We ask a question about whether a person is of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin to create statistics about this ethnic group.
Local, state, tribal, and federal programs use these data, and they are critical factors in the basic research behind numerous policies, particularly for civil rights. Data on the Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations are used in planning and funding government programs that provide funds or services for specific groups.
These data are also used to evaluate government programs and policies to ensure that they fairly and equitably serve the needs of the Hispanic population and to monitor compliance with antidiscrimination laws, regulations, and policies.
Though many respondents expect to see a Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish category on the race question, this question is asked separately because people of Hispanic origin may be of any race(s). The Census Bureau collects these data in accordance with the 1997 Office of Management and Budget standards on race and ethnicity. OMB requires federal agencies to use a minimum of two ethnicities in collecting and reporting data: Hispanic or Latino and Not Hispanic or Latino. OMB defines "Hispanic or Latino" as a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.
People who identify with the terms "Hispanic" or "Latino" are those who classify themselves in one of the specific Hispanic or Latino categories listed on the American Community Survey questionnaire and various Census Bureau survey questionnaires - "Mexican, Mexican Am., Chicano" or "Puerto Rican" or "Cuban" - as well as those who indicate that they are "another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin."
We use your confidential survey answers to create statistics like those in the results below and in the full tables that contain all the data—no oneis able to figure out your survey answers from the statistics we produce. The Census Bureau islegally bound to strict confidentiality requirements. Individual records are not shared with anyone,including federal agencies and law enforcement entities. By law, the Census Bureau cannot sharerespondents' answers with anyone—not the IRS, not the FBI, not the CIA, and not with any othergovernment agency.
We ask one question about a person's Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin to better understand demographic characteristics.
We compile the results from this question to provide communities with important statistics about the Hispanic population and to present other estimates by Hispanic or Latino origin. You can see some of these published statistics here for the nation, states, and your community.
Ensure Equal Opportunity
We ask about the Hispanic or Latino origin of community members in combination with information about housing, voting, language, employment, and education, to help governments and communities enforce antidiscrimination laws, regulations, and policies. For example, data on the Hispanic population are used to:
- Establish and evaluate the guidelines for federal affirmative action plans under the Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program.
- Monitor compliance with the Voting Rights Act and enforce bilingual election requirements.
- Monitor and enforce equal employment opportunities under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
- Identify segments of the population who may not be getting needed medical services under the Public Health Service Act.
- Allocate funds to school districts for bilingual services under the Bilingual Education Act.
Understand Change
Researchers, advocacy groups, and policymakers are interested in knowing if people of Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin have the same opportunities in education, employment, voting, and home ownership.
Infographic: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
[Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates]
FAQs
Hispanic or Latino origin includes people of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central and South American, Dominican, and other or unknown Latin American or Spanish origin. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race. On This Page.
Why do questionnaires ask if you are Hispanic or Latino? ›
We ask a question about whether a person is of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin to create statistics about this ethnic group. Local, state, tribal, and federal programs use these data, and they are critical factors in the basic research behind numerous policies, particularly for civil rights.
Is it more appropriate to say Hispanic or Latino? ›
If the group's language is the most important factor (i.e. describing a Spanish-speaking population), Hispanic may be the better choice. If where a person or group comes from (especially if from Latin America or the Caribbean) is most important, Latino and its variations are probably the better choice.
What population is Hispanic origin? ›
This ethnic group includes any person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. According to 2020 Census data, there are 62.1 million Hispanics living in the United States.
What is the origin of the Latino race? ›
Latino ancestry can be traced back to Indigenous populations, such as the Maya, Aztec, Taíno, and Inca civilizations, as well as to European and African roots from colonization.
Is Hispanic an ethnic origin? ›
How did Hispanics identify their race in the 2020 census? In the eyes of the Census Bureau, Hispanics can be of any race, because “Hispanic” is an ethnicity and not a race. However, this distinction is subject to debate.
Is Hispanic and Latino the same thing? ›
Hispanic refers to people who speak Spanish or are descended from Spanish-speaking populations, while Latino refers to people who are from or descended from people from Latin America.
Are Puerto Ricans Hispanic or Latino? ›
OMB defines "Hispanic or Latino" as a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.
How do you determine your ethnicity? ›
An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people who share distinct social attributes such as culture, heritage, language, history, religion, and other characteristics. Ethnicities are usually identified with a specific geographic region where their group originated.
Are Cubans Latino or Hispanic? ›
As of 2023, Cuban Americans were the third largest Hispanic and Latino American group in the United States after Mexican Americans and Stateside Puerto Ricans. Significant longstanding numbers in California, Texas, New Jersey, New York and Georgia.
If by Latino you mean speakers of a Romance language, then yes Italians are Latinos. But so are the French, Portuguese, Romanians and so on. If, however, by Latino you mean Hispanic, or better a Spanish speaker coming from the American continent then no, Italians are not Latinos.
Is Brazil Hispanic or Latino? ›
Officially, Brazilians are not considered to be Hispanic or Latino because the federal government's definition of the term – last revised in 1997 – applies only to those of “Spanish culture or origin” such as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American or other origins, regardless of race.
What groups are Hispanic origin? ›
It also looks at characteristics for the 17 largest origin groups among U.S. Hispanics: Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Salvadorans, Dominicans, Cubans, Guatemalans, Colombians, Hondurans, Spaniards, Ecuadorians, Peruvians, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, Argentines, Panamanians, Chileans and Costa Ricans.
Are Filipinos considered Latino? ›
Filipino Americans, for example, helped establish the Asian American movement and are classified by the U.S. Census as Asian. But the legacy of Spanish colonialism in the Philippines means that they share many cultural characteristics with Latinos, such as last names, religion, and language.
Is Filipino considered Hispanic? ›
In the US, Filipinos self-identify as Asian, not Hispanic/Latino. Even though the Philippines is a former Spanish colony, the country is not usually seen as truly Hispanic, because: The.
What does it mean to be hispanic? ›
Hispanic is an adjective that generally means “relating to Spanish-speaking Latin America” or to “people of Spanish-speaking descent.” It can also be used as a noun when referring to a US resident who is “of Spanish or Spanish-speaking Latin-American descent.”
What are the 5 ethnicities? ›
Definitions for New Race and Ethnicity Categories
- American Indian or Alaska Native.
- Asian.
- Black or African American.
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.
- White.
Mexican refers to an inhabitant or a native of Mexico which is a Latin American country. Hispanic refers to a person who speaks Spanish, one of Latin American descent and resides in the USA. In Mexico, Spanish is the main language but that doesn't mean that all Mexicans can and do speak the language.
