The Hispanic community and the Spanish remain unstoppable in the United States. According to the 2020 decennial census, the total population of Hispanic origin exceeds 60 million people. Therefore, the percentage of the Hispanic population reaches 18.7% of the total. In addition, there are already almost 57 million Spanish speakers in the entire North American territory. Of these, 41.7 million people have Spanish as their native language. In comparison, there are two million more Spanish speakers than in 2020.
This follows from the report Spanish in United States Politics, prepared by Pablo García Bautista and Daniel Ureña for The Hispanic Council. The use of Spanish in the United States has grown so much that there are now more Spanish speakers than in Spain. In fact, many linguists no longer speak of “Spanish in the United States”, but of “Spanish of the United States”. Daniel Ureña, president of The Hispanic Council, stresses that the Hispanic community is already the minority group with the greatest electoral weight. “Aware that this vote is increasingly determining in US politics, the use of Spanish among representatives of Congress has been increasing compared to previous elections,” he adds.
According to Census Bureau data, the total population of the United States exceeds 331 million people. 12.2% of the total speak Spanish in their homes. That is, more than 40 million US citizens are Spanish speakers. However, according to the 2020 decennial census, the total Hispanic population exceeds 60 million people. Therefore, the percentage of Hispanic citizens exceeds 18.7% of the total. This means that 6.5% of the population of Hispanic origin knows Spanish, but uses English as the vehicular language.
In addition, more and more is studied in schools. In the year 2021, it has been recorded that a total of 24 million students studied Spanish as a foreign language in the United States. In total, 24,069,206 students. Close to two million more than in 2020 (22,329,275 students) and almost three million more than in 2019 (21,882,448 students).
Higher restocking rate
The data is devastating. The Cervantes Institute predicts that, in the year 2060, the United States will be the second country in the world with the largest number of Spanish speakers, only behind Mexico. According to these estimates, in four decades, one in three Americans will be of Hispanic origin. The replacement rate for Hispanics is the highest in the country. It is the youngest community and the one with the most children. Every two years, the population of Hispanic origin increases by two million people.
Age is a determining factor in projecting the demographic growth of a population. In the case of the Hispanic population in the United States, the population under the age of 18 is larger than the adult population. This means that, looking to the future, Hispanics will maintain their sustained growth over time.
Overall, the Hispanic population grew 23% from 2010 (50.5 million) to 2020 (62.1 million). According to the 2020 census, the three states with the highest percentage of Hispanic population are New Mexico (47.7%), California (39.4%) and Texas (39.3%). Due to their large population of Hispanic origin, these states are among the ten states in which the Hispanic population grew the least during the decade.
The three states in which the Hispanic population grew the most from 2010 to 2020 were North Dakota (148.1%), South Dakota (75.1%) and Vermont (68.4%). These three states are among those with the smallest Hispanic population in the entire United States. Vermont (2.4%), North Dakota (4.3%), and South Dakota (4.4%). There is not a single state on the map of the United States in which Hispanics have decreased between 2010 and 2020. There are 27 states with a Hispanic population of more than 10%.
Key role in politics
His influence has led Hispanics to play a key role in US politics. Of the 441 members of the House of Representatives, 45 are of Hispanic origin: 41 state representatives and four delegates. That is, 10.2% of the total number of representatives. However, the use of Spanish transcends representatives of Hispanic origin. In total, among the 441 representatives, 74 congressmen use Spanish in their digital communication. After the 2020 presidential elections, there are 22 states in which at least one of their congressmen uses Spanish in their digital communication.
In 2000, less than 20 million Hispanics had the right to vote, while in 2016 this figure exceeded 27 million, a growth of 70% in less than two decades. In the midterms of 2018, there were 29.1 million Hispanics with the right to vote. In the last presidential elections of 2020, the figure was above 32 million. The Hispanic community brought together 13.3% of the electorate.
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