Hispanic population in last 10 years accounts for half of U.S. growth

June 19, 2013

There are 33.5 million Hispanics in the United States. That is according to a Pew Hispanic Center study released Wednesday. Six Hispanic origin groups have populations greater than 1 million. People of Mexican origin make up 65 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population. The second largest Latino group is Puerto Ricans. They make up nearly 10 percent.

The Pew Hispanic Center used data from the 2011 American Community Survey. The Pew report shows that among the14 largest Hispanic origin groups are Salvadorans, Cubans, Dominicans and Guatemalans.

The study also shows Latinos of Mexican origin have the lowest median age of 25, while Hispanics from Cuba have the highest median age of 40. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanic population growth between 2000 and 2010 accounted for more than half of the nation’s population growth.