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U.S. Census Bureau Facts for  Hispanic Heritage Month 2007: Sept. 15 - Oct. 15

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In September 1968, Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to proclaim National Hispanic Heritage Week, which was observed during the week including Sept. 15 and Sept. 16. The observance was expanded in 1988 to a month long

celebration (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15). America celebrates the culture and traditions of U.S. residents who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Sept. 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively.

   Population

    44.3 million

    The estimated Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2006, making people of Hispanic origin the nation's largest ethnic or race minority. Hispanics constituted 15 percent of the nation's total population. (This estimate does not include the 3.9 million residents of Puerto Rico.)

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/010048

.html and http://www.census.gov/Press- release/www/releases/archives/population/007910.html

About 1

    . . . of every two people added to the nation's population between July 1, 2005, and July 1, 2006, was Hispanic. There were 1.4 million Hispanics added to the population over the period.     http://www.census.gov/Press Release/www/releases/archives/population/01

0048.html

    3.4%

    Percentage increase in the Hispanic population between July 1, 2005, and July 1, 2006, making Hispanics the fastest-growing minority group. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/010048

.html

    102.6 million

    The projected Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2050. According to this projection, Hispanics will constitute 24 percent of the nation's total population by that date.

    http://www.census.gov/Press Release/www/releases/archives/population/00

1720.html

    22.4 million

    The nation's Hispanic population during the 1990 census -- just slightly over half the current total.

http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-3.pdf

    3rd

    Ranking of the size of the U.S. Hispanic population worldwide, as of 2005. Only Mexico (106.2 million) and Colombia (43 million) had larger

Hispanic populations than did the United States (42.7 million). (Spain had

a population of 40.3 million.) http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbsum.html

    64%

    The percentage of Hispanic-origin people in households who are of Mexican background. Another 9 percent are of Puerto Rican background, with 3.5 percent Cuban, 3 percent Salvadoran and 2.7 percent Dominican. The remainder are of some other Central American, South American or other

Hispanic or Latino origin. (Source: 2005 American Community Survey)

    Roughly half of the nation's Dominicans live in New York City and about half of the nation's Cubans in Miami-Dade County, Fla. (Source: 2005 American Community Survey)

    27.4 years

    Median age of the Hispanic population in 2006. This compares with 36.4 years for the population as a whole.

    http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/01

0048.html

    107

    Number of Hispanic males in 2006 per every 100 Hispanic females. This was in sharp contrast to the overall population, which had 97 males per every 100 females.

    http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/01

0048.html

    States and Counties

    48%

    The percentage of the Hispanic-origin population that lives in California or Texas. California is home to 13.1 million Hispanics, and Texas is home to 8.4 million.

    http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/01

0048.html

    15

    The number of states with at least a half million Hispanic residents. They are Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington.

    http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/01

0048.html

    44%

    The percentage of New Mexico's population that is Hispanic, the highest of any state. Hispanics also make up more than a quarter of the population in California and Texas, at 36 percent each, and Arizona (29 percent).

    http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/01

0048.html

    4.7 million

    The Hispanic population of Los Angeles County, Calif. -- the largest of any county in the nation.     http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/00

7263.html

    305,000

    The increase in Texas' Hispanic population between July 1, 2005, and July 1, 2006, which led all states. California (283,000), Florida (161,000) and Arizona (102,000) also recorded large increases.

    http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/01

0048.html

    22

    Number of states in which Hispanics are the largest minority group. These states are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire,

New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming.

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/010048

.html

    Businesses

    Source for statements in this section: Hispanic-owned Firms: 2002, at http://www.census.gov/csd/sbo/hispanic2002.htm

    1.6 million

    The number of Hispanic-owned businesses in 2002.

    Triple

    The rate of growth of Hispanic-owned businesses between 1997 and 2002

(31 percent) compared with the national average (10 percent) for all

businesses.

    $222 billion

    Revenue generated by Hispanic-owned businesses in 2002, up 19 percent from 1997.

    45%

    . . . of all Hispanic-owned firms were owned by Mexicans,

Mexican-Americans and Chicanos.

    29,168

    Number of Hispanic-owned firms with receipts of $1 million or more.

    -- 43 percent of Hispanic-owned firms operated in construction; administrative and support, and waste management and remediation services; and other services, such as personal services, and repair and maintenance. Retail and wholesale trade accounted for 36 percent of Hispanic-owned business revenue.

    -- States with the fastest rates of growth for Hispanic-owned firms between  1997 and 2002 included New York (57 percent), Georgia and Rhode Island (56 percent each), and Nevada and South Carolina (48 percent each).

    -- Counties with the highest number of Hispanic-owned firms were Los Angeles County (188,422); Miami-Dade County (163,187); and Harris County, Texas (61,934).

    Families and Children

    9.9 million

    The number of Hispanic family households in the United States in 2006. Of these households, 62 percent included children younger than 18.

    http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_hous

eholds/009842.html

    67%

    The percentage of Hispanic family households consisting of a married couple.

    http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_hous

eholds/009842.html

    44%

    The percentage of Hispanic family households consisting of a married couple with children younger than 18.

    http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_hous

eholds/009842.html

    66%

    Percentage of Hispanic children living with two married parents.

    http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_hous

eholds/009842.html

    23%

    Percentage of total population younger than 5 that was Hispanic as of

July 1, 2006.

    http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/01

0048.html

    Spanish Language

    32.2 million

    The number of U.S. household residents 5 and older who speak Spanish at home. Spanish speakers constitute nearly one in eight U.S. household residents. Among all those who speak Spanish at home, more than one-half say they speak

English very well.

    (Source: 2005 American Community Survey)

    29%

    Percentage of Texas residents who speak Spanish at home, which leads all states. This compares with the national average of 12 percent. (Source: 2005 American Community Survey)

    78%

    Percentage of Hispanics 5 and older who speak a language other than English at home. Of that number, about half speak English very well.

(Source: 2005 American Community Survey)

    Income, Poverty and Health Insurance

    $37,800

    The median income of Hispanic households in 2006, statistically unchanged from the previous year after adjusting for inflation. (Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006,

at     http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/010583

.html)

    20.6%

    The poverty rate among Hispanics in 2006, down from 21.8 percent in 2005. (Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United

States: 2006, at     http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/010583

.html)

    34.1%

    The percentage of Hispanics who lacked health insurance in 2006, up from 32.3 percent in 2005.     (Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United

States: 2006, at http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/010583

.html)

    Education

    59%

    The percentage of Hispanics 25 and older who had at least a high school education in 2006.

    http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/009

749.html

    12%

    The percentage of the Hispanic population 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher in 2006.

    http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/009

749.html

    3.1 million

    The number of Hispanics 18 and older who had at least a bachelor's degree in 2006, up from 1.4 million a decade earlier.     http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/009

749.html

    839,000

    Number of Hispanics 25 and older with advanced degrees in 2006 (e.g., master's, professional, doctorate).

    http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/009

749.html

    11%

    Percentage of all college students in October 2005 who were Hispanic. Among elementary and high school students combined, the corresponding proportion was 19 percent.

    http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/007

909.html

    Educational attainment levels are higher among certain Hispanic groups than among others. For example, among Cubans 25 and older, 73 percent were at least high school graduates, and 24 percent had a bachelor's degree or

higher.

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/american_community_surve

y_acs/007748.html

    Jobs

    68%

    Percentage of Hispanics 16 and older who are in the civilian labor force. (Source: 2005 American Community Survey)

    17%

    The percentage of Hispanics 16 or older who work in management, professional and related occupations. Approximately 24 percent of Hispanics 16 or older work in service occupations; 22 percent in sales and office

occupations; 2 percent in farming, fishing and forestry occupations; 16 percent in construction, extraction, maintenance and repair occupations; and 19 percent in production, transportation and material moving occupations. (Source: 2005 American Community Survey)

    77,700

    Number of Hispanic chief executives. In addition, 49,200 physicians and surgeons; 53,700 postsecondary teachers; 29,000 lawyers; and 3,300 news analysts, reporters and correspondents are Hispanic. (Source: Upcoming Statistical

Abstract of the United States: 2008)

    Voting

    7.6 million

    The number of Hispanic citizens who reported voting in the 2004 presidential election. The percentage of Hispanic citizens voting -- about 47 percent -- did not change statistically from four years earlier. (Source: Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004, at http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/voting/004986

.html)

    Serving our Country

    1.1 million

    The number of Hispanic veterans of the U.S. armed forces. (Source: 2005 American Community Survey)