HispanicBusiness

One out of every four children under the age of 18 years in the United States are Hispanic and almost two- thirds of the increase in Hispanic population in the U.S. last year was by birth. Those are just two of the startling statistics released recently by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Here is a look at some of the other statistics regarding the U.S. Hispanic population.

-- 45.5 million Hispanics lived in the U.S. as of July 2007, amounting to 15.1 percent of the estimated total U.S. population of 301.6 million.

-- Between July 2006 and July 2007, the Hispanic minority remained the most numerous and the fastest growing, at a rate of 3.3 percent, followed by Asians increasing at 2.9 percent. By contrast, the white population, which amounts to two-thirds of the total, increased at a rate of 0.3 percent, while the African-American minority increased by 1.3 percent during the same one-year period.

-- The outstanding characteristic of the Hispanic minority is its youthfulness, with a median age of 27.6, well below 36.6 for the population as a whole. Moreover, one-third of Hispanics are younger than 18, compared with 25 percent of the total population.

-- In contrast to the 1990s, when most Hispanic population growth resulted from immigration, recent increases in the number of Hispanics are explained by births. Between July 2006 and July 2007.

-- In an election year, the question is if these increased numbers will translate themselves into more political influence. The answer depends on how the estimated 10 million Hispanics will vote in November.

Issac Cohen is the former Director, Washington Office of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). He is also a commentator on economic and financial issues for CNN en Español TV and radio.