( CNN ) -- The American Hispanic population is dispersing across the country , but is still anchored mainly in three states , according to a new study released Thursday . More than half the U.S. Hispanic population resides in three states : California , Texas and Florida , according to the Pew Research Center 's Hispanic Trends Project . California is home to the largest Hispanic population -- one in four U.S. Hispanics are also Californians . Those three states , plus New York , Illinois , Arizona , New Jersey and Colorado , contain three-quarters of the nation 's Latino population , according to Pew 's analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data . While those eight states retain a high Hispanic population , new opportunities are beckoning people to the West and South , said Mark Hugo Lopez , director of Hispanic Research at Pew . The study points out that over the last decade , some of the fastest growing Latino populations are in the Southeastern United States . Georgia , for example , experienced an explosive growth , because a housing boom in Atlanta attracted people , Lopez said . `` People are willing to look across the country for new job opportunities and educational opportunities , '' he explained . `` I think this has huge political implications -- it means that more Latinos will be voting , running for office , and being part of the political culture in many more states . '' Other key findings from Pew : . -- New Mexico has the the highest Hispanic population share , among the 50 states and District of Columbia , with 46.7 % of the state 's population counted as Hispanic . -- Maine , West Virginia and Vermont were among states with the lowest shares . -- Nationally , Mexicans are the largest national-origin Latino group in the United , accounting for 65 % of the Hispanic population . -- Stewart County in southwest Georgia experienced the most growth in the Hispanic population since 2000 , growing 1,754 % over 11 years .
Study : Some of fastest growing Hispanic populations are in Southeast Asia . Pew : More than half of Hispanic live in California , Texas and Florida . California has America 's largest Hispanic population , according to Forbes .