Latinos with advanced degrees more than doubled from 2000 to 2021, study says

The number of Latinos with advanced degrees has more than doubled in the last 20 years, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis.

In the study, Pew found that in 2021, nearly 2.5 million Latinos held advanced degrees, compared to 710,000 in 2000.

The study found Hispanic Americans also saw the fastest growth in degree holders of any major race or ethnic group from 2000 to 2021, at 291% for women and 199% for men. Asian Americans saw the second-fastest growth at 264% for women and 167% for men, followed by Black Americans at 188% for women and 140% for men, according to the Pew study.

Hispanic women with advanced degrees began to outnumber Hispanic men in 2010. As of 2021, about 290,000 more Hispanic women had advanced degrees than men, the analysis revealed.

The data in the report was collected from Census Bureau data, including the 2000 decennial census and 2021 American Community Survey.

Most Latinos with advanced degrees hold a master's as their highest level of education, according to the analysis. Among degree holders of both the Latino population and in the United States at large, 72% have a master's as their highest degree, the analysis said.

Nearly half of all Latinos with advanced degrees live in one of 10 major metropolitan areas in the United States - especially New York and Miami, according to the American Community Survey. New York is home to 280,000 Latinos with a graduate degree, followed by Miami at 230,000 and Los Angeles at 180,000.

Most Latino degree holders are born in the US, too. Foreign-born Latinos made up about one-third of the number of Latinos with graduate degrees in 2021. Most of this third is made up of Mexican immigrants, at about 250,000, followed by Cubans at 100,000 with a graduate degree.

Despite the nearly two-fold increase in Latinos with advanced degrees, they account for just 8% of all advanced degree holders in the US - even though they represent 19% of the population.