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Contact: lppipress@luskin.ucla.edu
UCLA Study Shows Washington State’s Latino Eligible-Voter Population Grew 224% Since 2000
Young and fast-growing electorate has the state’s highest labor force participation rate, but faces gaps in wages, housing, health coverage, and broadband access
LOS ANGELES (October 2, 2026) — Washington state’s Latino eligible-voter population more than tripled between 2000 and 2024, according to a new data brief from the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI), which utilizes data from the Latino Data Hub. The study finds that the number of Latino eligible voters in the state more than tripled, increasing from approximately 159,000 to 516,000 in 2024, a 224% increase. Today, Latinos account for 9.2% of Washington’s eligible voters, making them the state’s second-largest group.
The findings also show that Latino eligible voters have the highest labor-force participation rate among the state’s major racial and ethnic groups, at 74%, and play an important role across many sectors of Washington’s economy, from education and health services to construction, agriculture, retail, and hospitality. Yet Latino workers earn a median hourly wage of $23, among the lowest in the state, and Latino eligible voters live in households with a median income that is $13,300 below the statewide median.
Key findings include:
- Latinos are the youngest racial or ethnic group among Washington’s eligible voters. Their median age is 35, compared with 47 for eligible voters overall and 50 for non-Hispanic white eligible voters.
- Latinos represent nearly one in five young eligible voters. Approximately 19.3% of Washington’s eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 24 are Latino, more than twice the Latino share of the overall electorate.
- Latino voter registration and turnout increased significantly. Between the 2014 and 2022 midterm elections, Latino voter turnout in the state rose by nearly 20 percentage points.
- Most Latino eligible voters are U.S.-born citizens, while 18% are naturalized citizens. Nearly three-quarters are of Mexican descent, followed by voters of Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, Cuban, and Colombian descent.
- Fifteen percent lack broadband access. Although most Latino eligible voters have internet and smartphone access, the broadband gap shows that voter education and civic outreach cannot rely exclusively on digital communication.
- Latino eligible voters have Washington’s highest labor force participation rate, at 74%, but earn among the state’s lowest wages. Their median hourly wage is $23, compared with $30 among all eligible voters and $32 among non-Hispanic white eligible voters.
- Latino eligible voters continue to face significant housing and affordability challenges. Only 58% own their homes, compared with 70% of eligible voters overall. Among Latino renters, 44% experience housing-cost burdens. 10% of Latino eligible voters live in overcrowded homes.
- Eleven percent of Latino eligible voters are uninsured, more than twice the rate among eligible voters overall and non-Hispanic white eligible voters, both at 5%.
“Washington’s Latino eligible-voter population has grown more than three times over since 2000, but the importance of this community cannot be understood through population growth alone,” said Rodrigo Dominguez-Villegas, director of research at LPPI. “Latinos participate in the workforce at the highest rate in the state while continuing to face lower wages and gaps in housing, health coverage, and broadband access. We hope the findings can help civic organizations and public institutions develop outreach that keeps pace with the state’s growing and diverse Latino population.”
“Nearly one in five of Washington’s youngest eligible voters is Latino, and that generation will play an important role in the state’s civic, economic, and community life for decades,” said Mariah Bonilla, project policy analyst at LPPI and project coordinator for the Latino Data Hub. “Washington has an opportunity to engage young Latinos early and consistently—not only during election season, but through investments in accessible information, education, economic opportunity and the public systems they rely on.”
“We have an opportunity to continue investing in policies that address gaps while fine-tuning strategies to maximize intentional engagement with Latino eligible voters,” said María Á. Sigüenza, executive director of the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs, an organization that provided funding for the study. “The Latino population has always been an important part of our state’s rich fabric, but that doesn’t mean our voices are always heard, and these reports show that it is now more important than ever.”
The findings are intended to help election officials, civic organizations, policymakers, advocates and community leaders develop voter education and engagement efforts that reflect the diversity and lived experiences of Washington’s growing Latino population.
This voter profile was made possible through the support of the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs.
Read the full data brief here.
The Texas, North Carolina, and Washington data briefs build on UCLA LPPI’s 2024 examinations of Latino eligible voters. The series builds on voter profiles published in 2024 for Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania, expanding the Latino Data Hub’s detailed demographic and socioeconomic portrait of Latino eligible voters across the country.
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About the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute
The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute is a nonpartisan research institute that seeks to inform, engage and empower Latinos through innovative research and policy analysis. LPPI aims to promote equitable and inclusive policies that address the needs of the Latino community and advance social justice. latino.ucla.edu.
