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Hispanic or Latino Ethnic Origin
(of Any Race)
Los Angeles County

Dia de los Muertos, Olvera Street

Face painting to celebrate Dia de los Muertos at Olvera Street. Los Angeles Almanac Photo.

2021 Census Estimates* & 2010 Census

Also see:
-- Hispanic Origin by City and Community
-- Racial/Ethnic Population for Los Angeles County


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 in Texas. Most of Los Angeles County's population is ethnically Mexican (75 percent). The county also is home to the largest Central American population in the nation, including the largest Guatemalan, Costa Rican and Salvadoran ethnic populations in the U.S.



Ethnic Origin 2021 Census Estimate* 2010 Census
Population Percent Population Percent
Total Hispanic or Latino 4,878,619 100.00% 4,687,889 100.00%
Mexican 3,642,873 74.67% 3,510,677 74.89%
Puerto Rican 48,283 0.99% 44,609 0.95%
Cuban 42,173 0.86% 41,350 0.88%
Dominican Republic 6,674 0.14% 3,609 0.08%
Ethnic Origin 2021 Census Estimate* 2010 Census
Population Percent Population Percent
Central American 820,645 16.82% 675,832 14.42%
Costa Rican 9,451 0.19% 9,365 0.20%
Guatemalan 271,706 5.57% 214,939 4.58%
Honduran 52,764 1.08% 42,901 0.92%
Nicaraguan 37,886 0.78% 37,205 0.79%
Panamanian 5,272 0.11% 5,402 0.12%
Salvadoran 434,885 8.91% 358,825 7.65%
Other Central American 8,681 0.18% 7,195 0.15%
Ethnic Origin 2021 Census Estimate* 2010 Census
Population Percent Population Percent
South American 139,482 2.86% 118,776 2.53%
Argentinean 21,513 0.44% 19,540 0.42%
Bolivian 5,291 0.11% 4,857 0.10%
Chilean 9,135 0.19% 8,573 0.18%
Colombian 33,095 0.68% 25,272 0.54%
Ecuadorian 21,919 0.45% 19,588 0.42%
Paraguayan 374 0.01% 413 0.01%
Peruvian 37,521 0.77% 34,135 0.73%
Uruguayan 1,934 0.04% 1,628 0.03%
Venezuelan 6,875 0.14% 3,279 0.07%
Other South American 1,825 0.04% 1,491 0.03%
Ethnic Origin 2021 Census Estimate* 2010 Census
Population Percent Population Percent
Other Hispanic or Latino 178,489 3.66% 293,036 6.25%
Spaniard 35,220 0.72% 30,356 0.65%
Spanish 24,048 0.49% 20,575 0.44%
Spanish American 1,271 0.03% 1,091 0.02%
All other Hispanic or Latino 117,950 2.42% 241,014 5.14%

* American Community Survey estimate for 2021 calculated from data collected over the five-year period of 2017-2021.
† The Hispanic or Latino population is estimated to be 48.69% of the county's total population.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau


It is reported that 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.


Woman Mariachi Singer, Los Angeles
Also see: Hispanic or Latino Ethnic Origin - Los Angeles County.