Cultura y noticias hispanas del Valle del Hudson
Mariel Fiori, La Voz Managing Editor
Clear Numbers During Hispanic Heritage Month
Por Mariel Fiori
September 2024
In this country, we put everything in its place. As mandated by the government, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (from September 15 to October 15) in recognition of the achievements and contributions of Hispanic-American leaders who have inspired others to achieve success. This celebration began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week, under President Lyndon Johnson, and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to a 30-day period. It became law on August 17, 1988.
The celebration begins in mid-September to coincide with the independence days of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, followed by Mexico on September 16, Chile on September 18, and Belize on September 21.
Here I share the statistics of us, the so-called Hispanics in the United States. In the September issue of La Voz magazine, you can find many ideas to go celebrate this month in all kinds of local events, as well as reflections on what it means to be Latino. What does a Hispanic or Latino look like to you?
In New York, as of June this year, we have a Hispanic population of 3,873,130 people, making us one of the states with the largest Hispanic population in the country. Latinos represent about 19% of New York's population. With these numbers, nearly one in five New Yorkers today identifies as Latino or Hispanic.
Did you know that the first Hispanic in New York was a man named Juan Rodríguez? According to research by the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, the first non-native settler of what is now known as Manhattan was Juan Rodríguez, a sailor who arrived on a Dutch ship in 1613. Born to a Portuguese father and African mother, Rodríguez came from the Spanish colony of Hispaniola (now the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti).
According to the Census, as of July 1, 2023, the Hispanic population in the United States was 65.2 million, making it the largest racial or ethnic minority in the country at 19.5% of the total population. The Hispanic population has multiplied more than six times since 1970, when it accounted for only 5% of the U.S. population.
Where are we Hispanics from? Mostly from Mexico. The Pew Hispanic Center indicates that the approximately 37.4 million people of Mexican origin in the U.S. represented nearly 60% of the country's Hispanic population in 2022. Those of Puerto Rican origin are the next largest group, with 5.9 million, not including the 3.2 million Puerto Ricans living on the island. Six other Hispanic origin groups in the U.S. each have one million or more people: Salvadorans, Cubans, Dominicans, Guatemalans, Colombians, and Hondurans. Additionally, Spaniards represent nearly a million Latinos in the United States.
Following the political, economic, and social cycles in Latin America, it’s no surprise that Venezuelans have had the fastest population growth among Latinos in the United States. From 2010 to 2022, the Venezuelan-origin population in the U.S. increased by 236% to 815,000. Four other groups registered growth rates of over 50%: Hondurans increased by 67%, followed by Guatemalans (62%), Dominicans (59%), and Colombians (51%).
However, it’s the newborns, not the immigrants, who have driven recent growth among U.S. Hispanics. During the 2010s, an average of 1 million Hispanic babies were born each year, slightly more than during the 2000s. At the same time, around 350,000 Hispanic immigrants arrived annually, a substantial decrease compared to the previous two decades.
Therefore, the proportion of Latinos in the U.S. who speak English fluently is increasing. In 2022, 72% of Latinos aged 5 or older spoke English fluently, up from 59% in 2000. However, nearly 40 million Hispanics prefer to speak Spanish at home. Additionally, good news, the proportion of Hispanics with some college experience has increased since 2010. About 45% of Hispanics aged 25 and older had at least some college experience in 2022, up from 36% in 2010.
And one last statistic during election times: 81%, or four out of five Latinos, are U.S. citizens. This includes people born in the United States and Puerto Rico, people born abroad to U.S. parents, and immigrants who have become naturalized citizens. Will we all vote?
Mariel Fiori
Managing Editor
back to top
COPYRIGHT 2024
La Voz, Cultura y noticias hispanas del Valle de Hudson
The celebration begins in mid-September to coincide with the independence days of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, followed by Mexico on September 16, Chile on September 18, and Belize on September 21.
Here I share the statistics of us, the so-called Hispanics in the United States. In the September issue of La Voz magazine, you can find many ideas to go celebrate this month in all kinds of local events, as well as reflections on what it means to be Latino. What does a Hispanic or Latino look like to you?
In New York, as of June this year, we have a Hispanic population of 3,873,130 people, making us one of the states with the largest Hispanic population in the country. Latinos represent about 19% of New York's population. With these numbers, nearly one in five New Yorkers today identifies as Latino or Hispanic.
Did you know that the first Hispanic in New York was a man named Juan Rodríguez? According to research by the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, the first non-native settler of what is now known as Manhattan was Juan Rodríguez, a sailor who arrived on a Dutch ship in 1613. Born to a Portuguese father and African mother, Rodríguez came from the Spanish colony of Hispaniola (now the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti).
According to the Census, as of July 1, 2023, the Hispanic population in the United States was 65.2 million, making it the largest racial or ethnic minority in the country at 19.5% of the total population. The Hispanic population has multiplied more than six times since 1970, when it accounted for only 5% of the U.S. population.
Where are we Hispanics from? Mostly from Mexico. The Pew Hispanic Center indicates that the approximately 37.4 million people of Mexican origin in the U.S. represented nearly 60% of the country's Hispanic population in 2022. Those of Puerto Rican origin are the next largest group, with 5.9 million, not including the 3.2 million Puerto Ricans living on the island. Six other Hispanic origin groups in the U.S. each have one million or more people: Salvadorans, Cubans, Dominicans, Guatemalans, Colombians, and Hondurans. Additionally, Spaniards represent nearly a million Latinos in the United States.
Following the political, economic, and social cycles in Latin America, it’s no surprise that Venezuelans have had the fastest population growth among Latinos in the United States. From 2010 to 2022, the Venezuelan-origin population in the U.S. increased by 236% to 815,000. Four other groups registered growth rates of over 50%: Hondurans increased by 67%, followed by Guatemalans (62%), Dominicans (59%), and Colombians (51%).
However, it’s the newborns, not the immigrants, who have driven recent growth among U.S. Hispanics. During the 2010s, an average of 1 million Hispanic babies were born each year, slightly more than during the 2000s. At the same time, around 350,000 Hispanic immigrants arrived annually, a substantial decrease compared to the previous two decades.
Therefore, the proportion of Latinos in the U.S. who speak English fluently is increasing. In 2022, 72% of Latinos aged 5 or older spoke English fluently, up from 59% in 2000. However, nearly 40 million Hispanics prefer to speak Spanish at home. Additionally, good news, the proportion of Hispanics with some college experience has increased since 2010. About 45% of Hispanics aged 25 and older had at least some college experience in 2022, up from 36% in 2010.
And one last statistic during election times: 81%, or four out of five Latinos, are U.S. citizens. This includes people born in the United States and Puerto Rico, people born abroad to U.S. parents, and immigrants who have become naturalized citizens. Will we all vote?
Mariel Fiori
Managing Editor
back to top
COPYRIGHT 2024
La Voz, Cultura y noticias hispanas del Valle de Hudson
Comments | |
| Sorry, there are no comments at this time. |