Speaking to an audience of CFTC employees in Washington, D.C., with a web-cast to regional offices in New York, Kansas and Chicago, Salazar provided a detailed look at the U.S. Hispanic population as documented by the 2010 Census.

“More than half of the growth in the total population of the U.S. between 2000 and 2010 was due to the increase in the Hispanic population,” Salazar explained. “The Hispanic population grew at a rate four times higher than any other population.”

Citing a report recently published by the Pew Hispanic Center, Salazar elaborated on the make-up of the U.S. Hispanic population in terms of country of origin. He discussed the differences across the 10 largest Hispanic origin groups that make up 92% of the U.S. Hispanic population.

“There are differences across these groups in the share of each that holds citizenship, is proficient in English and that is foreign born,” Salazar said. “They also vary in age with 34% being under the age of 18.” Salazar challenged the audience to learn more about the fast growing U.S. Hispanic population and he urged that all institutions and organizations will need to understand the diversity within the Hispanic Community."

He asserted that businesses seeking consumers for their products and political organizations seeking supporters for their ideas will have to direct their marketing efforts to these varying and diverse Hispanic groups and they will have to deploy new outreach models.