The Facts

1. Latinos are the second largest racial or ethnic group in Colorado at 22% of the population. This is four percentage points higher than the national share of Latinos (18%). Since 2000, the Latino population in Colorado has grown 72% —twice the state’s overall population growth of 35%.

Source: LPPI analysis of 2015-2019 5-Year American Community Survey public use microdata.
Note: AAPI refers to the Asian American and Pacific Islander population.

2. Latinos are significantly younger than the average Coloradan. The median age of Latino Coloradans is 28 years old, compared to 36 for Coloradans overall. Additionally, 20% of Latinos in Colorado are 10 or under, compared to just 14% of the state population

3. Approximately 74% of Latinos in Colorado are Mexican (74%)—12 percentage points higher than the national average of 62%. Latinos of other descent (16%), Puerto Ricans (3%), South Americans (3%), and Salvadorans (2%) close out the top five Latino descent groups in Colorado. The high proportion of Latinos of other descent reflects the state’s history as Mexican territory—people of Mexican ancestry, sometimes referred to as Nuevomexicanos, have lived in parts of Colorado since the seventeenth century.

 4. In Colorado, more than one-quarter of Latinos (27%) did not complete high school—a rate three times the state average (9%). Despite their low high school completion rates, Latino Coloradans have higher educational attainment levels than Latinos nationally (31% did not complete high school).

5. Latinas in Colorado are more likely to have completed college than Latino men (Figure 2). Roughly 18% of Latinas have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 15% of Latino men. Latinos have the lowest levels of educational attainment of any demographic group.

Source: LPPI analysis of 2015-2019 5-Year American Community Survey public use microdata. 

6. Latino men participate in the labor force at the highest rate (79%) among all racial and ethnic gender groups in Colorado. In contrast, Latina women hold the second lowest labor force participation rate—both among women and overall—at 63%. Only AAPI women participated at a lower rate (62%).

7. The Hispanic population in Colorado is roughly 1,234,000. Over 50% are citizens eligible to vote (683,340). Only 52% are registered to vote which leaves over (320,000) or 48% are not registered to vote.

8. According to the Latino Leadership Institute website, Hispanics number more than 100,000 people in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, and El Paso. They represented over 33% in Adams, Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Huerfano, Las Animas, Morgan, Otero, Prowers, Pueblo, Rio Grande and Saguache counties. Most of the Hispanics and Latinos of Colorado live in Western Colorado.

9. The majority of Hispanics in the state are under the age of 18 (35% of Hispanics), while the rest of the Hispanic population is mainly made up of the 18-34 and 35-54 age groups (28% and 25% respectively).

10. Hispanics are conservative as they believe in Faith, Family, and Freedom.