Every Sept. 15, the more than 63 million Hispanic residents of the United States celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which concludes on Oct. 15. The month recognizes the importance, achievements and historical contributions of the nation's second largest population group.
Origins of Hispanic Heritage Month
Former President Lyndon B. Johnson established Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968. Twenty years later, in 1988, former President Ronald Reagan decided to expand the celebration from seven days to 30. Hence, Hispanic Heritage Month began.
The reason why Sept. 15 was chosen as the date beginning of the celebration was to commemorate the anniversary of independence of several Latin American countries, such as Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
California, Texas and Florida: the states with the largest Hispanic population
The Hispanic population makes up more than 19% of the U.S., according to the Census Bureau. Forecasts suggest that in 2060, that figure will expand to 27.5% of the population. From 2021 to 2022, the Hispanic community residing in the country grew by 1 million people, totaling 63,664,346.
The states with the highest percentage of Hispanic residents in January 2023, according to World Population Review, are New Mexico (49.2%), Texas (39.4%), California (39.1%) and Arizona (31.5%). In Texas, in fact, they become the predominant demographic group, ahead of even white Texans (11.9 million). New York (3,867,076) was the only state in which the number of Latino residents decreased (-0.7%, -27,522). South Dakota had the most notable growth, increasing 6.8%, or 2,835 residents.
Among all counties in 2022, Los Angeles County had the largest Hispanic population (4,766,616), followed by Harris County, Texas (2,131,839), and Miami-Dade County, Fla., (1,848,083). Harris County had the largest increase in the Hispanic population, adding 34,782 more Latino residents (1.7%) in 2022.
Mexicans make up the majority of the U.S. Hispanic community
Of the more than 63 million Hispanic residents in the United States, more than half are Mexican, around 37.5 million. It is the leading nationality within the nation's second largest demographic group.
After Mexicans, the next largest subgroups are Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Salvadorans and Dominicans.
