Census data shows Latinos have biggest average households in U.S.
Russell Contreras
Heidi Gonzalez, 32, and her daughter Sarita, 2, sit in the living room of their apartment in Los Angeles' Koreatown on September 27, 2022.
Heidi Gonzalez, 32, and her daughter Sarita, 2, sit in the living room of their apartment in Los Angeles on September 27, 2022. Photo: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The average number of people per family household is largest among Latinos, an Axios analysis of new census estimates shows.
Why it matters: Despite the higher likelihood of living in multi-generational households, which for many is seen as a means to save money, Latinos still have higher than average poverty rates and lower rates of home ownership and savings and retirement accounts.
By the numbers: The average number of people per family household among Hispanics is 3.66 this year, according to census estimates released last month. A family household is one with immediate and possibly extended family.
The national average is 3.15 per household, which is slightly higher than for non-Latino white households.
It's about 3.3 for Black Americans and 3.34 for Asian Americans. Native Americans weren't included in this latest data release.
The average number of people per family household with their own children under 18 among Hispanics is 4.28. The national average is 4.
What they're saying: Latino families are more likely to be living with extended family, and Latinas on average have higher fertility rates, Elizabeth Wildsmith, a family demographer at the nonprofit research center Child Trends, tells Axios.
The number of births from Hispanic mothers rose by almost 50,000 in 2022, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics reported earlier this year.
Yes, but: Fertility rates among Hispanics and other groups has been declining in recent years, which might result in the U.S. eventually seeing a decline in the average family size for Hispanics moving forward, Wildsmith says.
Of note: How the federal poverty rate is calculated may mask deeper financial hardships larger families may face.
"Research is increasingly looking at things like direct measures of material hardship, like how hard is it for a family to pay their utility bills, how many families struggle to pay their rent or mortgage," Wildsmith said.
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