DALLAS (SMU) — Recent studies by the Pew Research Center, U.S. Census Bureau and other organizations show how the rising numbers of Latinos are greatly impacting the U.S. demographic electorate, business and health care landscape:
 Demographics
• Over the last 45 years, the U.S. Latino population has increased six-fold, from 9.1 million in 1970 to 55 million in 2014, or about 17.4 percent of the total U.S. population (319 million). By 2060, Latinos are projected to account for nearly 30 percent of the total U.S. population (417 million).
• The primary growth in U.S. Latino population is native-born. From 2000 to 2010, 9.6 million Latinos were born here, compared to 6.5 million newly arrived immigrants.
• Currently some 900,000 Latinos turn 18 each year. By 2028, the number is expected to surpass 1 million annually.
• Today, about as many people from Mexico are leaving the U.S. as entering, after four decades of explosive growth (Passel, Cohn and Gonzalez-Barrera, 2012). Many factors have played a role in this trend, including the U.S. economic downturn, stepped-up border enforcement, growing dangers associated with illegal border crossings and demographic and economic changes in Mexico.
• In 2012 the median age of all U.S. Latinos was 29, compared to 34 for blacks, 36 for Asians and 43 for (non-Latino) whites; for native-born Latinos, the median age was 18.
• As of 2013, more than half (55 percent) of U.S. Latinos resided in three states: California (with 14.4 million), Texas (9.8 million) and Florida (4.4 million), down from 58 percent in 2000. In Texas, Latinos accounted for 38.2 percent of the total population (nearly 27 million).
Electorate
• For the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Latino voters will represent 28 million people (or about 11 percent of voters nationwide), up 18 percent from 2012. By 2030, 40 million Latinos will be eligible to vote — twice the number of eligible Latinos in 2012.
• In 2014, a record 25.2 million Latinos were eligible to vote, up from 21.3 million in 2010. During the 2014 midterm election, however, the Latino voter turnout rate (31 percent) lagged behind whites (49 percent) and blacks (44 percent).
Economic Indicators
• This year the purchasing power of U.S. Latinos is expected to be $1.5 trillion — an increase of 50 percent since 2010 and 500 percent since 1990.
• If the U.S. Latino market were its own country, it would represent the 13th largest global economy.
• From 2010 to 2014, the unemployment rate for Latinos ages 16 to 19 dropped from 32 percent to 19 percent, a steeper decline than among whites.
• A tremendous wealth gap exists: In 2013, the median net worth of Latino households was $13,700, compared to an average of $141,900 for whites, and $81,400 for the U.S. population.
Health Insurance
• In 2012, 29 percent of U.S. Latinos did not have health insurance, compared to 18 percent of blacks, 15 percent of Asians and 11 percent of whites.
