The Hispanic Population in the United States
Population Characteristics. Released March 2001 for March 2000 counts.
By Melissa Therrien and Roberto R.Ramirez


More of this Feature
• 1: Size & Composition
• 2: Family and Education
• 3: Economics
• 4: Sources and Method
• 5: Footnotes
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"The nation's Hispanic population has grown so rapidly that the 2000 Census shows their numbers are roughly equal to that of African Americans, a demographic shift that has broad implications for politics and culture at the beginning of the millennium."
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  1. For similar comparisons between the foreign-born and native populations in the United States, see Lisa Lollock, 2000, The Foreign-Born Population in the United States: March 2000, Current Population Reports, P20-534, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington DC.
  2. The population universe for the March 2000 CPS is the civilian non-institutionalized population of the United States and members of the Armed Forces in the United States living off post or with their families on post, but excludes all other members of the Armed Forces.
  3. The terms "Hispanic "and "Latino "are used interchangeably in this report to reflect the new terminology in the standards issued by the Office of Management and Budget in 1997 that are to be implemented by January 1, 2003. For more information, please refer to "Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity, "Federal Register, Vol.62, No.280, October 30, 1997, pp.58, 782-58, 790.In addition, being of a particular origin is determined by the respondent. For example, people who indicate that they are of Mexican origin may be either born in Mexico or of Mexican heritage.
  4. Puerto Rico is not included in the Current Population Survey.
  5. The four regions of the United States for which data are presented in this report are as follows: Northeast : Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Midwest :Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; South :Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; and West :Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
  6. The proportions for Puerto Ricans and other Hispanics are not significantly different.
  7. Family households consist of two or more people, at least one of whom is related to the householder (the person who owns or rents the housing unit). Hispanic family households have a Hispanic householder.
  8. There is no significant difference between the percent never married for Puerto Ricans and Mexicans, Central and South Americans, or other Hispanics.
  9. The proportion of Cuban high school graduates does not differ significantly from the proportion of other Hispanic high school graduates.
  10. Civilian labor force data shown in this report reflect characteristics of the civilian non-institutionalized population aged 16 and older for March 2000 and are not adjusted for seasonal changes. Data released by the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, may not agree entirely with data shown in this report because of differences in methodological procedures and their seasonal adjustment of the data.
  11. Among all the detailed Hispanic origin groups examined here, statistically significant differences in unemployment rates occur only twice: between Central and South Americans and Mexicans and between Central and South Americans and Puerto Ricans.
  12. The occupational classification system used here and by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is the one used in the 1990 Census of Population and is based largely on the 1980 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC).
  13. Data on earnings and poverty in this report refer to the calendar year before the survey. In this case, earnings information collected in March 2000 refer to calendar year 1999.
  14. Poverty status is determined through a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition (see Dalaker, Joseph, 2000, Poverty in the United States:1999 , U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, P20-207;or www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty.html ).

Contents > Page 1: Size and Composition , 2: Family and Education , 3: Economics , 4: Sources and Method , 5: Footnotes