There are around 68 million Latinos living in this country, nearly a twofold increase since 2000, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center.
“The country is very different than it was just 25 years ago. Latinos are now a much larger part of the story,” said Mark Lopez, the director of Pew’s race and ethnicity research. “The Latino story is not happening in isolation. They’ve been a part of it since the country’s founding. There’s always been a presence of Latinos in the country, and today, they’re 1 in 5 [Americans].”
Here are six key takeaways from the report.
Population surges
In 2000, there were around 35.3 million Latinos in the country. In 2024, that number nearly doubled to 68 million — making Latinos one of the fastest growing racial and ethnic groups.
During this time frame, the country’s population grew by 58.7 million people. Latinos made up more than half of this population growth (56%). Now, 1 in 5 Americans are Latino, with the expectation that the population will continue to increase.
Over time, there’s been a constant back and forth between whether births or immigration are behind this sizable growth. In the ’80s and ’90s, most of the population increase was because of immigration. But in 2000, births became the main contributing factor until 2021. Between 2021 and 2024, the country saw both legal and illegal migrations increase greatly.
With Trump’s current immigration policies and the ongoing ICE raids, Pew researchers expect that births will likely once again exceed the slowing number of incoming immigrants.
Median age is 31
In terms of the median age of the largest racial or ethnic groups, U.S. Latinos are the youngest. As of 2024, the median age is around 31 years old. Comparatively, the median age among Black Americans is around 36. For Asian Americans, it’s around 39, and for white Americans, it’s closer to 43.
Looking specifically at U.S.-born Latinos, the median age is around 20. This means there is still a lot of growth expected as this group ages, starts families and enters the workforce.
Majority are U.S. citizens
As of 2024, 79% of all U.S. Latinos were U.S. citizens. The number increased by 8% from 2000. Of the 79%, two-thirds are citizens by birth, and 13% immigrants who became naturalized citizens.
40 million of Mexican origin
Of the country’s entire Latino population, Mexicans and those of Mexican descent are the largest single group (57%). There are roughly 40 million people in the U.S. who are of Mexican origin.
Mexican people also tend to populate Western metropolitan areas, like Los Angeles. In L.A., overall, 74% of people are Latino. But when venturing a bit outside city limits, there are enclaves like Riverside where 85% of residents are of Mexican origin. There are also sizable Mexican populations in Chicago and Dallas.
After Mexicans, the next largest group within the country’s Latino population is Puerto Ricans. They make up around 6 million people on the U.S. mainland and 3.2 million on the island of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.
California and Texas lead the way
The Golden State is home to the largest Latino population in the country. In 2024, 16.1 million Latinos made up 41% of the state’s population. They are the largest ethnic group in the state.
Around 12.6 million Latinos live in Texas, making the Lonestar State home to the second-largest Latino population in the country. Latinos became the state’s largest ethnic group in 2021, accounting for 40%.
More English speakers and college students
In 2024, 71% of Latinos age 5 and older spoke English proficiently. The number of Latino English speakers is up 59% from the year 2000.
There’s also been a boom in Latinos 25 and older who have attended college and earned degrees, with 46% of people having some college experience and 21% with a bachelor’s degree.
