Latinos in the 2014 Election: Massachusetts

This profile provides key demographic information on Latino eligible voters¹ and other major groups of eligible voters in Massachusetts.² All demographic data are based on Pew Research Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 American Community Survey.³

Hispanics in Massachusetts’s Eligible Voter Population

• The Hispanic population in Massachusetts is the 16th largest in the nation. About 674,000 Hispanics reside in Massachusetts, 1.3% of all Hispanics in the United States.
• Massachusetts’s population is 10% Hispanic, the 18th largest Hispanic statewide population share nationally.
• There are 336,000 Hispanic eligible voters in Massachusetts—the 11th largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter population nationally. California ranks first with 6.4 million.
• Some 7% of Massachusetts eligible voters are Hispanic, the 16th largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 40%.
• Half of Hispanics in Massachusetts are eligible to vote, ranking Massachusetts 13th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. By contrast, 79% of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters

• Age. About one-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Massachusetts (35%) are ages 18 to 29, slightly higher than the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (33%) and the share of all Massachusetts eligible voters (21%) and of all U.S. eligible voters (22%) in that age range.
• Citizenship and Nativity. Among Hispanic eligible voters in Massachusetts, 24% are naturalized U.S. citizens. This compares with 25% of Hispanic eligible voters in the U.S., but just 10% of all eligible voters in Massachusetts and 8% of eligible voters in the U.S. overall.
• Hispanic Origin. Hispanic eligible voters in Massachusetts have a different Hispanic origin profile from Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. More than half (53%) of Hispanic eligible voters in Massachusetts are of Puerto Rican origin, 16% are of Dominican origin, 6% are Mexican, and 26% claim other Hispanic origin. Among all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide, only 14% are Puerto Rican, 3% are Dominican, 59% are Mexican, and 24% are of some other Hispanic origin.
• Educational Attainment. About one-quarter of Latino eligible voters in Massachusetts (27%) have not completed high school, triple the 9% of all Massachusetts eligible voters who have not completed high school and slightly higher than the 23% of Hispanics nationwide who have not completed high school.
• Homeownership. About one-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Massachusetts (32%) live in owner-occupied homes, compared with 56% of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Greater shares of all eligible voters in Massachusetts (66%) and eligible voters nationwide (67%) live in owner-occupied homes.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Massachusetts, by Race and Ethnicity

• Number of Eligible Voters. White eligible voters outnumber Hispanic eligible voters in Massachusetts by 12 to 1. There are similar numbers of Hispanic (336,000) and black (248,000) eligible voters in Massachusetts, and Hispanic eligible voters outnumber Asians by almost 2 to 1.
• Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than white, black and Asian eligible voters in Massachusetts. Some 35% of Latinos are ages 18 to 29, compared with 19% of white eligible voters, 28% of black eligible voters and 29% of Asian eligible voters.
• Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do white, black and Asian eligible voters in Massachusetts. Some 27% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained a high school diploma, compared with 7% of white eligible voters, 15% of black eligible voters and 14% of Asian eligible voters.
• Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters (32%) are less likely to live in owner-occupied homes than white (72%), black (40%) or Asian (62%) eligible voters in Massachusetts.