Rural 

Hispanics 

At A 

Glance 

Nonmetro Hispanic population, 2000 

Less than

percent

1-9 percent

10 percent or

higher

Metro

Source Compiled by ERS using data from the 2000 U.S. Census. 

United States Department of Agriculture

Economic Research Service

Economic Information Bulletin Number 8

December 2005

Between 1980 and 2000, the Hispanic/Latino population in rural and

smalltown America nearly doubled from 1.4 to 2.7 million and is

now the most rapidly growing segment of the population in

nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) counties. In 1980, Hispanics constituted just over

3 percent of the nonmetro population, a figure that rose to 5.5 percent in 2000.

Since 1980, growth in the Hispanic population has contributed over 25 percent

of the total nonmetro population increase and over 50 percent of the nonmetro

minority population increase.

Hispanic population growth has helped to stem decades of smalltown

population decline in some States, demographically and economically

revitalizing many rural communities. Hispanic population growth in new

destinations outside traditional Hispanic settlement areas in the nonmetro

Southwest can drive change in local economies and can raise questions about

social service provision, socioeconomic adaptation and integration, and other

important public policy issues for nonmetropolitan counties.

USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) analyzes ongoing changes in

rural areas and assesses Federal, State, and local strategies to enhance

economic opportunities and quality of life for all rural Americans.

As part of this analysis, ERS researchers compare current demographic,

social, and economic indicators for rural Hispanics with those for other

nonmetro residents.
Population Change and Geography 

Hispanics Are the Fastest Growing Population 

in Rural America

While Hispanics make up less than 6 percent of the entire nonmetro population of

46 million, their growth rate since 1980 outpaces that of all other major racial and 

ethnic groups. Of the four major minority groups, only nonmetro Blacks outnumber

nonmetro Hispanics (4.1 million to 2.7 million). At current growth rates, however,

Hispanics are projected to become

the largest minority group in rural

America by about 2025, as they did

for the entire Nation in 2003. 

The sizable and recent Hispanic

(and Asian) population growth

nationally stems from changes in

immigration laws and economic

growth. In addition, because many

foreign-born minorities tend to be

relatively young, they are more likely

to have children, further increasing

their share of the population.

Nonmetro Hispanics Are Dispersing Nationally and

Concentrating in New Rural Destinations

For the first time in 2000, half of all nonmetro Hispanics lived outside the

Southwest. While almost all nonmetro counties experienced Hispanic population

growth, roughly a third of this growth occurred in just 150 counties dominated by 

low-skill industries. Between 1990 and 2000:

The nonmetro Hispanic population more than doubled in 20 (mostly Southern and

Midwestern) States, with growth rates ranging from 120 to over 400 percent.

Of 2,052 nonmetro counties, the number in which Hispanics constitute at least 

1 percent of the population grew from 817 to 1,387; the number in which Hispanics

constitute at least 10 percent grew from 211 to 287. 

Rural Hispanics At A Glance White Black Native 

American 

Asian Hispanic 

Percent 

Nonmetro population growth by race and

ethnicity 1980-2000

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

Source: Economic Research Service, USDA, using data from

the 1980, 1990, and 2000 U.S. Census.

1980-1990 1990-2000 

Hispanic population growth is higher in the Southeast and Midwest

14 to 50 

percent 

51 to 100 

percent 

Greater than 

100 percent 

Metro counties 

ercent change in the 

nonmetro Hispanic 

population, 1990-2000 

Less than 

13 percent 

Source: Compiled by ERS using data from the 1990 and 2000 U.S. Censuses. 
Hispanics Help To Slow 

Population Loss in Rural America

Hispanic population growth has checked long-term population decline in many

rural counties, especially in Midwestern and Great Plains States where natural decrease

and outmigration by young native-born adults have been reducing population in some

areas since the 1950s or earlier. 

All else being equal, over 100 nonmetro counties would have lost population

between 1990 and 2000 if not for growth in the Hispanic population. Nearly 

500 other nonmetro counties with Hispanic population gains experienced a net 

population loss, nonetheless, because of non-Hispanic population declines.

Population Composition

U.S. Hispanic Population Is Diverse

In rural areas, as elsewhere, Hispanics comprise many nationalities and range 

widely across virtually every socioeconomic indicator. These dimensions include 

education, occupation, median age, citizenship, race, and history in the United

States—even within groups. For example, the largest ethnic group, Mexicans, includes

many citizens who trace their ancestors’ U.S. settlement back for hundreds of years, as

well as new residents. Hispanic residents in newer rural destinations, while ethnically

diverse, include larger proportions of recent U.S. migrants than are found in more 

established settlement areas.

Recent inmigration

helps explain differences in

the demographic and socioeconomic profile of nonmetro

Hispanics compared with

non-Hispanic residents. The 

foreign-born represent at

least a third of all nonmetro Hispanics, and their 

presence is more highly concentrated in the newer destination regions of the

Southeast and Midwest. Like 

young adults everywhere,

recent nonmetro Hispanic 

inmigrants often relocate 

for new jobs.

Recent Hispanic arrivals to nonmetro counties are more likely than other

nonmetro residents to be younger and male, which explains the significantly higher

male/female ratio between the two groups. Because many nonmetro Hispanics work

at lower paying jobs and send money back to their families in their home countries,

they are also more likely than other nonmetro residents to live in shared and often 

crowded housing.

The foreign-born proportion varies inversely with the percentage of Hispanics who

speak English fluently and who have U.S. citizenship, two clear measures of 

socioeconomic integration. Data from the 2003 Census indicate that almost 

three-quarters of all nonmetro Hispanics reported that they spoke English “very

well” or exclusively, a tendency that increases with more time in the United States

and especially with exposure to U.S. schooling. 

Hispanics trail the U.S. average in years of schooling. Recent migrants often 

originate from poor rural communities with few educational or career options.

Consequently, while Hispanics represent a small proportion of the nonmetro 

population, their growing importance to the nonmetro labor force will depend on

their educational attainment, particularly for second-generation Hispanic children

growing up as United States citizens. 

Rural Hispanics At A Glance

12 10 8 6 4 2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 

5-year age intervals 

Percent in age interval 

Rural Hispanics tend to be younger than 

non-Hispanic Whites

Source: Compiled by ERS with data from the 2000 U.S. Census. 

Hispanic 

Non-Hispanic White 

80-84 

70-74 

60-64 

50-54 

30-34 

20-24 

0-14 

0-5 

40-44 
Economic and Social Indicators

Use of Nonmetro Social Services Varies by Program

Despite limited economic resources, Hispanic participation in national safety-net

programs remains relatively modest. Such participation and eligibility often depend 

on household economic status, citizenship, and individual legal status, and requirements

for some programs may vary by State. For medical care, Hispanics and non-Hispanic

Whites have participation rates that reflect their respective age profiles: while 

Hispanics are twice as likely to enroll in Medicaid, they are half as likely to participate in

Medicare. However, for food stamps and the USDA’s WIC program (Special Supplemental

Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children), Hispanic participation rates are

substantially higher than rates for non-Hispanic Whites. Participation in public housing

programs does not differ substantially. 

School enrollment is an important indicator of changes in rural demography. Lower

median ages and relatively higher fertility rates of Hispanic residents have yielded a

Hispanic school-age population that is growing far more rapidly than that of other

groups. Hispanic children still constitute a 

small proportion of the nonmetro school-age 

population, and their growing numbers benefit rural

school districts with declining enrollments that

receive State funding on a per capita basis. 

Yet, high growth rates of this population may 

foreshadow challenges for these schools as they

seek to address this population’s needs.

Rural Hispanics At A Glance Characteristic Hispanic Non-Hispanic 

White 

Demographic 

 Percent foreign born (2003) 

 Median age (2003) 

Percent of p opulation under 18 (2000) 

 Percent of p opulation 65 and older (2000) 

 Male/female ratio (2000) 

Average persons in household (2003) 

 Average children in household (2003) 

Socioeconomic incorporation and assimilation 

 Percent speaking English “very well” (2003) 

 Percent citizen (2003) 

Education (persons age 25+) 

 Percent with a high school diploma (2003) 

 Percent with a college degree (2003) 

34 

27.7 

37 

6 

1.09 

4.1 

1.8 

73 

75 

53 

6 

2 

37.8 

23 

18 

0.96 

3.1 

1.0 

99 

99 

86 

17 

Selected nonmetro demographic indicators, 2000 and 2003 

ource: Compiled by ERS using the 2002, 2003, and 2004 Cu rent Population Survey, 

March Supplement 

Indicator Hispanic Non-Hispanic 

White 

Medicaid 

Medicare 

WIC 

ood stamps 

Public housing or rental assistance 

21

8

13

14

14

11 

18 

7 

7 

13 

Nonmetro household participation in major U.S. assistance programs, 2003 

ource: Compiled by ERS using the 2002, 2003, and 2004 Cu rent Population Survey, 

March Supplement 

Percent
Nonmetro Hispanics Lag on Economic Indicators

In nonmetro counties, Hispanic men have employment rates comparable with 

non-Hispanic White men, but Hispanic women trail non-Hispanic White women by

roughly 10 percentage points. Nonmetro Hispanics are more likely to work in lower

skilled sectors such as agriculture, construction, and manufacturing and are less likely to

hold occupations that require college degrees. As a result, average personal incomes 

differ substantially between the two groups. Hispanics are more likely to live in poverty

and less likely to own homes than non-Hispanic Whites.

While incomes are effective measures of current economic well-being, 

homeownership points to long-term economic security and wealth accumulation. 

Non-Hispanic Whites have higher rates of homeownership than all other groups in

both nonmetro and metro areas. Homeownership rates in nonmetro areas are,

however, notably higher than in metro areas across all racial and ethnic groups,

because of the older median age of the population and lack of rental housing.

Prospects for Hispanics in rural America hinge on the same mechanisms for social

and economic mobility as used by generations of U.S. immigrants. These 

mechanisms include acquiring U.S. citizenship, work experience, English skills, 

training, and education, as well as overcoming discrimination and prejudice. 

Long-term mobility prospects depend 

critically on whether the educational 

attainment of Hispanic children matches that

of their non-Hispanic peers. 

In rural America, these circumstances

occur against a backdrop of an aging, mostly

White, population that will retire from the

work force in large numbers in the coming

decades. Consequently, the social and 

economic adaptation, integration, and 

mobility of new rural residents and their 

children are critical public policy issues.

Characteristic Hispanic Non-Hispanic 

White 

Employment rate, ages 16+ 

 Men 

 Women 

Employment sector 

 Agriculture, mining, construction 

 Manufacturing 

Financial, professional, business 

 Education, health, public administration 

 All other sectors 

Occupations 

 Management, professional 

 Sales and administrative 

 Production and transportation 

 Service 

Agricultural, construction, maintenance 

Income 

 Median personal income (2003 dollars) 

Median household income (2003 dollars) 

Percent of poverty-level individuals 

 Percent homeowners 

79 

55 

20 

23 

7 

16 

34 

12 

17 

29 

22 

21 

$3,500 

$31,532 

26 

58 

75 

66 

15 

15 

11 

25 

34 

30 

24 

17 

15 

13 

$12,108 

$43,778 

11 

76 

Selected economic indicators, nonmetro counties, 2003 

ource: Compiled by ERS using the 2002, 2003, and 2004 Cu rent Population Survey, 

March Supplement 

Percent 

Economic Research Service Rural Hispanics At A Glance K-Grade 8 Grades

9-12

Grades

9-12

K-Grade 8 

Nonmetro counties Metro counties

Percent 

Change in school enrollment rates 

between 1990 and 2000 

250 

200 

150 

100 

50 

0 

-50 

Source: Compiled by ERS using data from the

2000 U.S. Census

Non-Hispanic White Hispanic 
For general information about rural America, go to www.ers.usda.gov/

Emphases/Rural. For more information on this topic, contact William Kandel at

wkandel@ers.usda.gov or at 202-694-5021.

ERS Web site and contact person

This report draws on the research of ERS’s Resource and Rural Economics Division.

Data used in this analysis come from the 1990 and 2000 Census and the 2002, 2003,

and 2004 Social and Economic (March) Supplement to the Current Population Survey.

Photos from USDA/OC Photography Center.

Data Sources

The statistics reported in this publication are based on the metropolitan (metro) and

nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management

and Budget in 2003. Metropolitan areas contain (1) core counties with one or more 

central cities of at least 50,000 residents or with a Census Bureau-defined urbanized area

(and a total metro area population of 100,000 or more), and (2) fringe counties that are 

economically tied to the core counties. Nonmetro counties are outside the boundaries of

metro areas and have no cities with more than 50,000 residents. The data reported are

for nonmetro and metro areas, but here the terms “rural” and “urban” are used 

interchangeably with “nonmetro” and “metro.” Although metropolitan and 

nonmetropolitan definitions based on the 2000 Census were released in 2003, the

Current Population Survey reports data by the previous definition only.

What Is Rural?

In this report, “Hispanic” refers to those individuals who identified themselves as

“Spanish,” of “Hispanic origin,” or “Latino” on the Decennial Census in 1980, 1990, and

2000 (or the Current Population Surveys of 2002, 2003, and 2004). Some respondents

identify with all three terms while others may identify with only one. Hispanic 

identification is an ethnicity, which is independent of race. In 2000, roughly 48 percent

of Hispanics identified their race as White, 42 percent as some other race, and the 

remaining 10 percent as Black, Native American, or Asian. Roughly half of all Hispanics

refer to themselves as “Latino.” Note that Hispanic ethnicity encompasses a wide span of

experience, ranging from families having lived many generations in the United States to

recently arrived migrants whose experience is emphasized in this report. 

Who Is Hispanic/Latino?

For more information, go to the ERS Web site’s briefing room on race and ethnicity

in rural America: www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/RaceAndEthnic. 

ERS also provides more in-depth analysis of rural demographic change that focuses

on Hispanics. In particular, see:

New Patterns of Hispanic Settlement in Rural America. Recent settlement has

increased the visibility of Hispanics in many new regions of rural America. Yet 

among non-Hispanic Whites within smaller geographic areas, they became less evenly

distributed during the 1990s, especially in rapidly growing counties. Hispanic settlement 

patterns warrant attention by policymakers because they affect the well-being of both

rural communities and Hispanics themselves. www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/rdrr99/.

Impacts of Hispanic Population Growth on Rural Wages. Although earnings 

generally increased in rural areas in the 1990s, Hispanic population growth led to lower

wages for at least one segment of the rural population—workers with a high school 

diploma. This report examines the effects of Hispanic population growth on rural wages

and finds that labor demand favored unskilled and professional workers in some rural

industries. www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aer826.

ERS Research on Hispanics . . .

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disability, and, where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs,

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Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact

USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). 

To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call

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