In 2021, Ohio’s Hispanic and Latinx population reached over a half-million people, joining 21 other states. The number of people of Hispanic heritage has risen steadily over the last decade, growing more than 40 percent since 2010. People of Hispanic Heritage live in every corner of Ohio. According to the latest data available from the U.S. Census Bureau, in Defiance, Lorain, and Sandusky counties, more than 1 of every 10 residents are Hispanic/Latinx.
There are more Hispanic/Latinx people who moved to Ohio after being born in another state than there are who are foreign born.
Diversity within the Hispanic and Latinx population in Ohio
- People who are ethnically Puerto Rican tend to live in Northeast Ohio, making up more than two-thirds of Hispanic/Latinx people in Lorain and Mahoning counties and 60 percent in Cuyahoga County.
- Hispanic/Latinx people living in Northwest Ohio are more likely to be Mexican.
- People who are Mexican make up over 75 percent of Hispanic/Latinx people in Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, and Wood Counties.
- Franklin County’s Hispanic/Latinx population has an unusually high share of people from Central America, especially people who are Salvadorian.
About 24,000 people in Ohio identify themselves as Spaniard/Spanish/Spanish American.
In the state as a whole, Ohioans who are Hispanic/Latinx are about three times as likely as the US average to be Puerto Rican. About 24,000 people in Ohio identify themselves as Spaniard/Spanish/Spanish American, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2021 one-year estimates.
Whatever nationality of origin, most Hispanic and Latinx Ohioans are from here
Contrary to popular belief, 80 percent of Hispanic/Latinx Ohioans are NOT immigrants, and almost exactly half (50.0 percent) are native Ohioans. There are more Hispanic/Latinx people who moved to Ohio after being born in another state than there are who are foreign born.
Labor force participation rate for Hispanic and Latinx Ohioans is higher than average…and so is unemployment
Hispanic and Latinx people make significant contributions to Ohio’s economy and our communities. At 68.9 percent, the labor force participation rate for Hispanic and Latinx Ohioans over age 16 is higher than the state average for all races and ethnicities of 62.6 percent. Yet the unemployment rate for Hispanic and Latinx Ohioans was 1.5 times as high as the unemployment rate for non-Hispanic white Ohioans in 2021, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Hispanic and Latinx Ohioans of all ages are about twice as likely as their non-Hispanic white peers to be living in poverty, with an overall poverty rate of 20.5 percent.
National Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 – October 14
National Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. But it’s not Hispanic history month. The contributions (and challenges) are real and right now. The Center for Community Solutions is committed to diversifying the data we report by different races and ethnic groups, with the goal to discover and elevate disparities where they exist.
