Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Latinos in the 2010 Elections: Ohio

Fact Sheet

This statistical profile provides key demographic information of Latino eligible voters in Ohio.1 It also contains data on other major groups of eligible voters in Ohio.2 All data are based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey.3

Hispanics in Ohio’s Eligible Voter Population

  • The Hispanic population in Ohio is the 23rd-largest in the nation. Some 296,000 Hispanics reside in Ohio, 1% of all Hispanics in the United States.
  • The population in Ohio is 3% Hispanic, the 45th-highest Hispanic population share nationally.
  • There are 140,000 eligible Hispanic voters in Ohio—the 18th-largest Hispanic eligible-voter population nationally. California ranks first with 5.4 million.
  • Some 2% of eligible voters in Ohio are Latinos, the 40th-largest Hispanic eligible voter population share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 38%.
  • Less than half (47%) of Latinos in Ohio are eligible to vote, ranking Ohio 15th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. In contrast, 77% of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters

  • Age. One-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Ohio (32%) are ages 18 to 29, similar to the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (31%) in that age range. By contrast, only 21% of all Ohio eligible voters and 22% of all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.
  • Citizenship. Some 13% of Hispanic eligible voters in Ohio are naturalized U.S. citizens, compared with 2% of all Ohio eligible voters. Hispanic eligible voters in Ohio are more likely to be native-born citizens (87%) than are Hispanic eligible voters nationwide (74%).
  • Educational Attainment. One-quarter of Latino eligible voters in Ohio (23%) have not completed high school. That was less than the rate for all Latino eligible voters—26%—but greater than the rate for U.S. eligible voters nationwide—13%.
  • Homeownership. Some 57% of Hispanic eligible voters in Ohio live in owner-occupied homes, compared with 60% of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Somewhat greater shares of all eligible voters in Ohio (72%) and all eligible voters nationwide (70%) live in owner-occupied homes.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Ohio, by Race and Ethnicity

  • Number of Latino Eligible Voters. Black eligible voters in Ohio outnumber Hispanic eligible voters by a margin of more than 6-to-1—934,000 blacks compared with 140,000 Hispanics.
  • Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than black and white eligible voters in Ohio. Nearly one-third (32%) of Latino eligible voters are ages 18 to 29 compared with 26% of black eligible voters and 20% of white eligible voters.
  • Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do white eligible voters in Ohio. Some 23% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained at least a high school diploma compared with 11% of white eligible voters.
  • Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters in Ohio are less likely than white eligible voters, but more likely than black eligible voters, to live in owner-occupied homes—57% versus 76% and 44%, respectively.
  1. Eligible voters are defined as U.S. citizens ages 18 and older. Eligible voters are not the same as registered voters. To cast a vote, in all states except North Dakota, an eligible voter must first register to vote.
  2. The terms “Hispanic” and “Latino” are used interchangeably. References to “whites,” “blacks,” and “Asians” are to the non-Hispanic components of those populations.
  3. This statistical profile of eligible voters in Ohio is based on the Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of about 3 million addresses. The data used for this statistical profile come from 2008 ACS Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS), representing a 1% sample of the U.S. population. Like any survey, estimates from the ACS are subject to sampling error and (potentially) measurement error. Information on the ACS sampling strategy and associated error is available at http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/accuracy2008.pdf. An example of measurement error is that citizenship rates for the foreign born are estimated to be overstated in the Decennial Census and other official surveys, such as the ACS (see Jeffrey Passel. “Growing Share of Immigrants Choosing Naturalization,” Pew Hispanic Center, Washington, D.C. (March 28, 2008)).
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