Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States and, after Asians, they are the fastest growing. At 54 million, Latinos represent 17% of the population. The Hispanic population is expected to reach about 106 million in 2050, about double what it is today, according to recent projections by the U.S. Census Bureau. Since 1970, the Hispanic population has grown 592%, largely because of the arrival of new immigrants from Latin America — especially Mexico, according to the Pew Research Center. Between 2000 and 2010 alone, Hispanics accounted for more than half of the U.S. population growth in the U.S.
Georgia is home to nearly 1 million Latinos, accounting for 9% of the state’s population, and is among the top 10 states with the largest Hispanic populations. Georgia has seen a tremendous growth in its Latino population over the past few decades. From 2000 to 2010, the state’s Latino population grew by 96%.
Latinos now account for 11 percent of Atlanta’s population, with over half of the state’s one million Hispanic residents living in the metro area’s four county core – Cobb, Fulton, DeKalb and Gwinnett. Yet despite this considerable growth and the significant role the Hispanic demographic now plays in the economic success of the region, one-third of Latino immigrants in Atlanta live in poverty; 25 percent of Latino families are food insecure; 42 percent of Latino students drop out of high school; and only 13 percent of Latino young adults earn a college degree.
The primary countries of origin of our clients are Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Colombia.
For more information:
- The Pew Research Center offers a treasure-trove of information on the Latino population in its “Hispanic Trends” series.
http://www.pewhispanic.org - A historic overview of Latino immigration and the demographic transformation of the United States (National Park Service)
http://www.nps.gov/latino/latinothemestudy/immigration.htm - Latino population booms in the South: Pew (Huffington Post, September 2013)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/03/latino-population-growth_n_3860441.html - Study: U.S. Hispanic population dispersing but still anchored in 3 states (CNN, August 2013)
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/29/us/hispanic-population-trend/index.html - Fast growth of Latino population blurs traditional U.S. racial lines (New York Daily News, March 2013)
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/fast-growth-latino-population-blurs-traditional-u-s-racial-lines-article-1.1291138