Abstract

PIP: High immigration rates and relatively high birth rates have made Hispanics the second fastest growing minority population in the US. Only the Asian population is growing faster. In 1996, 11% of the US's population was Hispanic. However, Hispanic Americans are projected to outnumber African Americans by 2005, and by 2050, the Hispanic population in the US is projected to total approximately 100 million, 25% of the US population and the largest of the country's ethnic minorities. Latinos have the lowest rates of high school and college graduation of any major population group in the US. Since relevant data first became available in 1972 and until 1994, the median income of Latino families has remained below that of White families, but above that of African American families. The Hispanics' median family income of $24,000 in 1995 was below that of African American families. Puerto Rican and Mexican families are most likely to be poor, while Cubans are least likely. There is considerable diversity within the US's Hispanic population. For example, some Hispanics speak only Spanish, while others speak no Spanish at all. Hispanic Americans come from many countries and cultures, making the differences between and within the Hispanic ethnic groups sometimes as great as their similarities. Most Americans do not understand that Hispanics are an ethnic group, not a racial group.