Hispanics in America are confining themselves to three states — California, Texas and Florida — for the most part, Pew Research Center reported on Thursday.
More than half of the nation’s Hispanic population lives in those three states, the research firm reported, in its most recent Hispanic Trends Project. And California, by far, is the state of preference, with 1-in-4 Hispanics calling the Golden State home, CNN reported.
Several other states are gaining in the Hispanic population category, though. They include New York, Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey and Colorado. The eight states combined contain three-quarters of America’s Hispanic residents, Census Bureau figures indicated.
The Southeastern states are coming on strong and will soon edge up the list of favored residence of Hispanics, CNN said. Georgia, for example, saw massive growth of this population in recent years — especially in the Atlanta region, where the housing market exploded and provided thousands of job opportunities.
“People are willing to look across the country for new job opportunities and educational opportunities,” said Mark Hugo Lopez, director of Hispanic Research at Pew, in the CNN report.
And the political fallout will be tremendous, he said.
“I think this has huge political implications. It means that more Latinos will be voting, running for office, and being part of the political culture in many more states,” Mr. Lopez said, CNN reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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