Hispanic influence grows in U.S.

Each year the U.S. observes National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens with ancestry from the Americas to the south, as well as Spain.

According to U.S. Census criteria, the term Hispanic, Latino, or Latina - or the more gender-neutral term Latinx - refers to a person’s culture or origin regardless of race.

This commemorative tradition began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Johnson, expanded by President Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

Why start mid-month? Sept. 15 is independence day for several Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its independence on Sept. 16 and Chile, Sept. 18. Columbus Day, or Día de la Raza, falls on Oct. 12.

Here are some of the latest facts about this segment of the American population from Pew Research and the 2020 Census:

It’s growing faster than average. The U.S. Hispanic population reached 62.1 million in 2020, up from 50.5 million in 2010. This 23 percent increase was faster than the nation’s total growth rate of 7 percent, but a smaller increase than among Asian-Americans (up 36 percent).

In 2020, Hispanics made up nearly one-in-five people in the U.S., up from 16 percent in 2010 and just 5 percent in 1970.

Overall Hispanic Americans represent more than half the total U.S. population growth since 2010.

Multiracial increases. The number of Latinos who say they are multiracial has increased dramatically. More than 20 million Latinos identified with more than one race (most often “White”) on the 2020 census, up from just 3 million in 2010. Some of this multiracial increase may not be actual numbers, as changes to the census form now make it easier for people to identify with multiple races and acknowledge growing racial diversity.

During the same period, the number of Latinos who identify as White and no other race declined from 26.7 million to 12.6 million.

Growth is in each state. All 50 states and D.C. have seen growth in their Hispanic populations since 2010. Three – Texas, California, and Florida - increased by more than 1 million from 2010 to 2020, together accounting for 43 percent of the nation’s Hispanic population growth. North and South Dakota have seen the fastest growth rate in their Hispanic populations since 2010.

It’s driven by births, not immigration. Newborns have driven growth in the U.S. Hispanic population, a trend that accelerated in the 2010s because of declines in immigration. From 2010 to 2019, 9.3 million Hispanic babies were born in the U.S., similar to the total from the 2000s. By comparison, 3.5 million Hispanic immigrants came to the U.S. from 2010 to 2019, down substantially from the 6.5 million who arrived during the 2000s.

This is a reversal of historical trends. In the 1980s and 1990s, immigration drove Hispanic population growth when more immigrants arrived than babies born. That’s no longer true.

Four-in-five Latinos are U.S. citizens. As of 2019, 80 percent of Latinos living in this country are U.S. citizens, up from 74 percent in 2010.

They’re as college-bound as other populations. The share of U.S. Hispanics with college experience has increased since 2010. About 42 percent of U.S. Hispanic adults aged 25 and older had at least some college experience in 2019, up from 36 percent in 2010. Looking at the general population regardless of ethnicity, 42 percent of Americans 25 and older had at least some college.

Looking at stats is hardly a complete picture of this plethora of rich, vibrant cultures and subcultures within our diverse nation. Like other cultures, both indigenous and immigrants reaching back through the centuries, they have and continue to shape our evolving American identities.

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Email Sholeh@cdapress.com.