Latinos make up half of the growth in new eligible voters

Latinos account for half of the growth in new eligible voters since the last presidential election cycle in 2020, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center.

There are now 36.2 million eligible Hispanic voters in 2024, up from 32.3 million in 2020. Latinos are now almost 15% of the nation's eligible electorate.

A narrow majority of all U.S. Latinos in 2022 were eligible to vote (53%), but ahead of these elections there are big variations within the different states. In New Mexico, 66% of Hispanics can vote, compared to states like Tennessee, where it's 36%, and Maryland 39%.

In fact, almost two-thirds of the nation's eligible Latino voters live in only five states: California, Texas, Florida, New York and Arizona.

Eligible Latino voters are also younger than other groups: While 48% of all eligible voters are over 50, the figure is only 33% for Hispanics.

Despite the group’s relative youth compared to other voter blocs, and although 19% of Latinos are not U.S. citizens, about 1.4 million Hispanics become eligible to vote every year.

“Latinos continue to be a large and fast-growing part of the U.S. electorate," Pew Research senior writer and editor Jens Manuel Krogstad told NBC News. "They reflect the Latino population overall in the sense that a substantial number of young adults and immigrants will be eligible to vote this year.”

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com