News Release

For Immediate Release: July 14, 2020
Media Contact: Georgia Smith, georgia.smith@labor.idaho.gov or Kathryn Tacke, kathryn.tacke@labor.idaho.gov

Idaho’s Hispanic population grew faster than the state’s population in 2019, according to estimates recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The number of Hispanics in Idaho rose 3.3 percent from 222,206 in 2018 to 229,490 in 2019, while the total population grew 2.1 percent.

From 2010 to 2019, the state’s Hispanic population grew 30.5 percent, while its total population grew 14 percent.

Hispanics accounted for 11.2 percent of Idaho’s population in 2010 and rose to 12.8 percent by 2019. Despite strong growth in Idaho, Hispanics make up a smaller percentage of Idaho’s population than in the nation. Hispanics were 18.5 percent of the U.S. population in 2019.

South central Idaho had the largest proportion of Hispanics at 24.7 percent. The growth of the dairy industry, which employs high percentages of Hispanics, contributed to the growth of the Hispanic population. Other southern regions where farmers and food processing operations traditionally employ many Hispanic workers, had significant increases.

Southwestern Idaho ranked second highest at 14.1 percent. In southeastern Idaho, Hispanics made up 11.9 percent of the population and 11.7 percent of eastern Idaho’s population. Idaho’s two northernmost regions had the lowest proportions — northern Idaho at 4.5 percent and north central at 4.2 percent.

Idaho’s Hispanic population is younger on average than the total population. In 2019, children under age 15 made up 30.3 percent of the Hispanic population and 20.8 percent of the total population.

Find out more about recent Census population information at https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-kits/2020/population-estimates-detailed.html

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