September 15th through October 15th is recognized as a national month long celebration of Hispanic heritage. It is a time to celebrate the cultures and traditions of the U.S. residents whose heritage came from Spain, Mexico, and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. But while they are celebrating their culture, how well, if at all, does your church understand it? The Hispanic population may not be a minority for much longer, and it is vital that your church understand their culture if you ever want to reach them.
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the U.S. Census Bureau has collected the following Hispanic statistics:
- 42.7 Million - The estimated Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2005, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or race minority. Hispanics constituted 14 percent of the nation’s total population.
- 102.6 Million - The projected Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2050. According to this projection, Hispanics will constitute 24 percent of the nation’s total population on that date.
- About 1 of every two people added to the nation’s population between July 1, 2004, and July 1, 2005, were Hispanic.
- 27.2 - Median age, in years, of the Hispanic population in 2005. This compares with 36.2 years for the population as a whole.
- 13 - The number of states with at least half a million Hispanic residents. These states are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Texas and Washington.
- 19 - Number of states in which Hispanics are the largest race or ethnic minority group.
- 1.6 Million - The number of Hispanic-owned businesses in 2002.
- 67% - The percentage of Hispanic families consisting of a married couple.
- 44% -Â The percentage of Hispanic families consisting of a married couple with children under the age of 18.
- 22% - Percentage of population under age 5 that is Hispanic, as of July 1, 2005.
- $35,967 - The median income of Hispanic households in 2005, unchanged from the previous year, in real terms.
- 21.8% - The poverty rate among Hispanics in 2005, unchanged from 2004.
- 58% - The percentage of Hispanics age 25 and older who had at least a high school education in 2004.
- 11% - Percentage of all college students in October 2004 who were Hispanic.
- 68% - Percentage of Hispanics age 16 and older who are in the civilian labor force.
Great stats. The only thing I would add (and I say this as a Pastor of a church that is over 80% Hispanic and as someone of Cuban descent) is that reaching Hispanics in Miami is different than reaching Hispanics in the Northeast per se. The reason is, in the North East (Which is where I was born and raised) Hispanics tend to blend into American culture by learning English quickly, adopting American customs, and even changing their names to their American version (Jose becomes Joe, Guillermo becomes William, Santiago becomes James, etc…) This is because the Hispanic population is not the majority and the need to assimilate is of great importance.
In an area where hispanics are much more saturated in the culture (like Miami, L.A., or New York), hispanics tend to hold onto their roots more deeply, keep their given names, and see learning English as good but not necessary. It is a huge challenge for churches who want to reach Hispanics to understand Latin culture and where it intersects and/or clashes with American culture. There’s many examples, but I’ll give just one: Christmas Eve. Normally, this is the highest attended service of the year for churches. In Miami, it’s dead as a doornail. Why? Because Christmas Eve for Cubans is the equivalent of Thanksgiving. You spend “Noche Buena” with your family, not in church. And every year I watch church planters break this cultural rule and never see the results they wanted.
Anyway, probably more than you wanted to hear. I like what you’re doing. it’s good stuff…