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Latinos in the 2010 Elections: Georgia

Fact Sheet

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

Hispanics in Georgia’s Eligible Voter Population

  • The Hispanic population in Georgia is the 10th-largest in the nation. Some 780,000 Hispanics reside in Georgia, 2% of all Hispanics in the United States.
  • The population in Georgia is 8% Hispanic, the 23rd-highest Hispanic population share nationally.
  • There are 178,000 eligible Hispanic voters in Georgia—the 17th-largest Hispanic eligible-voter population nationally. California ranks first with 5.4 million.
  • Some 3% of eligible voters in Georgia are Latinos, the 29th-largest Hispanic eligible voter population share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 38%.
  • One-quarter (23%) of Latinos in Georgia are eligible to vote, ranking Georgia 50th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. In contrast, 76% of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters

  • Age. One-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Georgia (32%) are ages 18 to 29, similar to the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (31%) in that age range. By contrast, only 23% of all Georgia eligible voters and 22% of all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.
  • Citizenship. One-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Georgia (34%) are naturalized U.S. citizens, compared with 4% of all Georgia eligible voters. Hispanic eligible voters in Georgia are less likely to be native-born citizens (66%) than are Hispanic eligible voters nationwide (74%).
  • Educational Attainment. Two-in-ten of Latino eligible voters in Georgia (22%) 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. More than six-in-ten of Hispanic eligible voters in Georgia (63%) live in owner-occupied homes, compared with 60% of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Seven-in-ten (70%) of all eligible voters in Georgia and eligible voters nationwide live in owner-occupied homes.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Georgia, by Race and Ethnicity

  • Number of Latino Eligible Voters. Among the total population in Georgia, whites outnumber Hispanics by a margin of 7 to 1. However, white eligible voters outnumber Hispanic eligible voters in Georgia by 24 to 1.
  • Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than black and white eligible voters in Georgia. More than three-in-ten (32%) of Latinos are ages 18 to 29 compared with 27% 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 Georgia. Some 22% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained at least a high school diploma compared with 13% of white eligible voters.
  • Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters are less likely than white eligible voters in Georgia to live in owner-occupied homes—63% versus 77%.
  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 Georgia 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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