Facts on U.S. Latinos, 2015

Statistical portrait of Hispanics in the United States

This statistical profile of the Latino population in the 50 states and the District of Columbia is based on Pew Research Center tabulations of the Census Bureau’s 2010 and 2015 American Community Survey (ACS) and the 1980-2000 decennial censuses.

The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of more than 3 million addresses. It covers the topics previously covered in the long form of the decennial census. The ACS is designed to provide estimates of the size and characteristics of the resident population, which includes persons living in households and group quarters. For more details about the ACS, including the sampling strategy and associated error, see the 2010 or 2015 American Community Survey’s Accuracy Statement provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The specific data sources for this statistical profile are the 1% samples of the 2010-2015 ACS Integrated Public use Microdata Series (IPUMS) provided by the University of Minnesota and the 5% samples of the 1980-2000 decennial censuses. The IPUMS assigns uniform codes, to the extent possible, to data collected by the decennial census and the ACS from 1850 to 2015. For more information about the IPUMS, including variable definition and sampling error, please visit http://usa.ipums.org/usa/design.shtml.

Due to differences in the way in which the IPUMS and Census Bureau adjust income data and assign poverty status, data provided on these topics might differ from data on these variables that are provided by the Census Bureau.

For the purposes of this statistical portrait, the foreign born include those persons who identified as naturalized citizens or non-citizens and are living in the 50 states or the District of Columbia. Persons born in Puerto Rico and other outlying territories of the U.S. and who are now living in the 50 states or the District of Columbia are included in the U.S.-born population.