About 250 million adult U.S. citizens are eligible to vote in the 2026 midterm elections, an increase of 8.4 million since 2022, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. Hispanic and Asian eligible voters drove most of the growth, while the number of White eligible voters declined.
White adults are projected to account for 61% of eligible voters in 2026, compared with 74% in 2006. Hispanic adults make up 16%, Black adults 12% and Asian adults 5% under Pew's mutually exclusive racial and ethnic categories.
Hispanic and Asian electorates post fastest growth
The number of Hispanic eligible voters rose by 5.2 million from 2022 to 2026, reaching 39 million, a 16% increase. Hispanic adults are now the nation's second-largest eligible-voter group after White adults, having surpassed Black eligible voters in 2018.
About 4 million U.S.-born Hispanic people reached age 18 during the four-year period, accounting for roughly 80% of the group's growth. About 1 million Hispanic immigrants became naturalized citizens during the same period.
Asian eligible voters increased by 2.3 million to 13.7 million, a growth rate of about 20%, the fastest among the groups analyzed. Pew attributed the increase roughly equally to naturalization and U.S.-born Asian adults reaching voting age.
The Black electorate grew by 1.6 million, or 6%, to 31 million. The White eligible-voter population fell by 2.6 million to 153 million, a 2% decline that Pew tied largely to an older age structure in which deaths exceed the number of new adult citizens.
Pew defines eligible voters as U.S. citizens age 18 or older living in the 50 states or District of Columbia. The estimate does not include citizens living abroad and does not adjust for relatively small groups barred from voting because of felony convictions.
State electorates change at different rates
White adults made up a majority of eligible voters in 48 states in 2006. By 2024, that was true in 46 states, with the share below half in Texas, California, New Mexico, Hawaii and the District of Columbia.
Between 2006 and 2024, 16 states recorded declines of at least 10 percentage points in the White share of eligible voters. Nevada had the largest decrease at 20 points, followed by a 16-point decline in California.
Hispanic eligible voters are the largest racial or ethnic group in New Mexico, where they account for 43% of the electorate. They represent 33% in California, 32% in Texas and 25% in Arizona.
Black eligible voters make up at least 30% of the electorate in the District of Columbia, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana and Maryland. Asian adults account for 37% of eligible voters in Hawaii and 15% in California, but less than 10% everywhere else.
Age and citizenship shape eligibility
Population shares do not translate directly into voter eligibility because noncitizens and people younger than 18 cannot vote. Pew found 81% of the White population was eligible in 2024, compared with 74% of Black people, 60% of Asian people and 52% of Hispanic people.
Hispanic adults had the youngest median age among eligible voters at 39, while White eligible voters had the oldest at 52. Thirty percent of Hispanic eligible voters were younger than 30, compared with 17% of White eligible voters.
People age 65 and older accounted for 28% of White eligible voters and 14% of Hispanic eligible voters. Black and Asian eligible voters fell between those groups in their shares of both younger and older adults.
Most White and Black eligible voters were born in the United States, as were 77% of Hispanic eligible voters. Most Asian eligible voters were naturalized citizens, while 35% were U.S. born.
Educational attainment also varied. Fifty-four percent of Asian eligible voters and 38% of White eligible voters had at least a bachelor's degree, while 47% of Hispanic eligible voters and 43% of Black eligible voters had a high school education or less.
The analysis used Census Bureau American Community Survey data through 2024 and Pew projections based on 2025 population estimates. State-level figures rely on 2024 data, the latest detailed information available.
The projections describe eligibility, not registration or turnout. Registered voters are a subset of eligible voters, and people who cast ballots form a still smaller group.
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