Over the past three decades, the number of Hispanic women in the U.S. with an advanced degree increased by over a million

POSTED ON Oct 13, 2023

As of 2021, nearly 2.5 million Latinos in the United States held advanced degrees, such as a master’s or a doctorate, according to the Pew Research Center.

In 2021, the majority (72%) of all the nearly 2.5 million U.S. Latinos who held a graduate degree had a master’s degree as their highest level of education.

Here are some important facts about these degree holders and how their numbers have changed.

A smaller percentage had a professional degree (18%) or a doctoral degree (10%).

Over the past three decades, the number of Hispanic women in the U.S. with an advanced degree increased by over a million, while Hispanic men with an advanced degree increased by around 860,000.

Almost half (48%) of all U.S. Latinos with a graduate degree live in one of the top 10 metropolitan areas, with more than half a million Latinos with graduate degrees living in only two urban areas: New York (280,000 or 11%) and Miami (230,000 or 9%).

To celebrate National Hispanic American Heritage Month, USAFacts collected data on Hispanic Americans from various backgrounds to provide insights into families, educational attainment, and more.

USAFacts discovered that the Hispanic population grew by over 50% in 12 states between the last two censuses.

For example, North Dakota had the third-smallest Hispanic population (33,000) in 2010 but more than doubled by 2020. New Mexico had the smallest percentage of Hispanic population growth, only 5%.

Furthermore, 39% of Hispanic Americans with South American backgrounds, including 56% of Venezuelan Americans, have a bachelor’s degree or higher, while 33% of the U.S. population has a bachelor’s degree.

Cuban Americans have a median age of 41 and are the oldest Hispanic group. Seventeen percent of Cuban Americans are older than 65, while 21% are younger than 18.

USAFacts also revealed that there were 1 million fewer children in the U.S. in 2020 than in 2010, despite the country’s overall population growing by 10% from 234.6 million to 258.3 million.

Texas added more children than any other state by 2020, rising 6% to 7.3 million. West Virginia’s population declined the most (down 3%) and had a 7% decline in people under 18.

Mississippi’s population was down 0.2% but had a 10% decrease in children. The under-18 population grew among Hispanic, Asian, and non-Hispanic multiracial children, while non-Hispanic white children dropped 13%, from 39.7 million in 2010 to 34.6 million in 2020.

NEW: In 2021, nearly 2.5 million Latinos in the U.S. held advanced degrees such as a master’s or a doctorate. Here are key facts about these degree holders, and about how their numbers have changed over time. https://t.co/w2Gkc7XxuL

— Pew Research Race and Ethnicity (@pewidentity) October 3, 2023