Census Bureau Facts for Features A product of the U.S. Census Bureau's Public Information Office CB99-FF.12 September 13, 1999 Hispanic Heritage Month 1999: September 15-October 15 Income and Poverty - Hispanic households experienced a 4.5 percent increase in their real, or inflation-adjusted, median income between 1996 and 1997, from $25,477 to $26,628. Meanwhile, the real per-capita income of Hispanics rose 4.8 percent during the same period, from $10,279 to $10,773. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-178.html - Overall, the number of poor and the poverty rate among people of Hispanic origin dropped from 8.7 million and 29.4 percent, respectively, in 1996 to 8.3 million and 27.1 percent in 1997. Hispanic families, meanwhile, experienced a decline in their poverty rate, from 26.4 percent in 1996 to 24.7 percent in 1997. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-178.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 with this level of education a decade earlier. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-221.html - In 1998, about half a million (514,000) Hispanics age 25 and over had an advanced degree (e.g., Master's, Ph.D., M.D. or J.D.). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-221.html - Hispanics are an increasingly large presence in the nation's schools: they comprised 14 percent of all elementary and high school students in 1997, up from about 6 percent in 1972. Similarly, 8 percent of college students in 1997 were Hispanic, up from 4 percent in 1977. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-124.html Coming to America - In 1997, the nation's total foreign-born population numbered 25.8 million, of which about 1 in 2 (13.1 million) was a native of Latin America or the Caribbean. Looking at individual countries, Mexico (7.0 million), Cuba (913,000), the Dominican Republic (632,000) and El Salvador (607,000) were among the biggest contributors to the nation's foreign-born population. The totals for the Dominican Republic and El Salvador are not statistically different from one another. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-57.html - As of 1997, nearly 4 in 10 of the nation's Hispanics were foreign-born. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-57.html Families - In 1998, 36 percent of the nation's 8.6 million Hispanic households consisted of traditional families -- married couples with their own children under -- 18 versus 25 percent for all U.S. households; additionally, more than half (57 percent) of all Hispanic households contained related children under 18 versus just over one-third (37 percent) for all the nation's households. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-228.html - Hispanic families were larger in 1998, with an average of 3.92 members than either African American (3.42) or non-Hispanic White families (3.02). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-228.html - In 1998, Hispanic children under 18 years old were twice as likely to live with both parents (6.9 million) as to live with only one parent (3.4 million). The other 551,000 lived with neither parent. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-03.html - About 701,000 Hispanic children lived in a grandparent's home in 1998. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-03.html - Among Hispanic men age 18 and over in 1998, 35 percent had never been married, 58 percent were currently married, 1 percent were widowed and 6 percent were divorced. Among women, the corresponding percentages were 24 percent, 60 percent, 6 percent and 9 percent. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-03.html Population Distribution - On June 1, 1999, an estimated 31.3 million Hispanics lived in the United States. They comprised 11.5 percent of the total population on June 1, 1999, 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, 1998.) http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-101.html http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-241.html - The nation's Hispanic resident population increased by 8.9 million people between April 1, 1990, and June 1, 1999. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-101.html - The nation's Hispanic resident population is young, with an estimated median age on June 1, 1999, of 26.4 years -- nine years younger than the median age for the nation as a whole. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-101.html - Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of the nation's Hispanics in 1997 were of Mexican origin, while 14 percent were of Central or South American origin, 11 percent were of Puerto Rican origin and 4 percent were of Cuban origin. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-137.html - It is estimated that between April 1, 1990, and June 1, 1999, the Hispanic resident population accounted for 37.3 percent of the nation's resident population growth. It is projected that, between July 1, 2000, and July 1, 2020, this group will account for 44.2 percent of the nation's population growth. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-101.html http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb96-36.html - By July 1, 2020, according to middle-series resident-population projections, the nation's Hispanic population is expected to reach 52.7 million (16.3 percent of the nation's total population). Long before that, by 2005, it is projected that Hispanics will surpass non-Hispanic African Americans to become the nation's largest minority group. Estimates indicate that this transition has already occurred among children under 18. On June 1, 1999, there were 11.1 million Hispanic children residing in the United States, outnumbering non-Hispanic African American children by 858,717. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb96-36.html http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-101.html As of July 1, 1998, according to population estimates: - The Hispanic population of seven states totaled at least 1 million each: California (10.1 million), Texas (5.9 million), New York (2.6 million), Florida (2.2 million), Illinois (1.2 million), Arizona (1.0 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/1999/cb99-170.html - The states with the highest proportion of Hispanics were New Mexico (where Hispanics constituted 40 percent of the total population), California (31 percent), Texas (30 percent), Arizona (22 percent), Nevada (16 percent) and Florida and Colorado (15 percent each). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-170.html - The 10 counties with the highest Hispanic population were Los Angeles, Calif. (4.0 million), Dade, Fla. (1.2 million), Cook, Ill. (900,000), Harris, Texas (880,000),Orange, Calif. (780,000), Bexar, Texas (760,000), San Diego, Calif. (720,000), Bronx, N.Y. (580,000), Maricopa, Ariz. (550,000) and San Bernardino, Calif. (550,000). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-170.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 (91 percent) and Zavala (91 percent). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-170.html Between April 1, 1990, and July 1, 1998, according to population estimates: - California (2.4 million), Texas (1.5 million), Florida (670,000), New York (410,000) and Arizona (350,000) added more Hispanics than any other state. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-170.html - There were four states where the Hispanic population more than doubled: Arkansas (where it increased by 149 percent), Nevada (124 percent), North Carolina (110 percent) and Georgia (102 percent). The population just missed doubling in Nebraska (a 96-percent increase) and Tennessee (90 percent). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-170.html - The 10 counties that added the most Hispanics to their populations were Los Angeles, Calif. (680,000), Dade, Fla. (270,000), Harris, Texas (230,000), San Diego, Calif. (210,000), Orange, Calif. (210,000), Maricopa, Ariz. (210,000), Cook, Ill. (210,000), Riverside, Calif. (180,000), Bexar, Texas (170,000) and San Bernardino, Calif. (170,000). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-170.html On July 1, 1996: - There were six metropolitan areas which had Hispanic populations in excess of 1 million. They were: Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, Calif. (5.9 million), New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N. J.-Conn.-Pa. (3.3 million), Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (1.3 million), San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Calif. (1.2 million), Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. (1.1 million) and Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, Texas (1.0 million). Among these metro areas, the two with the greatest concentration of Hispanics were Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County (38 percent) and Miami-Fort Lauderdale (37 percent). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.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/cb98-226.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/cb98-226.html - As of 1998, the United States had 19.6 million Spanish-speaking adults age 18 and over -- 10 percent of the total adult population. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html Businesses - The nation had 862,605 Hispanic-owned businesses in 1992, up 76 percent from 1987. These comprised 5 percent of all U.S. firms and had receipts of $76.8 billion (up 134 percent since 1987). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb96-110.html - As of 1992, 8 percent of the nation's 17 million small businesses could conduct transactions in Spanish. Among Hispanic-owned small businesses, the proportion was 60 percent. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-182.html - About two-thirds (68 percent) of U.S. Hispanic-owned firms in 1992 were located in California, Texas or Florida. And two counties -- Los Angeles County, Calif., and Dade County, Fla., combined -- were home to 1 of every 4 of them. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb96-110.html Jobs - In 1997, among employed persons age 16 and over, 12 percent of Hispanic men and 19 percent of women worked in managerial and professional speciality occupations (e.g., engineers, dentists, teachers, lawyers and reporters). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-137.html - As to individual occupations, the United States had 77,000 Hispanic engineers, 35,000 Hispanic physicians and about the same number of Hispanic lawyers in 1997. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html Homeownership - The Hispanic homeownership rate -- the percentage of Hispanic families owning the house or apartment in which they lived reached 46.2 percent during the first quarter of 1999. This represents an increase of about 6 percentage points from the first quarter of 1994. http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/hvs/qtr199/q199prss.html The preceding facts come from the Current Population Survey, the Statistical Abstract of the United States, population estimates and projections, the Survey of Minority-Owned Business Enterprises and the Characteristics of Business Owners Survey. The data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Previous 1999 Census Bureau Facts for Features: African American History Month (February), Valentine's Day (February 14), Women's History Month (March), Countdown to Census 2000 (April 1), Secretaries' Day (April 21), Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month (May), Mother's Day (May 9), Father's Day (June 20), the Fourth of July, Back to School (August) and Grandparents Day (Sept. 12). 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).
