Hispanics are the fastest-growing group in Palm Beach County and in the nation. From 1980 to 2010, the county’s Hispanic population increased from 28,505 to more than 250,823. Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans are in the majority, but immigrants from Central and South America are on the rise. Countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, and Peru are well represented.

Large groups of Mexicans and Guatemalans live in Lake Worth; there is also a sizable Guatemalan community in Jupiter. These Guatemalans are not Hispanics, but Native Americans of Mayan decent; they speak a Mayan dialect.

Puerto Ricans make up a large part of the Hispanic population of West Palm Beach and live throughout the county. In 1991 Nancy Perez was appointed the county’s first Hispanic American judge; many other Hispanics or Latinos are professionals or own businesses.