U.S. Hispanic Population Reaches 60 Million- U.S. Census

January 31, 2020

In September 1968, Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to proclaim National Hispanic Heritage Week to recognize the rich culture and contributions of Americans who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America and Spanish-speaking nations of the Caribbean. Just two decades later, lawmakers expanded the observance to a month long celebration, stretching from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

The timing is key. Hispanic Heritage Month – like its shorter precursor – always starts on Sept. 15, a historically significant day that marks the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The designated period is also a nod to those from Mexico and Chile, which celebrate their independence on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively.

The following facts are available thanks to the public’s invaluable cooperation and participation in U.S. Census Bureau surveys. We appreciate the information shared by each respondent as we continuously count and measure America’s people, places and economy.

Did You Know?

59.9 million

Is the Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2018, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or racial minority. Hispanics constituted 18.3% of the nation’s total population.

Hispanic-Owned Firms

Did you know?

That ten U.S. states have a population of 1 million or more Hispanic residents as of 2018 — Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Texas.

Did you know?
29.5 years of age

Is the median age of the Hispanic (any race) population, an increase of 0.3 years since 2017.

More Stats

See a detailed profile on the Hispanic population from the 2017 American Community Survey. Statistics include: