Hispanic Heritage Month 2022
SEPT. 8, 2022
Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes and celebrates the contributions Americans tracing their roots to Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Spanish-speaking nations of the Caribbean have made to U.S. society and culture. The observance was born in 1968, when Congress authorized the president to issue an annual proclamation designating National Hispanic Heritage Week. Two decades later, lawmakers expanded it to a monthlong celebration, stretching from September 15 to October 15.
The timing is key. Hispanic Heritage Month — like its shorter precursor — always starts on September 15, a historically significant day that marks the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The designated period is also a nod to those from Mexico and Chile, which celebrate their independence September 16 and September 18, respectively.
The following facts are available thanks to the public’s invaluable participation in U.S. Census Bureau surveys. We appreciate the information shared by each respondent as we continuously count and measure America’s people, places and economy.
Did You Know?
62.6 million
The Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2021, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest racial or ethnic minority — 18.9% of the total population. Source: Vintage 2021 Population Estimates
13
The number of states with a population of one million or more Hispanic residents in 2021 — Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington. Source: Vintage 2021 Population Estimates
34,289
The increase (from July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021) in the number of Hispanics in Riverside County, California, the county with the nation’s greatest growth in this population during this period. Source: County Population by Characteristics: 2020-2021 (census.gov)
30.5
The median age of the Hispanic population, up from 30.2 in 2020. Source: National Population by Characteristics: 2020-2021 (census.gov)
More Stats
There is a detailed profile of the Hispanic population available from the 2019 American Community Survey, including data on:
- Families
- Housing
- Languages
- Education
- Jobs
- Income and Poverty
- Health Insurance
Previous Facts for Features
Following is a list of other observances we recognize in our Facts for Features series:
African American History Month (February)
Women's History Month (March)
Irish American Heritage Month (March)
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May)
The Fourth of July (July 4)
Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act (July 26)
Halloween (Oct. 31)
American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month (November)
Veterans Day (Nov. 11)
Thanksgiving Day/Holiday Season (November-December)
Editor’s note. These data come from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. We generally release Facts for Features about two months before observances to accommodate magazine production timelines. For more information, contact the Census Bureau’s Public Information Office at 301-763-3030 or <pio@census.gov>.
Profile America's Facts for Features provides statistics related to observances and holidays not covered by Stats for Stories. For observances not listed above, visit our Stats for Stories webpage.
Stats for Stories provides links to timely story ideas highlighting newsworthy Census Bureau statistics that relate to current events, observances, holidays and anniversaries. The story ideas are intended to assist the media in story mining and producing content for their audiences. Dates with Presidential Proclamations are marked with (P).
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