FACTBOX: Statistical portrait of Hispanics in U.S.

(Reuters) - Hispanics, or Latinos, could play a significant role in the November U.S. presidential election.

Here's a look at their numbers, according to the Pew Hispanic Center's "Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2006."

Population: 44.3 million, 14.8 percent of total

Eligible voters: 17.9 million

Share of eligible voters: 8.7 percent.

Native born: 26.6 million

Foreign born: 17.7 million

Top countries of origin: Mexico 28.4 million, Puerto Rico 4.0 million, Cuba 1.5 million, El Salvador 1.4 million, Dominican Republic 1.2 million.

Top 10 Hispanic states by population (and percent of state population):

California 13.1 million (35.9 percent)

Texas 8.4 million (35.6 percent)

Florida 3.6 million (20.1 percent)

New York 3.1 million (16.3 percent)

Illinois 1.9 million (14.7 percent)

Arizona 1.8 million (29.1 percent)

New Jersey 1.4 million (15.6 percent)

Colorado 927,000 (19.5 percent)

New Mexico 874,000 (44.7 percent)

Georgia 696,000 (7.4 percent)

Same states by number of Hispanic eligible voters (and percentage of eligible voters):

California 5.0 million (22.8 percent)

Texas 3.6 million (24.6 percent)

Florida 1.7 million (13.6 percent)

New York 1.5 million (11.4 percent)

Illinois 704,000 (8.1 percent)

Arizona 678,000 (17.0 percent)

New Jersey 579,000 (9.9 percent)

Colorado 405,000 (12.3 percent)

New Mexico 492,000 (37.1 percent)

Georgia 147,000 (2.3 percent)

Hispanic median household income: $38,235

White median household income: $51,920

Black median household income: $32,198

Asian median household income: $63,390

Percentage of population in poverty: Hispanic 28.9 percent, white 11.3 percent, black 36.1 percent, Asian 12.0 percent, other 23.5 percent.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta, editing by Doina Chiacu)