U.S. Hispanics of Colombian Origin in the United States, 2007 -
total of 797,000 Hispanics of Colombian origin resided in the United
States in 2007, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community
Survey. Colombians in this statistical profile are people who
self-identified as Hispanics of Colombian origin; this means either
they themselves are Colombian immigrants or they trace their family
ancestry to Colombia. Colombians are the seventh-largest population of
Hispanic origin living in the United States, accounting for 1.8% of the
U.S. Hispanic population in 2007.
This statistical profile compares the demographic, income and
economic characteristics of the Colombian population with the
characteristics of all Hispanics and the U.S. population overall. It is
based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the 2007 American Community
Survey. Key facts include:
Immigration status. Seven-in-ten Colombians (69.4%) in the
United States are foreign born compared with 39.8% of Hispanics and
12.6% of the U.S. population overall. Most immigrants from Colombia
(58.5%) arrived in the U.S. in 1990 or later. Less than half of
Colombian immigrants (45.1%) are U.S. citizens.
Language. A
majority of Colombians (55.0%) speak English proficiently.2 Some 45.0%
of Colombians ages 5 and older report speaking English less than very
well, compared with 38.8% of all Hispanics.
Age. Colombians are similar in age to the U.S. population and older
than Hispanics overall. The median age of Colombians is 35; the median a
Marital status. Colombians are more likely than Hispanics overall to be married 50.4% versus 47.3%.
Fertility. One-in-six (16.9%) Colombian women ages 15 to 44 who gave
birth in the 12 months prior to the survey were unmarried. That was
less than the rate for all Hispanic women 38.1% and the rate for U.S.
women 33.4%.
Regional dispersion. Colombians are concentrated in the South (46.9%),
mostly in Florida (31.2%), and in the Northeast (37.2%), mostly in New
York (18.1%) and New Jersey (11.1%).
Educational attainment. Colombians have higher levels of education than
the Hispanic population overall. Some 30.3% of Colombians ages 25 and
older compared with 12.6% of all U.S. Hispanics have obtained at least
a bachelor’s degree.
Income. The median annual personal earnings for Colombians ages 16 and
older were $24,792 in 2007; the median earnings for all U.S. Hispanics
were $21,048.
Poverty status. The share of Colombians who live in poverty, 10.0%, is
lower than the rate for the general U.S. population (11.9%) and
Hispanics overall (19.5%).
Homeownership. The rate of Colombian homeownership (51.9%) is higher
than the rate for all Hispanics (49.9%) but lower than the 67.2% rate
for the U.S. population as a whole.
About the Data - This statistical profile of Hispanics of Colombian
origin is based on the Census Bureau's 2007 American Community Survey
(ACS). The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States,
with a sample of about 3 million addresses. The data used for this
statistical profile come from 2007 ACS Integrated Public Use Microdata
Series (IPUMS), representing a 1% sample of the U.S. population.
