The Hispanic population in the United States is a richly diverse and changing segment of our national community. Frank Bean and Marta Tienda emphasize a shifting cluster of populations—Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central and South American, Spanish, and Caribbean—as they examine fertility and immigration, family and marriage patterns, education, earnings, and employment. They discuss, for instance, the effectiveness of bilingual education, recommending instead culturally supportive programs that will benefit both Hispanic and non-Hispanic students. A study of the geographic distribution of Hispanics shows that their tendency to live in metropolitan areas may, in fact, result in an isolation which denies them equal access to schooling, jobs, and health care. Bean and Tienda offer a critical, much-needed assessment of how Hispanics are faring and what the issues for the future will be. Their findings reveal and reflect differences in the Hispanic population that will influence policy decisions and affect the Hispanic community on regional and national levels. "...represents the state of the art for quantitative analysis of ethnic groups in the United States." —American Journal of Sociology A Volume in the Russell Sage Foundation Census Series

In 2010, Hispanics represented one out of every six people in the U.S. (up from one out of eight in 2000), such that the economic status of this population has become increasingly important for the economic direction of the nation. This volume brings together a group of scholars who analyze a variety of socioeconomic issues (particularly those related to education, poverty, and health) to assess how Hispanics have been faring relative to other Americans. A common theme across the chapters is that Hispanics tend to lag behind non-Hispanics with respect to their economic outcomes. Despite this lag, however, some of the studies indicate that Hispanics have been making progress in terms of improving their relative economic position in recent years. Several of the chapters also discuss policy implications. The intended audience includes social scientists, students, policymakers, and anyone interested in learning more about the economic conditions of Hispanic Americans. Many of the authors employed rigorous statistical methods to analyze the economic status of Hispanics, but the chapters were written to be accessible to a broad audience instead of one comprised mainly of quantitatively-oriented academics.

Provides a comprehensive look at the characteristics of this fast-growing segment of the U.S. population. Includes detailed estimates of the numbers of Hispanics nationally and by state and metropolitan area. Provides detailed spending data for Hispanic households and the latest socioeconomic data on the Hispanic population. Results from the American Time Use Survey are also presented, profiling Hispanic time use and comparing it to the averages.