-126.html
- There were six states where the Hispanic population more than doubled:
Arkansas (where it increased by 170 percent), Nevada (145 percent),
North Carolina (129 percent), Georgia (120 percent), Nebraska (108 percent)
and Tennessee (105 percent).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-126.html
- The 10 counties that added the most Hispanics to their populations were
Los Angeles, Calif. (790,000), Dade, Fla. (300,000), Harris, Texas
(260,000), Maricopa, Ariz. (240,000), Orange, Calif. (240,000), Cook, Ill.
(240,000), San Diego, Calif. (240,000), Riverside, Calif. (210,000), San
Bernardino, Calif. (190,000), and Bexar, Texas (190,000).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-126.html
The Spanish Language
- The percentage of U.S. public high school students taking Spanish courses
more than doubled between 1982 and 1994, from 12 percent to 27 percent.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html
- In less than a decade's time, the number of registrations in Spanish
courses at U.S. colleges and universities climbed by nearly 50 percent
from 411,000 in fall 1986 to 606,000 in fall 1995.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html
- As of 1998, the United States had 20.2 million Spanish-speaking adults
age 18 and over 10 percent of the total adult population.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html
The preceding facts come from the Current Population Survey, the
Statistical Abstract of the United States and population estimates and
projections. The data are subject to sampling variability and other
sources of error. Previous Census Bureau Facts for Features this year:
African American History Month (February), Valentine's Day (February 14),
Women's History Month (March), Census Day, 2000 (April 1), Asian Pacific
American Heritage Month (May), Mother's Day (May 14), Father's Day (June
18), the Fourth of July, Back to School (August) and Grandparents Day
(Sept. 10). Questions or comments should be directed to the Census
Bureau's Public Information Office (Tel: 301-457-3030; Fax: 301-457-3670;
E-mail: pio@census.gov.
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