Mass.’ Hispanic population is growing, while whites are declining. Experts explain why

Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Head Start President Janis Santos rides in a car waving the Puerto Rican flag at the Springfield Puerto Rican Parade. (Ed Cohen Photo) A new report shows that Hispanics and Latinos in the U.S. are growing in numbers, while the nation’s non-Hispanic population is slowly falling, a trend that highlights the influence of immigration patterns on racial demographics.

Massachusetts is among a handful of states that saw a rise in its Hispanic population between 2022 and 2023, while the number of non-Hispanic residents fell, according to U.S. Census data .

In the Boston area — which encompasses communities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire with an estimated 4.9 million residents — the Hispanic population grew by 16,664. In contrast, the non-Hispanic population fell by 511, the data show.

The Census Bureau’s newest report is part of a decades-long trend: America is slowly becoming more racially and ethnically diverse . It’s estimated by 2045, white Americans will become a racial minority in the U.S., according to an analysis by the Brookings Institution , a Washington D.C.-based research group.

One of the driving forces behind this trend is age, Phillip Granberry, a senior research associate at The Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community […]

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