A new report released by the Idaho Commission of Hispanic Affairs shows Hispanics in the state are younger than non-Hispanics and their population is growing at a higher rate.
The snapshot released by the commission compiled data from 2021. It shows Hispanics represent 13% of the population, but account for 17% of births in Idaho. ICHA Director Margie Gonzalez says the main reason for these numbers is straightforward.
“We're having more babies, we have larger families,” she said.
The large majority of the Hispanic population in the state is made up of children, teens and young adults. Very few are older folks.
“This is in contrast to the non-Hispanic population, which is more evenly distributed across age groups,” the report says, showing 39% of Hispanics are under the age of 20 compared to 26% of non-Hispanics.
The median age of Hispanics is 27, compared to 40 for non-Hispanics.
Gonzalez says this difference could signal a climate shift in Hispanics’ voting power in the next few years.
“A lot of our youth are wanting to become civically engaged, and they're wanting to get out to vote, and they're paying attention to some of the issues around their parents and grandparents,” she said.
“We're going to see more of our young population, wanting to be involved in school boards, wanting to get involved at city and county level and even the state level,” she added
Hispanic people represent about a quarter million people in Idaho, double what it was two decades ago.
