Inter-Hispanic Families: Trends and Implications for the Latino and U.S. Populations

Barry Edmonston, Portland State University
Sharon M. Lee, Portland State University

Immigration and higher fertility has fueled growth of the Latino population in recent decades. Increases in inter-Hispanic marriages and families are another factor in Latino population growth. We examined public-use microdata from the 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000 censuses, and found that inter-Hispanic marriages have increased over time, from less than 1 percent of married couples in 1970 to over 3 percent in 2000. There has also been an increasing trend of Hispanic identification among children in inter-Hispanic families. The proportion of children in inter-Hispanic families who were reported as Hispanic grew from 43 percent in 1970 to 66 percent in 1980, a trend that has since stabilized. Since younger, better-educated, and native-born Hispanics are more likely to marry non-Hispanics, the findings suggest that inter-Hispanic marriages and family formation have been and will continue to be important factors in the future growth and composition of the U.S. Latino population.