Hispanic Heritage Month, a celebration recognizing the cultures, contributions and influence of Hispanics living in the United States, has a long history.
In 1968, National Hispanic Heritage Week started under President Lyndon B. Johnson. It then was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to span a 30-day period, Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The celebration begins in mid-September to coincide with national independence days in several Latin American countries: Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica on Sept. 15, Mexico on Sept. 16, Chile on Sept. 18 and Belize on Sept. 21.
Interesting facts from the Pew Research Center (1) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2):
- "The U.S. Hispanic population reached 62.1 million in 2020, up from 50.5 million in 2010. The 23% increase in the Hispanic population was faster than the nation’s growth rate (+7%), but a slower increase than in the Asian population (+36%). In 2020, Hispanics made up nearly one in five people in the U.S. (19%), up from 16% in 2010 and just 5% in 1970." (1)
- "Hispanics have played a major role in driving U.S. population growth over the past decade. The U.S. population grew by 22.7 million from 2010 to 2020, and Hispanics accounted for 51% of this increase, a greater share than any other racial or ethnic group." (1)
- "Newborns have driven growth of the U.S. Hispanic population, a trend that accelerated in the 2010s due to a decline in immigration. From 2010 to 2019, 9.3 million Hispanic babies were born in the U.S., similar to the total from the 2000s. By comparison, 3.5 million Hispanic immigrants came to the U.S. from 2010 to 2019, down substantially from the 6.5 million who arrived during the 2000s. This is a reversal of historical trends. In the 1980s and 1990s, immigration drove Hispanic population growth in the U.S. due to more immigrants arriving than babies being born." (1)
- "People of Mexican origin accounted for nearly 62% (about 37.2 million) of the nation’s overall Hispanic population as of 2019." (1)
- "Four-in-five Hispanics are U.S. citizens. As of 2019, 80% of Hispanics living in the country are U.S. citizens, up from 74% in 2010. This includes people born in the U.S. and its territories (including Puerto Rico), people born abroad to American parents and immigrants who have become naturalized citizens. Among the origin groups, virtually all Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. Spaniards (93%), Panamanians (88%) and Mexicans (81%) have some of the highest citizenship rates, while Hondurans (51%) and Venezuelans (48%) have the lowest rates." (1)
- According to CDC data as of Sept. 10, 2021, "Hispanics currently comprise 27.5% of COVID-19 cases in the United States, second only to whites (50.9%)." (2)
- "As of Sept. 1, 2021, the distribution of COVID-19 deaths among Hispanics between ages 0-24 is 37.3% followed by Whites (29.3%) and Blacks (24.6%)." (2)