U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Skip Header


Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands: 2000

Written by:
Working Paper Number POP-WP084

This report presents several demographic, social, and economic characteristics collected from Census 2000. The data shown in this report for the United States and Puerto Rico are based on the Census 2000 long-form questionnaire. Data items collected for the U.S. Virgin Islands were asked of the entire resident population. Data about the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Island Areas are generally shown separately and in separate reports, primarily because data users require information about specific geographic areas; different methods were used to collect data from different areas; and data for the United States would numerically overwhelm data from the other areas if all were shown together. 

This report provides a portrait of the Hispanic-origin population in the United States, Puerto Rico, and one of the U.S. Island Areas—the U.S. Virgin Islands. The U.S. Island Areas include the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Characteristics of Hispanics enumerated in American Samoa, Guam, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are not shown because the number of Hispanics is too small to ensure the confidentiality of the respondents. 

The federal government defines a Hispanic or Latino as a person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race. Thus, Hispanics may be any race. In Census 2000, Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands were asked to mark one of four categories: Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino. The last category had a write in option by which a person could provide a specific Hispanic-origin group such as Dominican or Spaniard.

In Census 2000, the total population of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands numbered 285.3 million. Hispanics represented 39 million or 13.7 percent of that population. The United States had the largest Hispanic population with 35.2 million. Puerto Rico had 3.8 million Hispanics and the U.S. Virgin Islands had 15,196 (Table 1).

Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021
Is this page helpful?
Thumbs Up Image Yes Thumbs Down Image No
NO THANKS
255 characters maximum 255 characters maximum reached
Thank you for your feedback.
Comments or suggestions?

Top

Back to Header