The U.S. Census Bureau reports that as of July 1, 2007, the nation's Hispanic population had reached 45.5 million, representing 15.1 percent of the total U.S. population of 301.6 million.* Hispanics are also the fastest-growing ethnic group, increasing in size at a rate of 3.3 percent year-to-year. The Hispanic population has exceeded one million in seven states and there are Hispanic populations greater than 500,000 in 16 states. California alone is home to 13.2 million Latinos (the largest population for any state) and the United States is now the world's fourth largest Spanish-speaking country.