Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Latinos in the 2010 Elections: Oregon

Fact Sheet

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

Hispanics in Oregon’s Eligible Voter Population

  • The Hispanic population in Oregon is the 18th-largest in the nation. Some 417,000 Hispanics reside in Oregon.
  • The population in Oregon is 11% Hispanic, the 14th-highest Hispanic population share nationally.
  • There are 125,000 eligible Hispanic voters in Oregon—the 20th-largest Hispanic eligible-voter population nationally. California ranks first with 5.4 million.
  • Some 5% of eligible voters in Oregon are Latinos, the 20th-largest Hispanic eligible voter population share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 38%.
  • Three-in-ten (30%) of Latinos in Oregon are eligible to vote, ranking Oregon 44th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. In contrast, 79% of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters

  • Age. Some 36% of Hispanic eligible voters in Oregon are ages 18 to 29, greater than the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (31%) in that age range. By contrast, only 21% of all Oregon eligible voters and 22% of all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.
  • Citizenship. Two-in-ten of Hispanic eligible voters in Oregon (21%) are naturalized U.S. citizens, compared with 5% of all Oregon eligible voters. Hispanic eligible voters in Oregon are more likely to be native-born citizens (79%) than are Hispanic eligible voters nationwide (74%).
  • Educational Attainment. One-quarter of Latino eligible voters in Oregon (24%) 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 56% of Hispanic eligible voters in Oregon live in owner-occupied homes, compared with 60% of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Somewhat greater shares of all eligible voters in Oregon (68%) and all eligible voters nationwide (70%) live in owner-occupied homes.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Oregon, by Race and Ethnicity

  • Number of Latino Eligible Voters. Among the total population in Oregon, whites outnumber Hispanics by a margin of 7 to 1. However, white eligible voters outnumber Hispanic eligible voters in Oregon by 19 to 1.
  • Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than white eligible voters in Oregon. Among Latino eligible voters, 36% are ages 18 to 29 compared with 19% of white eligible voters.
  • Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do white eligible voters in Oregon. One-in-four Hispanic eligible voters (24%) have not obtained at least a high school diploma compared with 9% of white eligible voters.
  • Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters are less likely than white eligible voters in Oregon to live in owner-occupied homes—56% versus 70%.
  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 Oregon 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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