Philadelphia has never been more diverse, and Latine families play a central role in that transformation. As of 2024, over 16% of the city’s population identifies as Latine. While many are recent arrivals from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico, most Latines living in Philadelphia today were born here. They now represent a growing share of the city’s second- and third-generation residents.
At the same time, new immigrants continue to arrive from Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Their U.S.-born children, especially within Latine families, are helping reshape what it means to belong in Philadelphia.
“I think it’s important to associate with some type of identity, especially if you’re confused about where you fall,” said second-generation Mexican American Anisa Cabrera.
Yet public conversations often focus on immigrants themselves, not their children or grandchildren—that is a problem.
Second- and third-generation Latines are not just inheriting culture; they are actively defining the city’s identity, culture, and civic life.
Who counts as second- or third-generation?
The U.S. Census Bureau defines second-generation individuals as U.S.-born people with at least one immigrant parent. Third-generation or higher means both the individual and their parents were born in the U.S., with immigration in the family history going back to grandparents or earlier.
The terms help explain how language, identity, and culture shift over time, especially in a city like Philadelphia, where many families live between multiple cultural spaces. Second- and third-generation Latines often serve as bridges between those spaces, translating, adapting, and passing traditions forward.
Language, identity, and cultural continuity
Language is often the clearest indicator of generational change. Many second-generation Latines grow up bilingual, speaking Spanish at home and English in school. But that’s not always the case.
“I noticed a lot of the time Puerto Ricans don’t transfer the language to their kids,” Arianna Alfaro, a second-generation Puerto Rican, said. “I can’t say why, because both my parents’ first language was Spanish, and I’m just confused why I wasn’t taught it.”
She eventually learned Spanish through school and community, but not at home.
By the third generation, English usually dominates. Still, Spanish often holds emotional and cultural significance. Two Colombian-Mexican second-generation sisters from Northeast Philly reflect this generational contrast. The older sister learned Spanish first and still speaks it fluently. The younger one learned English first and now speaks little Spanish.
“Now as an adult, when I speak with my mother in Spanish,” Roxann Lara, the younger sister, said. “I wish I had learned the language as a child so I could communicate without a barrier. That’s part of why I enrolled my sons in a Spanish immersion program at a public school.”
This is not an uncommon occurrence as generations migrate.
“First-born kids usually speak better Spanish because their parents mostly spoke Spanish when they were born,” second-generation Colombian Jeanpaul Gonzalez said. “By the time younger siblings come along, the older ones already speak English, and parents start to lean on that, too. The connection to Spanish fades.”
There’s also pressure in the workplace.
“In work settings, I’m expected to know Spanish to translate,” Alfaro said. “That makes things difficult because it makes me feel like a failure as a Latina not being able to speak Spanish. It’s disheartening to be expected to translate and not be able to.”
According to Pew, Spanish remains the most common non-English language spoken at home in Philadelphia, with around 160,000 speakers. Nationally, 61% of immigrant Latines speak Spanish at home, but that drops to 6% among second-generation Latines and nearly zero by the third. Still, 88% believe it’s important to pass on the language.
“It’s super important to pass on basic knowledge and the language,” Cabrera reiterated. “For me, as a ‘no sabo’ kid with a Mexican father, it’s frustrating.”
The data gap in Philly
Despite growing attention to bilingualism and identity, local data still fails to reflect the full story. Major surveys track birthplace, but rarely include parent or grandparent origin, making it nearly impossible to identify or understand third-generation Latines.
Many programs are still designed with recent immigrants in mind, but that doesn’t help a third-generation teen wrestling with identity loss or a second-generation parent trying to reconnect with Spanish through their children.
Why it matters now
Too often, the Latine community is treated like a monolith when the reality is far more layered.
That’s why community storytelling and cultural preservation matter. Organizations like Taller Puertorriqueño, Concilio, and Pequeños Pasos are doing that work through arts, early childhood programs, oral histories, and cultural events. They help multigenerational Latines feel connected to their stories and their place in the city.
This story was origionally published by Metro Philadelphia and 2Puntos Platform. They some of more than 30 news organizations powering the Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative. We do solutions reporting on things that affect daily life in our city where the problem and symptoms are obvious, but what’s driving them isn’t. Follow us at @PHLJournoCollab