WTOP celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month this Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, with stories spotlighting the contributions, culture and accomplishments of Hispanic communities across the D.C. region.
The D.C. region is becoming increasingly diverse, and it’s drawing a large number of Latinos in because of the opportunities available, experts said.
According to a WTOP analysis of 2024 census data released this summer, every D.C.-area suburb added to its Hispanic population. In Virginia, Fairfax County reported the largest increase of people who identify as Hispanic. In Maryland, Prince George’s County saw the biggest hike.
Gabriel Moreno, chief executive officer of the Maryland-based immigration nonprofit Luminus Network, said census data revealed that in many cases, children are being born to at least one of two parents who identify as Hispanic.
Part of the growth, Moreno said, can be attributed to people telling family members and friends that there’s a large Latino population in the D.C. region.
In-state college tuition after graduating from high school is also an attractive perk, and because of the large existing population, it’s “a lot easier for folks that are trying to learn English in a space where they’re also comfortable with their native language,” Moreno said.
Takoma Park and Silver Spring in Maryland stand out as areas with concentrated Latino growth, Moreno said. In Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, there are more politicians who identify as Hispanic or Latino, which means “if they have an issue in their community, in their neighborhoods, they feel more comfortable, likely reaching out to someone that looks like them,” he said.
Frederick County, Maryland, added about 1,700 people to its Hispanic population last year, according to census data. Montgomery County added more than 6,500 people, and Prince George’s County added almost 10,000.
In Virginia, Arlington added 1,323 people who identified as Hispanic. Fairfax County added more than 4,700, Loudoun County added 1,388 and Prince William County added 3,363, according to the 2024 census data.
Terry Clower, director at George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis, said the region is an attractive place to settle down because of opportunity.
The D.C. region is largely wealthy, despite the challenges it’s been experiencing, Clower said. That means many residents spend money in restaurants, for landscaping and repairing homes, “which are those occupations that are most easily accessible for recent immigrants,” he said.
While Clower said some may consider that a downside, “in the reality, it’s a part of what we need to grow. You want to grow your economy. You want to grow things.”
In the years after the pandemic, Clower said there was a “real surge” of international migration. It was dominated by people coming to the region from Central or South America, he said, a trend that’s been true “for a long time.”
Most migrants are “not coming in to purchase homes,” Clower said; and therefore they’re not directly impacting the demand of houses for sale.
Moreno, meanwhile, said many families are returning to the multifamily home model. There could be two or three generations living in a home, largely because of housing costs.
“You’re starting to see a lot of family units kind of stay together, and it actually gives them a better position as far as, for example, buying a house,” Moreno said.
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