Face painting to celebrate Dia de los Muertos at Olvera Street. Los Angeles Almanac Photo.
Also see: Hispanic Origin by City and Community
and 2000 Census Figures
Los Angeles County has, by far, the largest Hispanic and Latino population of any county in the United States, more than twice that of second-ranked Harris County, Texas. Most of this population is ethnically Mexican (76 percent), however, Los Angeles County is also home to the largest Central American population in the U.S., including the largest Guatemalan, Costa Rican and Salvadoran ethnic populations in the U.S.
| Ethnic Origin | 2010 Census | 2017 Census Estimates* | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | Percent | Population | Percent | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 4,687,889 | 100.00% | 4,893,579 | 100.00% |
| Mexican | 3,510,677 | 74.89% | 3,728,143 | 76.18% |
| Puerto Rican | 44,609 | 0.95% | 46,760 | 0.96% |
| Cuban | 41,350 | 0.88% | 39,793 | 0.81% |
| Dominican Republic | 3,609 | 0.08% | 5,929 | 0.12% |
| Ethnic Origin | 2010 Census | 2017 Census Estimates* | ||
| Population | Percent | Population | Percent | |
| Central American | 675,832 | 14.42% | 803,268 | 16.41% |
| Costa Rican | 9,365 | 0.20% | 9,670 | 0.20% |
| Guatemalan | 214,939 | 4.58% | 266,239 | 5.44% |
| Honduran | 42,901 | 0.92% | 51,842 | 1.06% |
| Nicaraguan | 37,205 | 0.79% | 41,232 | 0.84% |
| Panamanian | 5,402 | 0.12% | 4,878 | 0.10% |
| Salvadoran | 358,825 | 7.65% | 419,428 | 8.57% |
| Other Central American | 7,195 | 0.15% | 9,979 | 0.20% |
| Ethnic Origin | 2010 Census | 2017 Census Estimates* | ||
| Population | Percent | Population | Percent | |
| South American | 118,776 | 2.53% | 132,347 | 2.70% |
| Argentinean | 19,540 | 0.42% | 18,946 | 0.39% |
| Bolivian | 4,857 | 0.10% | 4,893 | 0.10% |
| Chilean | 8,573 | 0.18% | 9,428 | 0.19% |
| Colombian | 25,272 | 0.54% | 29,873 | 0.61% |
| Ecuadorian | 19,588 | 0.42% | 21,944 | 0.45% |
| Paraguayan | 413 | 0.01% | 422 | 0.01% |
| Peruvian | 34,135 | 0.73% | 39,655 | 0.81% |
| Uruguayan | 1,628 | 0.03% | 1,272 | 0.03% |
| Venezuelan | 3,279 | 0.07% | 4,339 | 0.09% |
| Other South American | 1,491 | 0.03% | 1,575 | 0.03% |
| Ethnic Origin | 2010 Census | 2017 Census Estimates* | ||
| Population | Percent | Population | Percent | |
| Other Hispanic or Latino | 293,036 | 6.25% | 137,339 | 2.81% |
| Spaniard | 30,356 | 0.65% | 31,345 | 0.64% |
| Spanish | 20,575 | 0.44% | 18,445 | 0.38% |
| Spanish American | 1,091 | 0.02% | 487 | 0.01% |
| All other Hispanic or Latino | 241,014 | 5.14% | 87,062 | 1.78% |
* 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
A late 19th Century editorial in the Los Angeles Times predicted that the "Mexican" population in Los Angeles would disappear by the early part of the 20th Century.
