US-born Latinos Driving Hispanic Population Growth as Immigration Rates Decline

Hispanic nativity has shifted, according to a new Pew Hispanic report detailing the recent decline in the percentage of the U.S. Hispanic population that is foreign-born. At the same time, the birthrates of U.S. Latinos are on the rise, overturning the longtime trend of Latino immigrants driving population growth.

Less than half of Hispanic adults in 2012 were foreign-born, a share that has dropped from 55 percent since 2007. That dip coincided with an increase in U.S.-born Latinos, who account for 60 percent of Latino population growth. The Latino population change has been attributed to a number of factors, including the slowing entrance of Mexicans (after four decades of influx), departures due to the nation's weak economy, an increase in border security, and a decline in job opportunities.

The stateside births of Latinos position them as the fastest growing and largest minority group. Since 1970, the Latino population has increased sixfold, rising from 9.1 million to 53 million in 2012. By 2060, it's expected that the Latino population will grow to 129 million — and a vast majority of those individuals will be U.S.-born Latinos.

The report indicated that 800,000 young U.S.-born Latinos enter adulthood each year; and in decades to come, that will rise to more than one million annually.

"That's really a reflection of this wave of U.S.-born young people entering adulthood and having an impact demographically on everything from ... the labor market, colleges and universities and impacting a whole host of other institutions that are part of adulthood," said Mark Lopez, director of Hispanic research at the center and a co-author of the report, according to USA Today.

Additionally, the report showed changing life and culture trends among the Latino population. The percentage of married Latinos has fallen, as has the number of people dwelling in Hispanic-headed family households. More immigrant children now speak only English only or speak English very well, and a full 61 percent of Latinos lack of health insurance.