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National Hispanic Heritage Month, which occurs each year from September 15 to October 15, celebrates the cultures, histories, and accomplishments of Americans of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. In 2013, there were more than 54 million Hispanics and Latinos in the United States, constituting 17 percent of the nation’s total population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Hispanic labor force has grown significantly in recent decades — increasing from 10.7 million in 1990 to 24.8 million in 2013. Among detailed Hispanic or Latino ethnic groups identified in the BLS Current Population Survey, Mexican Americans comprised 62 percent of the total Hispanic labor force in 2013.
Year | Total Hispanic or Latino | Mexican American | Puerto Rican | Cuban | Other Hispanic or Latino |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 |
10,720,000 | 6,707,000 | 960,000 | 603,000 | 2,450,000 |
1991 |
10,920,000 | 6,712,000 | 1,041,000 | 593,000 | 2,574,000 |
1992 |
11,338,000 | 7,091,000 | 1,048,000 | 577,000 | 2,622,000 |
1993 |
11,610,000 | 7,281,000 | 1,073,000 | 604,000 | 2,652,000 |
1994 |
11,975,000 | 7,567,000 | 1,026,000 | 604,000 | 2,778,000 |
1995 |
12,267,000 | 7,765,000 | 1,098,000 | 613,000 | 2,791,000 |
1996 |
12,774,000 | 7,943,000 | 1,170,000 | 637,000 | 3,024,000 |
1997 |
13,796,000 | 8,546,000 | 1,293,000 | 646,000 | 3,311,000 |
1998 |
14,317,000 | 9,096,000 | 1,249,000 | 651,000 | 3,321,000 |
1999 |
14,665,000 | 9,267,000 | 1,269,000 | 714,000 | 3,415,000 |
2000 |
16,689,000 | 10,783,000 | 1,411,000 | 740,000 | 3,755,000 |
2001 |
17,328,000 | 11,218,000 | 1,454,000 | 671,000 | 3,985,000 |
2002 |
17,943,000 | 11,542,000 | 1,546,000 | 635,000 | 4,220,000 |
2003 |
18,813,000 | 12,081,000 | 1,649,000 | 679,000 | 4,404,000 |
2004 |
19,272,000 | 12,340,000 | 1,610,000 | 769,000 | 4,553,000 |
2005 |
19,824,000 | 12,671,000 | 1,619,000 | 755,000 | 4,779,000 |
2006 |
20,694,000 | 13,158,000 | 1,599,000 | 807,000 | 5,130,000 |
2007 |
21,602,000 | 13,672,000 | 1,684,000 | 898,000 | 5,348,000 |
2008 |
22,024,000 | 14,009,000 | 1,822,000 | 897,000 | 5,296,000 |
2009 |
22,352,000 | 14,210,000 | 1,850,000 | 877,000 | 5,415,000 |
2010 |
22,748,000 | 14,403,000 | 1,906,000 | 970,000 | 5,469,000 |
2011 |
22,898,000 | 14,360,000 | 1,893,000 | 976,000 | 5,669,000 |
2012 |
24,391,000 | 15,128,000 | 2,090,000 | 1,102,000 | 6,071,000 |
2013 |
24,771,000 | 15,366,000 | 2,066,000 | 1,043,000 | 6,296,000 |
In New Mexico, Hispanics or Latinos represented 43.9 percent of the total labor force in 2013, the highest share of all states and the District of Columbia. California had the highest number of Hispanics or Latinos in the labor force, at 6,786,000, followed by Texas at 4,934,000.
These data are from the Current Population Survey and the Local Area Unemployment Statistics programs. State data are preliminary. For more data relating to persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, see Labor Force Characteristics by Race and Ethnicity, 2013 and Monthly Labor Review: Archives By Subject articles about Hispanic or Latino workers.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, National Hispanic Heritage Month at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2014/ted_20141001.htm (visited October 31, 2024).