There has been a good deal of debate in the media about what Republicans can do to gain a larger share of Hispanic voters, who accounted for 9-10 percent of the electorate in the last presidential election. About three-fourths of Hispanic voters are U.S.-born. If Republicans are going to increase their share of the Hispanic vote, this is the population that they will have to reach.
The two tables below report some important socio-demographic variables for U.S.-born Hispanics that may matter politically. The tables are based on the public-use file of the Census Bureau's March 2012 Current Population Survey (CPS). The tables also report figures for U.S.-born whites, who comprise a very large share of Republican voters. The footnotes in the table list the welfare programs included and also explain how the first and second generations are distinguished. It is important to keep in mind that tax information is an estimated tax liability from the CPS. The survey does not ask if the taxes are actually paid. Also, the average tax payments are only for those who have federal income liability; those households with no liability are excluded from that column.
