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Latinos in the 2010 Elections: New Jersey

Fact Sheet

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

Hispanics in New Jersey’s Eligible Voter Population

  • The Hispanic population in New Jersey is the seventh-largest in the nation. More than 1.4 million Hispanics reside in New Jersey, 3% of all Hispanics in the United States.
  • The population in New Jersey is 16% Hispanic, the ninth-highest Hispanic population share nationally.
  • There are 645,000 eligible Hispanic voters in New Jersey—the seventh-largest Hispanic eligible-voter population nationally. California ranks first with 5.4 million.
  • Some 11% of eligible voters in New Jersey are Latinos, the ninth-largest Hispanic eligible voter population share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 38%.
  • Less than half (45%) of Latinos in New Jersey are eligible to vote, ranking New Jersey 18th 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-quarter of Hispanic eligible voters in New Jersey (25%) are ages 18 to 29, a lesser share than all Latino eligible voters nationwide (31%). Fewer eligible voters overall in New Jersey are in that age range (19%) compared with New Jersey Hispanic eligible voters (25%).
  • Citizenship. Some 35% of Hispanic eligible voters in New Jersey are naturalized U.S. citizens, compared with 14% of all New Jersey eligible voters. Hispanic eligible voters in New Jersey are less likely to be native-born citizens (65%) than are Hispanic eligible voters nationwide (74%).
  • Educational Attainment. Two-in-ten of Latino eligible voters in New Jersey (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. A majority of Hispanic eligible voters in New Jersey (53%) live in owner-occupied homes, compared with 60% of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Greater shares of all eligible voters in New Jersey (73%) and all eligible voters nationwide (70%) live in owner-occupied homes.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in New Jersey, by Race and Ethnicity

  • Number of Latino Eligible Voters. Black eligible voters in New Jersey outnumber Hispanic eligible voters—768,000 blacks compared with 645,000 Hispanics. Hispanic eligible voters outnumber Asian eligible voters in New Jersey by more than 2 to 1—645,000 to 299,000.
  • Age. Latino and black eligible voters are younger than white and Asian eligible voters in New Jersey. Similar shares of Latino and black eligible voters (25%) are ages 18 to 29 compared with 17% of white and Asian eligible voters.
  • Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do white and black eligible voters in New Jersey. Some 22% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained at least a high school diploma compared with 16% of black and 8% of white eligible voters.
  • Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters in New Jersey are less likely than white eligible voters, but more likely than black eligible voters, to live in owner-occupied homes—53% versus 81% and 48%, 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 New Jersey 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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