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Latinos in the 2014 Election: Tennessee

This profile provides key demographic information on Latino eligible voters1 and other major groups of eligible voters in Tennessee.2 All demographic data are based on Pew Research Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 American Community Survey.3

Hispanics in Tennessee’s Eligible Voter Population

Population and Electorate in the United States and Tennessee, 2012
  • The Hispanic population in Tennessee is the 27th largest in the nation. About 307,000 Hispanics reside in Tennessee, 0.6% of all Hispanics in the United States.
  • Tennessee’s population is 5% Hispanic, the 37th largest Hispanic statewide population share nationally.
  • There are 98,000 Hispanic eligible voters in Tennessee—the 27th largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter population nationally. California ranks first with 6.4 million.
  • Some 2% of Tennessee eligible voters are Hispanic, the 43rd largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 40%.
  • Some 32% of Hispanics in Tennessee are eligible to vote, ranking Tennessee 46th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. By contrast, 79% of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Tennessee and the United States, 2012
  • Age. About one-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Tennessee (34%) are ages 18 to 29, about the same as the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (33%) in that age range. By contrast, only 21% of all Tennessee eligible voters and 22% of all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.
  • Citizenship and Nativity. Among Hispanic eligible voters in Tennessee, 22% are naturalized U.S. citizens. This is less than the 25% of Hispanic eligible voters in the U.S., but just 2% of all eligible voters in Tennessee and 8% of eligible voters in the U.S. overall are naturalized U.S. citizens.
  • Hispanic Origin. The Hispanic origins of Hispanic eligible voters in Tennessee follow a similar pattern of Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Over half (53%) of Hispanic eligible voters in Tennessee are of Mexican origin, 19% of Puerto Rican origin and 28% claim other Hispanic origin. Among all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide, 59% are Mexican, 14% are Puerto Rican, and 27% are of some other Hispanic origin.
  • Educational Attainment. About two-in-ten Latino eligible voters in Tennessee (17%) have not completed high school, more than the 14% of all Tennessee eligible voters who have not completed high school and lower than the 23% of Hispanics nationwide who have not completed high school.
  • Educational Attainment. About two-in-ten Latino eligible voters in Tennessee (17%) have not completed high school, more than the 14% of all Tennessee eligible voters who have not completed high school and lower than the 23% of Hispanics nationwide who have not completed high school.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Tennessee, by Race and Ethnicity

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Tennessee and the United States, by Race and Ethnicity, 2012
  • Number of Eligible Voters. White eligible voters outnumber Hispanic eligible voters in Tennessee by 39 to 1, and black eligible voters outnumber Hispanics by 8 to 1. There are more than twice as many Hispanic eligible voters (98,000) as Asian eligible voters (41,000).
  • Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than white, black and Asian eligible voters in Tennessee. Some 34% of Latinos are ages 18 to 29, compared with 19% of white eligible voters, 27% of black eligible voters and 22% of Asian eligible voters.
  • Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of high school education than do white eligible voters in Tennessee. Some 17% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained a high school diploma, compared with 13% of white eligible voters. Similar shares of black eligible voters (17%) and Asian eligible voters (16%) do not have a high school diploma. However, a larger share of Hispanic (19%) than black (15%) eligible voters in Tennessee have a bachelor’s degree or more. More than two-in-ten white (24%) and about four-in-ten Asian (41%) eligible voters in Tennessee have at least a bachelor’s degree.
  • Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters (53%) are equally likely to live in owner-occupied homes as black eligible voters (50%) in Tennessee, but are less likely to live in owner-occupied homes than white (74%) or Asian (77%) eligible voters.

© 2024 Pew Research Center