The U.S. Hispanic population reached 70.1 million in 2025, according to Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau estimates. This figure represents a rise from 62.1 million in 2020.

The growth reflects a 12.9% increase over the five-year period. The population has expanded significantly since the turn of the century, when it stood at 35.3 million in 2000.

In 2010, the U.S. Hispanic population was 50.5 million. By 1990, that number was 22.4 million, and in 1980, it was 14.5 million.

Pew Research Center conducted its National Surveys of Latinos from October 6 to 16, 2025. The survey included a sample of 4,923 Hispanic adults.

The 2025 National Surveys of Latinos included 1,125 respondents from Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel. It also included 3,798 respondents from SSRS’s Opinion Panel.

Pew Research Center counts someone as Hispanic if they identify that way, without exception. National voter exit polls count someone as Hispanic if they identify that way, without exception.

The federal definition differs from these self-identification models. Brazilians are not officially considered Hispanic or Latino because the federal government definition applies only to people of Spanish culture or origin.

People with origins in Belize, the Philippines, and Portugal are not officially considered Hispanic or Latino. Hispanic is considered an ethnicity, not a race, under federal standards.

The Census Bureau recodes responses as non-Hispanic if someone selects only the Other Hispanic category and writes in a non-Hispanic response such as Irish. The Census Bureau counts respondents as Hispanic if they state their race is Mexican or Costa Rican but do not check the Hispanic box.

Data processing issues have affected counts in recent years. At least 416,000 Brazilians were counted as Hispanic or Latino in the 2020 American Community Survey due to a Census Bureau data processing error. In contrast, 14,000 Brazilians were counted as Hispanic or Latino in the 2019 American Community Survey.

Why It Matters

The divergence between federal definitions and self-identification metrics creates different population totals. While organizations like Pew Research Center and Gallup rely on self-identification, the Census Bureau applies specific criteria regarding Spanish-speaking origins.

This distinction affects how demographic trends are measured and reported. The federal standard excludes groups such as Brazilians, whereas survey-based counts may include them if they self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.

Timeline

In 1930, the census race question included a category for Mexican. The 1970 census asked 5% of the U.S. population if their origin or descent was from Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, Other Spanish, or No, none of these categories. The 1970 census approach undercounted about 1 million Hispanics.

Congress passed legislation fifty years ago requiring the government to collect and publish data on Americans of Spanish origin or descent. The legislation defined the group as Americans who identify themselves as being of Spanish-speaking background and trace their origin or descent from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South America, and other Spanish-speaking countries. The Census Bureau first asked everyone in the United States about Hispanic ethnicity in 1980. The U.S. Hispanic population was 22.4 million in 1990.

What's New

Later reporting identifies the Census Bureau as the U.S. agency responsible for the census and related statistics. Additional context notes that National Surveys is a series in the National Archives and Records Administration's holdings.