Latinos in the United States

Latinos in the United States
Tweedle · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Group	Latinos in the United States
Population	~62 million (2020 Census estimate)
Regions	California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois
Languages	Spanish, English, Portuguese, Indigenous languages
Religions	Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Islam, Santería
Related	Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latina, Hispanic

Latinos in the United States comprise diverse populations tracing origins to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Colombia, Honduras, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Portugal, and Caribbean and Indigenous communities. Concentrated in states such as California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois, Latinos shape urban centers like Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Chicago, and New York City through cultural, political, and economic contributions.

Demographics

Population estimates come from the United States Census Bureau and analyses by Pew Research Center, Brookings Institution, and Migration Policy Institute. Major ancestry groups include Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans, Salvadoran Americans, and Dominican Americans. Metropolitan areas with large Latino populations include the Los Angeles metropolitan area, San Antonio metropolitan area, Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Miami metropolitan area, and the New York metropolitan area. Immigrant gateways such as El Paso, Texas, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Arizona, and Tampa, Florida reflect patterns studied by scholars at Columbia University, University of California, Los Angeles, Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Miami. Demographic trends are measured by indicators like age structure, fertility rates, and internal migration tracked by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Department of Homeland Security analyses.

History

Longstanding presences began with Spanish colonization of the Americas, including settlements in St. Augustine, Florida, Santa Fe, and San Diego, preceding Louisiana Purchase and Mexican–American War (1846–1848). The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and Gadsden Purchase reconfigured citizenship and territorial status for Mexican-origin communities. The Spanish–American War influenced migration flows from Cuba and Puerto Rico, while the Bracero program connected labor systems across the United States and Mexico during and after World War II. Movements such as the Chicano Movement, leaders like César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, and organizations like the United Farm Workers transformed labor rights and civil rights advocacy. Puerto Rican migration accelerated after the Jones–Shafroth Act and urban concentrations emerged in neighborhoods like East Harlem and South Bronx. Cuban arrivals following the Cuban Revolution established diasporic hubs in Miami and entangled policy with Cuban Adjustment Act. Later refugee and asylum episodes involved Central American Civil Wars, Mariel boatlift, and family reunification through immigration reforms including the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 and Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Culture and Identity

Latino cultural expression encompasses music genres like mariachi, salsa, reggaetón, bossa nova, and bachata, with artists such as Selena, Celia Cruz, Ricky Martin, Bad Bunny, Shakira, Carlos Santana, Marc Anthony, Juanes, and Gloria Estefan. Literary figures include Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, Junot Díaz, Sandra Cisneros, Rudolfo Anaya, and Julia Álvarez. Visual arts and murals draw lineage from Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco, Jorge González Camarena, Pepón Osorio, and Betye Saar. Culinary influence appears through tacos, arepas, empanadas, ceviche, and paella, with culinary ambassadors like Rick Bayless and Pati Jinich. Celebrations such as Cinco de Mayo, Día de los Muertos, Hispanic Heritage Month, Fiesta San Antonio, and Carnival mark public identity, while institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and National Museum of American History curate Latino heritage.

Language and Education

Spanish remains widely spoken alongside English; bilingual education debates have involved legislation and courts such as Lau v. Nichols and policy discussions at U.S. Department of Education and State University of New York. Indigenous languages like Nahuatl, Mayan languages, Quechua, and Aymara persist in communities tied to Guatemala, Peru, and Bolivia. Notable education advocates include César Chávez-era organizers and contemporary figures affiliated with Teach For America, United Teachers Los Angeles, and National Education Association. Higher-education trends show enrollment patterns at University of California system, Florida International University, City University of New York, University of Texas at Austin, and Arizona State University, with scholarships from Hispanic Scholarship Fund and institutional programs like the Hispanic-Serving Institution designation.

Politics and Civic Participation

Latinos engage in politics through elected officials such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Julián Castro, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Marco Rubio, Cory Booker, Ted Cruz, Antony Blinken (national cabinet associations notwithstanding), and local leaders in Los Angeles City Council, Houston City Council, Miami-Dade County Commission, and Cook County Board of Commissioners. Voting behavior is analyzed by Pew Research Center, Latino Decisions, and campaigns of candidates like Beto O'Rourke, Sergio Osmeña Jr. (historical figures), and movements such as Nuestra Voz and Movimiento Latino. Policy arenas include immigration reform debates involving Dream Act advocacy groups, litigation before the Supreme Court of the United States, and grassroots organizing by Mi Familia Vota, Casa de Maryland, and Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). Political representation milestones include appointments and elections to United States Congress, state legislatures, and mayoralties in San Antonio, San Jose, and San Diego.

Socioeconomic Status and Employment

Labor sectors with high Latino participation include agriculture, construction, hospitality, healthcare, and technology, with employers in regions around Central Valley, Rio Grande Valley, South Florida, and the Northeast megalopolis. Labor rights and unions such as the United Farm Workers, Service Employees International Union, and Teamsters have intersected with Latino labor activism. Business ownership appears in small businesses represented by U.S. Small Business Administration data and organizations like the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Hispanic Publications. Economic disparities are documented by Economic Policy Institute, Urban Institute, and Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis analyses, while wealth and income gaps intersect with policies from the Internal Revenue Service and social programs administered in states like California, Texas, and Florida.

Health and Social Issues

Health outcomes are studied by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, World Health Organization collaborations, and community clinics like Federally Qualified Health Center networks. Disparities in access, chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, and maternal health have prompted research at Johns Hopkins University, Mayo Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, and public health departments in Los Angeles County and Miami-Dade County. Social issues include housing insecurity in markets like Los Angeles County and Cook County, immigration detention concerns involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and mental health services provided by organizations such as National Alliance on Mental Illness and Hispanic Federation. Public health responses during crises involved coordination with Federal Emergency Management Agency, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and local hospitals like Mount Sinai Hospital (Manhattan), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Category:Ethnic groups in the United States