The Evolving Latino Experience: Demographic Shifts and Rising Influence in 2025
By: Dieter K. Mouchkatine | Professional Intern at Saldaña Public Relations
The state of Latinos in America remains strong and diverse in 2025. Recent findings from the Pew Research Center show that while Latino demographics have shifted over the past several decades, overall trends point to continued positive growth and expanding influence across the country.
A major takeaway from the study is the renewed role of immigration in Latino population growth. In the 1980s and 1990s, immigration fueled most of the community’s expansion. Births later became the primary driver of growth through the 2000s and 2010s. Today, immigration has once again emerged as a central factor, reflecting broader changes in global migration patterns and an increasing level of diversity in the makeup of the US population as a whole.
Latino immigrants now come from an increasingly wide range of countries. People of Mexican origin remain the largest Latino group in the U.S., representing about 40 million people, or 57% of all Latinos, in 2024. Puerto Ricans are the second-largest community, with 6.1 million living in the states and D.C., alongside 3.2 million residents on the island. Eight other Latino groups each exceed one million people: Cuban, Salvadoran, Dominican, Guatemalan, Colombian, Honduran, Venezuelan and Ecuadorian. Nearly one million U.S. Latinos identify as of Spanish origin.
Latino populations have grown alongside rising educational attainment and increased English proficiency levels. Latino college enrollment and degree completion have expanded steadily, particularly among Latina women, though gains are evident across genders.
Additionally, 71% of Latinos ages 5 and older now speak English proficiently, up from 59% in 2000, a trend seen among both U.S.-born Latinos and immigrants. At the same time, the share of Latinos who speak Spanish at home has gradually declined.
The study also shows that Texas and California have the largest Hispanic populations in the U.S. Not only do more Latinos live in these states than anywhere else in the country, but they have also become the largest racial or ethnic group in both. Interestingly, California and Texas also have the largest state economies in the nation, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis in 2024. Relatedly, Latino communities are widely recognized as significant contributors to economic growth across the United States.
As the Latino population continues to expand and diversify, its story increasingly mirrors the story of America itself: one of constant change, resilience and the power of opportunity to shape generations.