98 January | February 2026 abasto.com Central Americans in the US Salvadorans are the dominant population with almost 1.5 million Detailed information on Central Americans in the United States, a popula- tion that has grown 42% between 2010 and 2023, more than double that of all immigrants combined. The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) provides a profile of Central Ameri- cans, with data from 2023. Others 8,000 0.2% Central Americans in the US 4,322,000 El Salvador 1,495,000 34.6% Guatemala 1,250,000 28.9% Honduras 935,000 21.6% Nicaragua 377,000 8.7% Costa Rica 105,000 2.4% Panam 103,000 2.4% Belice 50,000 1.2% Location Employment Education Age Origin The top five counties for Central Americans were 1. Los Angeles, California 2. Harris, Texas 3. Miami-Dade, Florida 4. Dallas, Texas 5. Prince George, Maryland In 2019-23, three cities were home to one-third of all Central Americans: the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles (14% ), New York (10%) , and Washington, DC (8%). Nearly half of Central Americans (46%) over the age of 25 did not have a high school diploma, while 12% had a college degree or higher. 80% of Central American immigrants were of working age (18 to 64). Central American immigrants had a labor force participation rate of 73% . Within this group, Guatemalans and Salvadorans (74% each) and Hondurans (73%) had the highest participation rates, while Panamanians had the lowest (58%). Source: Migration Policy Institute Useful data