Tampa's Hispanic population booms

Tampa Bay is playing a big part in the country's Latino boom.

• A new census analysis shows the Hispanic or Latino population in the U.S. grew by 23% during the past decade, but as Axios' Stef W. Kight reports, metro areas like ours saw a population boom three or more times that rate.

Our growth, by the numbers:

• 44.2% - Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
• 46.5% - North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton
• 76.2% - Lakeland-Winter Haven

Why it matters: The national population is changing, and the rapidly growing and more dispersed Latino populations come with important implications for U.S. politics.

• While Democrats have typically enjoyed strong support among Latinos, there are signs some may be skewing Republican.
• Counties with the highest Latino representation tend to be in the Southwest, but some of the fastest-growing Latino communities are in metro areas to the east.