This profile provides key demographic information on Latino eligible voters¹ and other major groups of eligible voters in Tennessee.² All demographic data are based on Pew Research Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 American Community Survey.³

Hispanics in Tennessee’s Eligible Voter Population

• The Hispanic population in Tennessee is the 27th largest in the nation. About 307,000 Hispanics reside in Tennessee, 0.6% of all Hispanics in the United States.
• Tennessee’s population is 5% Hispanic, the 37th largest Hispanic statewide population share nationally.
• There are 98,000 Hispanic eligible voters in Tennessee—the 27th largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter population nationally. California ranks first with 6.4 million.
• Some 2% of Tennessee eligible voters are Hispanic, the 43rd largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 40%.
• Some 32% of Hispanics in Tennessee are eligible to vote, ranking Tennessee 46th 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. About one-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Tennessee (34%) are ages 18 to 29, about the same as the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (33%) in that age range. By contrast, only 21% of all Tennessee eligible voters and 22% of all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.
• Citizenship and Nativity. Among Hispanic eligible voters in Tennessee, 22% are naturalized U.S. citizens. This is less than the 25% of Hispanic eligible voters in the U.S., but just 2% of all eligible voters in Tennessee and 8% of eligible voters in the U.S. overall are naturalized U.S. citizens.
• Hispanic Origin. The Hispanic origins of Hispanic eligible voters in Tennessee follow a similar pattern of Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Over half (53%) of Hispanic eligible voters in Tennessee are of Mexican origin, 19% of Puerto Rican origin and 28% claim other Hispanic origin. Among all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide, 59% are Mexican, 14% are Puerto Rican, and 27% are of some other Hispanic origin.
• Educational Attainment. About two-in-ten Latino eligible voters in Tennessee (17%) have not completed high school, more than the 14% of all Tennessee eligible voters who have not completed high school and lower than the 23% of Hispanics nationwide who have not completed high school.
• Educational Attainment. About two-in-ten Latino eligible voters in Tennessee (17%) have not completed high school, more than the 14% of all Tennessee eligible voters who have not completed high school and lower than the 23% of Hispanics nationwide who have not completed high school.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Tennessee, by Race and Ethnicity

• Number of Eligible Voters. White eligible voters outnumber Hispanic eligible voters in Tennessee by 39 to 1, and black eligible voters outnumber Hispanics by 8 to 1. There are more than twice as many Hispanic eligible voters (98,000) as Asian eligible voters (41,000).
• Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than white, black and Asian eligible voters in Tennessee. Some 34% of Latinos are ages 18 to 29, compared with 19% of white eligible voters, 27% of black eligible voters and 22% of Asian eligible voters.
• Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of high school education than do white eligible voters in Tennessee. Some 17% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained a high school diploma, compared with 13% of white eligible voters. Similar shares of black eligible voters (17%) and Asian eligible voters (16%) do not have a high school diploma. However, a larger share of Hispanic (19%) than black (15%) eligible voters in Tennessee have a bachelor’s degree or more. More than two-in-ten white (24%) and about four-in-ten Asian (41%) eligible voters in Tennessee have at least a bachelor’s degree.
• Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters (53%) are equally likely to live in owner-occupied homes as black eligible voters (50%) in Tennessee, but are less likely to live in owner-occupied homes than white (74%) or Asian (77%) eligible voters.