A report from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) analyzed the demographic and socioeconomic changes of the Latino population between 2000 and 2020.
The UCLA Institute for Latino Public Policy and Politics released a report on the demographic and socioeconomic changes that Latino groups in the United States have experienced over the past two decades. One of the most important conclusions of the report is that currently one of every five residents of the United States is Latino.
In this sense, the Latino population has grown from 35 million in the year 2000 to more than 62 million in 2020, however, the growth has not only been registered at the demographic level. Today, the general levels of education, home ownership, and economic security have changed dramatically.
“Latinos are often treated as monoliths in policy discussions, but our report finds great diversity in how different groups experience opportunities and gains,” said Rodrigo Domínguez-Villegas, director of research at the Institute for Latino Public Policy and Policy. from UCLA. Likewise, he highlighted that understanding the changes and trends help improve the conversation on how to meet the needs of this very diverse community.
Despite the fact that almost 60% of Latinos in the country are Mexican, in recent years the population of immigrants from Paraguay, Honduras and Guatemala has grown by up to four times. The Venezuelan community, for example, has multiplied by more than six in the last 20 years.
The report also highlights the progress of the geographic expansion of Latino communities, outside of traditional areas. For example, places where Latino populations have historically been low, such as North and South Dakota, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Alabama, have more than doubled since 2000.
University education
Access to university education is also one of the great advances for the Latino community between 2000 and 2020. In this period, the proportion of Latinos with a bachelor's degree or higher went from 10 to 20%. However, there are various challenges among various subgroups of the Latino community, for example, greater progress has been registered in Venezuelans than in Mexicans, Guatemalans, Hondurans and Salvadorans.
Housing, employment and social development
The progress of participation in the labor force is another of the great achievements of the Latino community in recent times, since now the Latino community has 67% of people of working age. This has allowed the number of people in poverty to be reduced by 6%.
When it comes to homeownership, Latinos and Latinas are now more likely to own their own home. However, there are specific groups that saw a decline in home ownership.
The report finally indicates the importance of considering social, political and economic factors and how they affect the various Latino groups, to develop and design long-term policies.
