While Mexicans still make up the largest share of U.S. Latinos, the population has become increasingly diverse in the last 20 years, with the fastest growth coming from countries in South America.
That’s according to a new report from the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute. Researchers used U.S. Census data from 2000 and 2020 to examine demographic and socioeconomic changes among Latinos descending from 19 countries. In those 20 years, the nation’s Latino population grew from 35 million to more than 62 million.
In particular, some Latino origin groups grew at faster rates than others. The Venezuelan community had the most growth, with a 550% increase. The number of U.S. Latinos of Paraguayan, Honduran and Guatemalan descent more than quadrupled.
The report attributed the increase to political and economical instability in those nations. Groups with a more established presence in the U.S., including Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans, grew at the lowest percentages.
In California, Uruguayans had the most growth with a 222% increase.
“Latinos are often treated as a monolith in discussions about policy, but our report finds great diversity in how different groups experience opportunities and gains,” said Rodrigo Dominguez-Villegas, the institute’s research director. “Through a better understanding of the shifts and trends, we hope to improve the conversation about how to better serve the needs of this diverse community.”
The report also shows how Latinos expanded their presence across the country, accounting for the bulk of population growth in many states. The migration largely occurred in areas of the Midwest and South.
The Latino populations in North and South Dakota experienced the fastest growth at 333% and 265%, while Kentucky, South Carolina and Alabama all saw increases above 200%.
California’s Latino population increased by 41% or roughly 4.5 million.
More college degrees and workers
Other key findings from the UCLA report found economic and educational gains, highlighting how each group experienced the shifts.
Overall, the proportion of Latinos with a bachelor’s degree or higher doubled, from 10% to 20%.
More than half of Venezuelans in the U.S. have at least a bachelor’s degree, which is higher than all other Latino groups and whites. Several other groups from South America, including Argentina and Chile, also had graduation rates higher than 40%. Meanwhile, Latinos with backgrounds in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico obtain bachelor’s degrees at rates of between 12% and 15%.
Today, one in every three Latinos speaks only English at home. That’s an increase from one in every five in 2000.
Latinos also saw the biggest decrease among all racial and ethnic groups living in poverty — a decline of 6 percentage points since 2000. This coincides with Latinos having the highest participation of working-age individuals currently in the labor force.
Poverty rates tend to vary significantly in Latino communities as well. South Americans generally have lower poverty rates and Mexicans and Central Americans have higher rates.
“A new snapshot is important in updating perceptions about the community,” said the report’s author, Jie Zong, a senior research analyst at the institute.
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