Since the 1990 Census, the U.S. Hispanic population has grown both in numbers and diversity. Immigration from the Caribbean and Central and South America, in particular, has made significant contributions to the growth in the Hispanic population, and is, in large part, responsible for the socioeconomic and cultural diversity that exists among different Hispanic national-origin groups. Currently, the Hispanic-origin population accounts for 12.5 percent of the population, and by 2010 it may become the second-largest racial/ethnic group in the United States.
