Latinos speak more English; there are fewer immigrants and more citizens

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In 2022, there were 63.7 million Latinos living in the United States. The U.S. Hispanic population has diverse origins in Latin America and Spain. Recently, the origins of U.S. Hispanics have begun to shift as patterns of immigration from Latin America change. Notably, the number of Mexican immigrants living in the U.S. has fallen as the number of immigrants who identify as Dominican, Venezuelan, Guatemalan, Honduran, Salvadoran or with another Hispanic origin has grown.

Here are 5 facts about the U.S. Hispanic population, its origin groups and how those groups differ from one another.

This analysis is based primarily on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey.

1. Eight Hispanic origin groups had at least 1 million people living in the U.S. in 2021. The five largest Hispanic populations in the U.S. by origin group were Mexicans (37.2 million), Puerto Ricans (5.8), Salvadorans (2.5), Dominicans (2.4) and Cubans (2.4). The other three origin groups with populations over 1 million were Guatemalans (1.8 million), Colombians (1.4) and Hondurans (1.1).

2. Venezuelans, Dominicans and Guatemalans are the fastest-growing Hispanic origin groups. Between 2010 and 2021, the Venezuelan population in the U.S. increased by 169%, from 240,000 to 640,000. This was by far the fastest growth rate among Hispanic origin groups. Dominicans and Guatemalans had the next-fastest growth rates at 60% each.

3. The share of Hispanics in the U.S. who speak English proficiently has increased. In 2021, 72% of the U.S. Hispanics ages 5 and older either spoke only English at home or spoke English very well, up from 65% in 2010. During that time, both U.S.-born and immigrant Hispanics became more proficient in the language. The share of U.S.-born Hispanics who were proficient grew from 88% to 91%, and the share among immigrant Hispanics grew from 32% to 38%.

4. Immigrants are a declining share of the U.S. Hispanic population. About 0ne-third (32%) of all U.S. Hispanics were immigrants in 2021, down from 37% in 2010. U.S. births to Hispanic parents outpaced the arrival of new immigrants in that span. As a result, the U.S.-born Hispanic population grew by 10.7 million while the immigrant population grew by 1.1 million.

5. The vast majority of U.S. Hispanics are U.S. citizens. About 81% of Hispanics living in the country in 2021 were U.S. citizens, up from 74% in 2010. U.S. citizens include people born in the U.S. and its territories (including Puerto Rico), people born abroad to American parents, and immigrants who have become U.S. citizens through naturalization.