Hispanics Are Largest Ethnic or Race Minority in U.S.

The latest population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show that the U.S. Hispanic population (42.7 million) constitutes 14 percent of the nation's total population, the largest of any ethnic or racial minority group. New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanics of any state at 43 percent. Colorado's population is just over 19 percent Hispanic.

Read more about the U.S. Hispanic population in the Census Bureau's Facts for Features report produced for Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15). Congress authorized President Johnson's proclamation of a National Hispanic Heritage Week in September 1968, which was expanded to a monthlong celebration in 1988. The 1968 proclamation was printed in the Federal Register (33 FR 14159), which is available online to the CU community through the Hein Online database.