Puerto Rican
4,120,205 Americans[1]
(1.3% of total U.S Stateside population)They form the second largest Hispanic or Latino group in the United States,[4] and contain the second largest group of White Hispanic and Latino Americans.[5] Most Puerto Ricans ultimately descend from a combination of Europeans,[6] especially Spaniards, Black Africans and the Indigenous Taino or Arawak peoples.
The recent attention Stateside Puerto Ricans have been receiving in the media as a potential swing vote, especially in Florida, has promoted greater interest in this community. In response to this new interest, this article is intended to serve as an objective source of information about the demographic and social characteristics of the present day Puerto Rican Americans living Stateside. This article presents the latest statistics available on this community and maps its major settlements Stateside.
While Stateside Puerto Ricans have a long and proud history of fighting against prejudice and ignorance within the United States, there is a longstanding concern that the people of Puerto Rico are not as informed as they should be about the history and challenges faced by their compatriotas who have ventured Stateside since the mid-1800s. (Duany 2002 29-32) Recent dramatic demographic changes are occurring within the Stateside Puerto Rican community, making such a dialogue more relevant and critical than ever.
