Census Results Shed Light on Latinos in America

By Michael Lopez

Ever wondered which state has the highest Latino population? Or which one has the lowest? The Pew Hispanic Center’s latest report holds the answer. Based on the findings of the 2010 U.S. Census, it has uncovered many significant facts about the Hispanic presence in America and where things may be headed within the next several decades.

If you’re looking for the country's densest Latino population, you may want to head to New Mexico. According to the study, Hispanics make up 46 percent of the state’s population. Interestingly, in the last ten years New Mexico residents have grown by 240,000, 78 percent of which are made up of Latinos.

And where can you find the second largest percentage of Latinos? That would be California. Currently at 38 percent (and growing), the Golden State now accounts for over 14 million Hispanics. For the record, the state with lowest population count is West Virginia, with just 0.7 percent declaring themselves Latino.

In total, the number of Latinos in the U.S. has reached a staggering 38.7 million. Though increases in New Mexico and California seem obvious, senior Pew demographer Jeffrey S. Passel did seem surprised by Hispanic population jumps in states like Kansas, Louisiana, and Alabama.

“In the traditional Hispanic states the estimates have been very close,” Passel said. “But it's in the newer areas where Hispanics have settled in the past ten years or so that the counts are coming in significantly higher.”

In fact, the increase in U.S. Latinos was so great, it actually exceeded the researchers' original estimations by 1.5 percent. Numerous reasons have come into play to explain the population boost. Pew demographers have attributed it to immigration, longer life spans, and more births within Hispanic households.

“The Hispanic population tends to be a younger population with higher fertility rates,” said Jon Stiles of the California Census Research Data Center.

One interesting statistic to point out is the decrease of Latinos in Arizona. The Census recorded only 1.9 million Hispanics in the state, 8.7 percent lower than what researchers expected. Could Jan Brewer’s controversial SB 1070 law have played a part? Perhaps. And it wouldn't surprise us if the missing Latinos wound up heading populating neighboring New Mexico.

Have you noticed an increased Latino presence in your state? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Census, Cultura, Education, Immigration, Pew Hispanic Center, Politics, U.S. Census