U.S. Hispanics of Mexican Origin in the United States, 2007 - A
total of 29.2 million Hispanics of Mexican origin resided in the United
States in 2007, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community
Survey. Mexicans in this statistical profile are people who
self-identified as Hispanics of Mexican origin; this means either they
themselves are Mexican immigrants or they trace their family ancestry
to Mexico. Mexicans are the largest population of Hispanic origin
living in the United States, accounting for nearly two-thirds (64.3%)
of the U.S. Hispanic population in 2007.
This statistical profile compares the demographic, income and economic
characteristics of the Mexican 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. Four-in-ten Mexicans (39.9%) 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 Mexico
(62.6%) arrived in the U.S. in 1990 or later. Two-in-ten of Mexican
immigrants (21.9%) are U.S. citizens.
Language. A majority
of Mexicans (59.1%) speak English proficiently.2 Some 40.9% of Mexicans
ages 5 and older report speaking English less than very well, compared
with 38.8% of all Hispanics.
Age. Mexicans are younger than
the U.S. population and Hispanics overall. The median age of Mexicans
is 25; the median ages of the U.S. population and all Hispanics are 36
and 27, respectively.
Marital status. Less than half of Mexicans (49.3%) and Hispanics overall (47.3%) are married.
Fertility.
Thirty-six percent of Mexican 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%—but greater than the rate for U.S.
women—33.4%.
Regional dispersion. Nearly four-in-ten Mexicans (37.6%) live in California, and one-in-four (25.0%) live in Texas.
Educational
attainment. Mexicans have lower levels of education than the Hispanic
population overall. Nine percent of Mexicans 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
Mexicans ages 16 and older were $20,238 in 2007; the median earnings
for all U.S. Hispanics were $21,048.
Poverty status. The
share of Mexicans who live in poverty, 20.8%, is higher than the rate
for the general U.S. population (11.9%) and similar to the share for
all Hispanics (19.5%).
Homeownership. The rate of Mexican
homeownership (51.2%) 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
Mexican 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.
