This statistical profile provides key demographic information of Latino eligible voters in New York.1 It also contains data on other major groups of eligible voters in New York.2 All data are based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey.3

Hispanics in New York’s Eligible Voter Population

  • The Hispanic population in New York is the fourth-largest in the nation. More than 3.2 million Hispanics reside in New York, 7% of all Hispanics in the United States.
  • The population in New York is 17% Hispanic, the 8th-highest Hispanic population share nationally.
  • There are nearly 1.6 million eligible Hispanic voters in New York—the fourth-largest Hispanic eligible-voter population nationally. California ranks first with 5.4 million.
  • Some 12% of eligible voters in New York are Latinos, the eighth-largest Hispanic eligible voter population share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 38%.
  • Less than half (48%) of Latinos in New York are eligible to vote, ranking New York 12th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. In contrast, 77% of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters

  • Age. Nearly three-in-ten of Hispanic eligible voters in New York (28%) are ages 18 to 29, a lesser share than all Latino eligible voters nationwide (31%) in that age range. By contrast, only 22% of all New York eligible voters and all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.
  • Citizenship. Three-in-ten of Hispanic eligible voters in New York (30%) are naturalized U.S. citizens, compared with 16% of all New York eligible voters. Hispanic eligible voters in New York are less likely to be native-born citizens (70%) than are Hispanic eligible voters nationwide (74%).
  • Educational Attainment. Nearly three-in-ten of Latino eligible voters in New York (28%) have not completed high school. That was greater than the rate for all Latino eligible voters—26%—and the rate for U.S. eligible voters nationwide—13%.
  • Homeownership. Only 34% of Hispanic eligible voters in New York live in owner-occupied homes, compared with 60% of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. All eligible voters in the U.S. are more than twice as likely to live in an owner-occupied home as New York Hispanic eligible voters—70% versus 34%.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in New York, by Race and Ethnicity

  • Number of Latino Eligible Voters. Black eligible voters in New York outnumber Hispanic eligible voters—1.8 million blacks compared with 1.6 million Hispanics. Hispanic eligible voters outnumber Asian eligible voters in New York by more than 2 to 1—1.6 million to 643,000.
  • Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than other major racial groups in New York. Nearly three-in-ten of Latino eligible voters in New York (28%) are ages 18 to 29 compared with 26% of black eligible voters, 20% of Asian eligible voters and 19% of white eligible voters.
  • Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do white and black eligible voters in New York. Some 28% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained at least a high school diploma compared with 20% of black and 9% of white eligible voters.
  • Homeownership. White eligible voters in New York are more than twice as likely as Hispanic eligible voters to live in owner-occupied homes—71% versus 34%.