The United States celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 through October 15. During this month, we celebrate and recognize the contributions Hispanic and Latino Americans have made to American society and culture. Congress chose September 15 as the start of the celebration in recognition of the anniversaries of independence in Costa Rico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence September 16 and 18, respectively.
The U.S. Census Bureau collects a variety of information concerning the history of Hispanics in the United States. For example:
September 17 is Constitution Day, which commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The Constitution specifically calls for a census of the population to be taken every 10 years.
The Census Bureau began collecting data for the Puerto Rico Community Survey in November 2004 and released the first estimates from the data in 2006. The 2006-2010 5-year estimates for educational attainment in Puerto Rico show 25 percent of the population has a high school diploma and an additional 42 percent of the population has at least some college education.
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