*****National Hispanic Heritage Month *****

We celebrate Hispanic

Heritage Month to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success.

The observation began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988.

********** Here are some fun facts *********

The U.S. Hispanic population has grown significantly in the last decade, from 50.5 million in 2010 to 62.1 million in 2020. Hispanics accounted for 51% of entire U.S. population growth during that period.

Four out of five Latinos are U.S. citizens. As of 2019, 80% of Latinos living in the U.S. are citizens.

All 50 states and Washington, D.C., have seen growth in their Hispanic populations in the last decade.

The share of Latinos in the U.S. who speak English proficiently is also growing. Some 72% of Latinos ages 5 and older spoke English proficiently as of 2019.

The share of U.S. Hispanics with college experience has increased since 2010. The number of Latinos enrolled in college also increased from 2010 to 2019, from 2.9 million to 3.6 million.

People of Mexican origin made up almost 62% of the country's overall Hispanic population as of 2019. The next largest group is those of Puerto Rican origin. The fastest population growth among U.S. Latinos has come among those with origins in Venezuela, Guatemala and Honduras.