This profile provides key demographic information on Latino eligible voters1 and other major groups of eligible voters in New York.2 All demographic data are based on Pew Research Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey.3

Hispanics in New York’s Eligible Voter Population

Population and Electorate in the United States and New York, 2014
  • The Hispanic population in New York is the fourth largest in the nation. About 3.7 million Hispanics reside in New York, 6.6% of all Hispanics in the United States.
  • New York’s population is 19% Hispanic, the ninth largest Hispanic statewide population share nationally.
  • There are 1.9 million Hispanic eligible voters in New York—the fourth largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter population nationally. California ranks first with 6.9 million.
  • Some 14% of New York eligible voters are Hispanic, the eighth largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 40%.
  • Fully 51% of Hispanics in New York are eligible to vote, ranking New York 14th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. By contrast, 79% of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters

  • Age. Some three-in-ten Hispanic eligible voters in New York are ages 18 to 29, somewhat lower than the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (33%) in that age range. Only 22% of all New York eligible voters and of all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.
  • Citizenship and Nativity. Among Hispanic eligible voters in New York, 30% are naturalized U.S. citizens. This is higher than the 25% of Hispanic eligible voters in the U.S. Just 17% of all eligible voters in New York and 9% of eligible voters in the U.S. overall are naturalized U.S. citizens.
  • Hispanic Origin. Hispanic eligible voters in New York have a different Hispanic origin profile from Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Fully 42% of Hispanic eligible voters in New York are of Puerto Rican origin, 21% are of Dominican origin and just 7% are Mexican. By contrast, the majority of Hispanic eligible voters in the U.S. are Mexican (59%), while 14% are Puerto Rican and 3% are of Dominican origin.
  • Educational Attainment. Roughly a quarter of Latino eligible voters in New York have not completed high school (24%), more than twice the 11% of all New York eligible voters who have not completed high school and somewhat higher than the 22% of Hispanics nationwide who have not completed high school.
  • Homeownership. About one-third of Hispanic eligible voters in New York (32%) live in owner-occupied homes, lower than the 55% of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Greater shares of all eligible voters in New York (59%) and eligible voters nationwide (67%) live in owner-occupied homes.
Characteristics of Eligible Voters in New York and the United States, 2014

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in New York, by Race and Ethnicity

  • Number of Eligible Voters. White eligible voters outnumber Hispanic eligible voters in New York by about 5 to 1. In New York, Hispanics outnumber Asians by about 1 million among eligible voters. There are 49,000 fewer Hispanic eligible voters than black eligible voters.
  • Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than white, black and Asian eligible voters in New York. Some 30% of Latinos are ages 18 to 29, compared with 19% of white eligible voters, 25% of black eligible voters and 23% of Asian eligible voters.
  • Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do white, black and Asian eligible voters in New York. Some 24% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained a high school diploma, compared with 7% of white eligible voters, 16% of black eligible voters and 16% of Asian eligible voters.
  • Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters (32%) are less likely to live in owner-occupied homes in New York than are whites (70%), blacks (38%) and Asians (59%) who are eligible to vote.
Characteristics of Eligible Voters in New York, by Race and Ethnicity, 2014