Spanish-Language Newspaper Circulation | Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ)

March 15, 2004

Circulation

One area that has seen sharp growth is Spanish-language newspapers. Overall, the combined circulation of Spanish-language daily newspapers in the United States has gone from less than 140,000 in 1970 to more than 1.7 million in 2002 and is still climbing, according to the National Association of Hispanic Publishers. Particularly noticeable is the sharp increase in circulation from 1990 to 2000, which coincides with the Hispanic population growing to become the nation's largest minority group.² The figures for circulation are even more stunning when contrasted to declines among English-language newspapers in this country. Since 1970, the number of English-language newspapers has been declining, as has the percentage of Americans who buy such a newspaper. Since 1990, English-language newspaper circulation has dropped nearly one percentage point a year.³

Spanish-Language U.S. Daily Newspaper Circulation

Select years 1970 - 2002

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Source: Kirk Whisler/WPR, Carlsbad, CA

English-Language U.S. Daily Newspaper Circulation

Select years 1970 - 2002

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Source: Editor and Publisher Yearbook Online data

In addition to a rising Hispanic population, the growth in Spanish-language newspaper circulation is spurred on by a sharp increase in the number of daily newspapers available. The number more than doubled from 1990 to 2000.⁴ These trends suggest that sometime in the last decade, the Hispanic population reached a critical mass that allowed this exponential growth.

Number of Spanish-Language Daily Newspapers in the U.S.

Select years 1970 - 2002