American future: 55 million Latinos in U.S., one-third under 18

Washington Examiner – by Paul Bedard

There are 55.3 million Latinos in America, nearly triple the 1980 population, and those under 18 years old are the largest group, a demographic fact likely to influence the future of the country, according to Census figures.

A new analysis from the Pew Research Center, found that the vast majority are of “Mexican origin,” and most of the younger Latinos were born in the United States to immigrants. Hispanics represent over 17 percent of the total U.S. population and 21 percent of all millennials, said Pew.  

The new report helps to complete the picture of the U.S. immigration population, which previous reports pegged at 61 million.According to Pew, 35.3 million, or 64 percent of the total number of the Latino immigrant population are Mexican-origin. A 2008 Pew report said that more than half of the immigrants from Mexico were illegally in the United States.

A standout finding is the youth of the Hispanics. That population is far younger than whites or blacks.

Those under 18:

— 32 percent of Hispanics.

— 26 percent of blacks.

— 20 percent of Asians.

— 19 percent of whites.

“For the nation’s Hispanic population, youth is a defining characteristic. For example, among Hispanic eligible voters, 44 percent are millennial Hispanics — the single largest cohort of Hispanic eligible voters. And among the nation’s millennials, Hispanics are a greater share than they are among all American adults — Hispanics make up 21 percent of all U.S. millennials versus 15 percent of all adults in 2014,” said the analysis from Pew’s Hispanic Trends division.

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com

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