Nearly 50 Percent of U.S.-Born Latinos, 80 Percent of U.S.-Born Asians Children of Immigrants

Nearly half of the U.S.-born population of Latinos in the U.S. and 80 percent of the U.S.-born Asian population are children of immigrants, according to the Pew Research Center.

A new Pew analysis of Census data reveals that most of the U.S.-born Latino and Asian population were born to immigrants who came to the U.S. over the past 50 years. Over those decades some 59 million immigrants, largely from Latin America and Asia, arrived in the U.S.

“About half of today’s U.S.-born Latinos (47%) and 80% of today’s U.S.-born Asians are the children of immigrants, many of whom came during this recent wave, which helps to explain the striking youth numbers for these groups,” Pew’s report reads.

As Pew reports, Latinos are the youngest racial group in the U.S. with 32 percent, or 17.9 million, under the age of 18. Another 26 percent, or 14.6 million, are Millennials, between the age of 18-33. Meaning nearly 60 percent of the Latino population is a Millennial or younger, compared with 51 percent of the black population, 46 percent of the Asian population and 39 percent of the white population.

Latinos younger than 18 are also the most likely to have been born in the U.S., according to Pew, 47 percent of U.S.-born Latinos are under the age of 18. Twenty-seven percent of U.S.-born Latinos are Millennials. Just 26 percent of Latinos are 50 years old or older.

“Among the country’s Latinos, the immigrant and U.S.-born populations have very different age patterns. Few immigrants arrive as children. As a result, just 6% of immigrant Latinos are younger than 18. Most immigrants arrive as working-age adults. Some 26% of Latino immigrants in 2014 were Millennials and a 37% plurality were Gen Xers (ages 34 to 49). Another quarter of foreign-born Latinos (24%) were Boomers (ages 50 to 68),” Pew reports.

The median age of the foreign-born Latino population and U.S.-born population tells the story succinctly. The median age of U.S.-born Latinos is 19 years old, while the median age of foreign-born Latinos is 41 years old.