Key facts about U.S. Hispanics and their diverse heritage

The U.S. Hispanic population is diverse. Nearly 60 million individuals in the U.S. trace their heritage to Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America and Spain, each with distinct demographic and economic profiles. As migration patterns change, the origins of U.S. Hispanics are beginning to shift.

Learn more about Latinos in the U.S.:

• Latinos in the U.S.: Detailed fact sheets for the 15 largest Hispanic origin groups
• Immigrants in the U.S.: Statistical portrait of the foreign-born population in the U.S.

7 facts for National Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 each year, celebrates U.S. Latinos, their culture and their history. Started in 1968 by Congress as Hispanic Heritage Week, it was expanded to a month in 1988. The celebration begins in the middle rather than the start of September because it coincides with national independence days in several Latin American countries: Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica celebrate theirs on Sept. 15, followed by Mexico on Sept. 16, Chile on Sept. 18 and Belize on Sept. 21.

Hispanic women no longer account for the majority of immigrant births in the U.S.

A view of the nation's future through kindergarten demographics

Smartphones help blacks, Hispanics bridge some – but not all – digital gaps with whites

Far more immigration cases are being prosecuted criminally under Trump administration

Reflecting a demographic shift, 109 U.S. counties have become majority nonwhite since 2000