Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area Latino Community Profile The
number of Latinos residing in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan
area has increased dramatically. Between 1980 and 1990, the
percent of Latinos in the area doubled-increasing from 3 to 6
percent of the total population. The greatest change occurred in
northern Virginia, where the population shifted from 3 percent
Latino in 1980 to 7 percent Latino in 1990. During the same time
period, the District of Columbia experienced a decrease in its
overall population, while the number of Latino residents
increased from 3 percent of the population in 1980 to 5 percent
in 1990 and subsequently has emerged as the city's largest
cultural and linguistic minority. Figure 1 shows the percent of
the metropolitan area's population who are Latino, comparing
1980 and 1990 census data. Areas of Concentration Latinos are
most heavily concentrated in two suburban areas of Washington,
D.C.-Montgomery County, Maryland, and Fairfax County, Virginia.
Figure 2 gives the per