Pew Hispanic Center Conducts Country Of Origin Profiles For U.S. Latinos

This restaurant has "Dominican, Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Salvadoran" food. Let's go to it tomorrow.

The Pew Hispanic Center, in their unending mission to appear on Guanabee at least once a week, has published the results of a series of profile it has conducted on several Latino groups living in the United States. The organization’s country of origin profiles show shocking and unexpected information about Latinos. Did you know, for example, that we can speak English? And hold down jobs? Some of us even live in houses and walk on two legs. 

Seriously, some of the information is actually quite interesting and reveals quite a bit about what the future of American will be like (basically: WE’RE TAKING OVER AND HAVING SEX WITH YOUR ANGLO SONS.) Here’s some tidbits about Mexicans in the U.S:

• Immigration status.

Four-in-ten Mexicans (39.9%) in the United States are foreign born, compared with 39.8% of Hispanics and 12.6% of the U.S. population overall. Most immigrants from Mexico (62.6%) arrived in the U.S. in 1990 or later. Two-in-ten of Mexican immigrants (21.9%) are U.S. citizens. 

• Language.

A majority of Mexicans (59.1%) speak English proficiently. Some 40.9% of Mexicans ages 5 and older report speaking English less than very well, compared with 38.8% of all Hispanics. 

• Age.

Mexicans are younger than the U.S. population and Hispanics overall. The median age of Mexicans is 25; the median ages of the U.S. population and all Hispanics are 36 and 27, respectively. 

So, Mexicans: You’re young, foreign and speak English real, real good. How about the U.S. largest Latino group, though. What are you all about, Salvadorans?:

Age.

Salvadorans are younger than the U.S. population and older than Hispanics overall. The median age of Salvadorans is 29; the median ages of the U.S. population and all Hispanics are 36 and 27, respectively. 

• Marital status.

Country of Origin Profiles of U.S. Hispanics [Pew Hispanic Center]

Less than half of Salvadoran-Americans (45.1%) and Hispanics overall (47.3%) are married. 

Older and available! And, hey. What about Cubans? Let’s see how yours truly stacks up:

• Marital status.

Cuban-Americans are more likely than Hispanics overall to be married—50.6% versus 47.3%. 

No ring. Haha. Ever. Ha… ha.

Nope. No longer livin’ down in the swamp.

• Educational attainment.

Cuban-Americans have higher levels of education than the Hispanic population overall. Twenty-five percent of Cubans ages 25 and older—compared with 12.6% of all U.S. Hispanics— have obtained at least a bachelor’s degree. 

Well. *fluffs hair* We got that part down.

• Income.

The median annual personal earnings for Cubans ages 16 and older were $26,310 in 2007; the median earnings for all U.S. Hispanics were $21,048. 

Probably linked of the degree-having statistic.

• Homeownership.

The rate of Cuban homeownership (61.1%) is higher than the rate for all Hispanics (49.9%) but lower than the 67.2% rate for the U.S. population as a whole. 

So we’re slightly less married and homeownery than most other Cubans. 

If anything, we hope that the results of these surveys helps people to realize that Latinos aren’t just one thing, and that we happen to come from different countries (even - gasp! - the United States itself), can and do speak English, can hold down jobs, own homes, and attend school. 

Check out the rest of the Pew Hispanic Center’s findings - which also includes information for Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic (sorry, South America) - and see how different populations are doing in the U.S.

Country of Origin Profiles [Pew Hispanic Center]