WTOP celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month this Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, with stories spotlighting the contributions, culture and accomplishments of Hispanic and Latino people and places across the D.C. region.

The D.C. region’s Hispanic population continues to grow, according to WTOP’s analysis of the latest U.S. Census data, but the reason for that growth is changing.

Historically, the population increase came from young adults who were born outside the U.S. and later moved to the D.C. area to work.

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But now, Hamilton Lombard, a Virginia-based demographer, said the growth is from U.S.-born families or kids who are born in the region who have a parent identifying as Hispanic.

“It used to be that the population was heavily concentrated in a few localities, and now the Hispanic population is extremely widespread,” Lombard told WTOP.

“You’re up to the point about one in five of the D.C.-area residents identify as Hispanic. It was less than 10% back in 2000.”

About 20 years ago, the growth was centered around Manassas, Virginia, and that’s still largely true, Lombard said. Last year, Prince William County added 2,485 people identifying as Hispanic compared with 2024, according to Census data. Fairfax added 2,895, Loudoun County added 1,374 and D.C. added 1,784, evidence the trend extends to the rest of the region.

Approximately one-fourth of Prince George County, Maryland’s population is Hispanic, and it added 6,589 people last year — the most among the region’s most populous Hispanic communities. Montgomery County’s largest jurisdiction, added 3,261 people identifying as Hispanic.

“The only locality in the D.C. area that hasn’t seen the share of the population that identifies as Hispanic grow is Arlington —, and it was high before,” Lombard said.

The D.C. region has a large Salvadoran population, particularly in Northern Virginia, Lombard said, and there’s a large South American population too. Nationally, over half the people who identify as Hispanic have a Mexican origin, Lombard said, but in the D.C. area, it’s 15%.

D.C.’s Hispanic population is largely younger and more educated, Lombard said. But there are some economic disparities.

For one, Cubans in the D.C. area earn twice the amount of money Hondurans make. Although Hispanics born in the D.C. area seem to do relatively well compared with the rest of the country, he said.

There’s also a high degree of intermarriage in the D.C. region, according to Lombard. Most households with a U.S.-born Hispanic person have a partner who isn’t Hispanic.

“It’s interesting to think about how that affects, going forward, sort of what does it mean to be Hispanic? Most children from a U.S.-born Hispanic don’t speak Spanish,” Lombard said.

“Three-quarters of them only speak English, so that’s going to be interesting, kind of just see how that population evolves. It’ll still drive growth, but again, that diversity within the Hispanic community might get larger over time.”

Though the reason for the growth is evolving, Lombard said that growth is likely to continue in the coming years.

“That’s been the trend with the Hispanic or Latino population nationally, and particularly in the D.C. area the last couple decades,” Lombard said.

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