Profile America | Facts for Features
Cinco de Mayo
US Census Bureau (March 21, 2012)
Cinco de Mayo celebrates the legendary Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, in which a Mexican force of 4,500 men faced 6,000 well-trained French soldiers. The battle lasted four hours and ended in a victory for the Mexican army under Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza. Along with Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16, Cinco de Mayo has become a time to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture.
Mexican Population
31.8 million
The number of U.S. residents of Mexican origin, according to the 2010 Census. These residents accounted for about three-quarters (63 percent) of the 50.5 million Hispanics and increased 54 percent, growing from 20.6 million in 2000 to 31.8 million in 2010.
Source: The Hispanic Population: 2010 http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf
25.5
Median age of people in the United States of Mexican origin. The total Hispanic population had a median age of 27.2 and for the total population it was 37.2.
Source: 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates http://factfinder2.census.gov - table S0201
Geographic Distribution
61%
Percentage of the Mexican-origin population in the United States that resided in California (11.4 million) and Texas (8.0 million) in 2010.
Source: The Hispanic Population: 2010 http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf
40
Number of states in which the Mexican-origin population represented the largest Hispanic group, according to the 2010 Census. More than half these states were in the South and West regions of the country, two in the Northeast region, and in all 12 states in the Midwest region.
Source: The Hispanic Population: 2010 http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf
Military
685,000
Number of U.S. military veterans of Mexican origin.
Source: 2010 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov
Education
1.5 million
Number of people of Mexican descent 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. This included about 404,000 who had a graduate or professional degree.
Source: 2010 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov - table S0201
Families
34.0%
Percentage of married-couple families, with own children younger than 18, among households with a householder of Mexican origin. For all households, the corresponding percentage was 20 percent.
Source: 2010 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov - table S0201
4.2 people
Average size of families with a householder of Mexican origin in 2010. The average size of all families was 3.2 people.
Source: 2010 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov - table S0201
Jobs
67.8%
Percentage 16 and older of Mexican origin in the labor force. The percentage was 64 percent for the population as a whole.
Source: 2010 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov - table S0201
16.2%
Percentage of civilians employed 16 years and older of Mexican origin who worked in management, business, science and arts occupations. In addition, 27 percent worked in service occupations; 21 percent in sales and office occupations; 18 percent in natural resources, construction and maintenance occupations; and 18 percent in production, transportation and material moving occupations.
Source: 2010 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov - table S0201
Income and Wealth
$39,264
Median family income in 2010 for households with a householder of Mexican origin. For the population as a whole, the corresponding amount was $60,609.
Source: 2010 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov - table S0201
26.6%
Poverty rate in 2010 for all people of Mexican heritage. For the population as a whole, the corresponding rate was 15.3 percent.
Source: 2010 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov - table S0201
24.2%
Poverty rate in 2010 for all families of Mexican heritage. For all families, the corresponding family poverty rate was 11.3 percent.
Source: 2010 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov = table S0201
Ownership
49.2%
Percentage of householders of Mexican origin in occupied housing units who owned the home in which they lived. This compared with 65.4 percent for the population as a whole.
Source: 2010 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov - table S0201
Foreign-Born
11.7 million
Number of Mexican-born U.S. residents in 2010, representing 29 percent of the foreign-born population.
Source: 2010 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov
Language spoken at home
75.3%
Percentage of Mexican-origin people who spoke a language other than English at home; among these people, 36 percent spoke English less than "very well." Among the population as a whole, the corresponding figures were 21 percent and 9 percent, respectively.
Source: 2010 American Community Survey http://factfinder2.census.gov
Trade with Mexico
$460.6 billion
The value of total goods traded between the United States and Mexico in 2011. Mexico was our nation's third-leading trading partner, after Canada and China. The leading U.S. export commodity to Mexico in 2011 was unleaded gasoline ($11.6 billion); the leading U.S. import commodity from Mexico in 2011 was crude petroleum ($29.9 billion).
Source: Foreign Trade Statistics http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/highlights/top/top1112yr.html and https://www.usatradeonline.gov/
Businesses
1.0 million
Number of firms owned by people of Mexican origin in 2007. They accounted for 45.8 percent of all Hispanic-owned firms. Mexicans led all Hispanic subgroups.
Source: Hispanic-Owned Firms: 2007 http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/get07sof.html?11
$154.9 billion
Sales and receipts for firms owned by people of Mexican origin in 2007, 44.2 percent of all Hispanic-owned firm receipts.
Source: Hispanic-Owned Firms: 2007 http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/get07sof.html?11
47.8%
Percentage increase in the number of businesses owned by people of Mexican origin between 2002 and 2007.
Source: Hispanic-Owned Firms: 2007 http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/business_ownership/cb10-145.html
70.5%
Percent of all Mexican-owned U.S. businesses in either California or Texas in 2007. California had the most Mexican-owned U.S. firms (36.1 percent), followed by Texas (34.4 percent) and Arizona (4.1 percent).
Source: Hispanic-Owned Firms: 2007 http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/get07sof.html?11
16.5%
Ratio of Mexican-owned firms to all firms in Texas, which led all states. New Mexico was next (15.1 percent), followed by California (10.9 percent), Arizona (8.6 percent) and Nevada (4.9 percent).
Source: Hispanic-Owned Firms: 2007 http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/get07sof.html?11
32.3%
Percentage of Mexican-owned U.S. firms in the construction and repair, maintenance, personal and laundry services sectors. Mexican-owned firms accounted for 5.1 percent of all U.S. businesses in these sectors.
Source: Hispanic-Owned Firms: 2007 http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/get07sof.html?11
Mexican Food
$100.4 million
Product shipment value of tamales and other Mexican food specialties (not frozen or canned) produced in the United States in 2002.
Source: 2002 Economic Census http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/guide/INDRPT31.HTM
$48.9 million
Product shipment value of frozen enchiladas produced in the United States in 2002. Frozen tortilla shipments were valued even higher at $156 million.
Source: 2002 Economic Census http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/guide/INDRPT31.HTM
374
Number of U.S. tortilla manufacturing establishments in 2008. The establishments that produce this unleavened flat bread employed 16,311 people. Tortillas, the principal food of the Aztecs, are known as the "bread of Mexico." One in three of these establishments was in Texas.
Source: County Business Patterns: 2008 http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/