As San Dieagans prepare to celebrate Cinco de Mayo next month, the U.S. Census Bureau offers some fun facts related to the legendary Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, in which a Mexican force of 4,500 men faced 6,000 well-trained French soldiers. The battle lasted four hours and ended in a victory for the Mexican army under Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza. Hosting one of San Diego’s largest celebrations of the event on May 3-4 (May 5 is is a Monday, don’t ya know) will be Old Town State Park and the surrounding merchants. The event includes a re-enactment of the battle. The day also is cause to dig into U.S. Census figures for some numbers on Mexico’s influence on the United States. By the numbers:

• 28.3 million: The number of U.S. residents of Mexican origin in 2006. These residents constituted 9 percent of the nation’s total population and 64 percent of the Hispanic population.
  
  
• 17.86 million: The number of people of Mexican origin who lived either in California (10.84 million) or Texas (7.02 million). People of Mexican origin made up more than one-quarter of the residents of these two states.
  
  
• 25.7: The median age of people in the United States of Mexican descent. This compares with 36.4 years for the population as a whole.
  
  
• 630,000: The number of Mexican-Americans who are U.S. military veterans.
  
  
• 1.2 million: The number of people of Mexican descent 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher. This includes about 350,000 who have a graduate degree.
  
  
• 4.1: The average size for families with a householder of Mexican origin. This compares to 3.2 people in all families.
  
  
• 14 percent: The percentage of employed civilians 16 and older of Mexican heritage who worked in managerial, professional or related occupations. In addition, 23 percent worked in service occupations; 20 percent in sales and office occupations; 19 percent in construction, extraction, maintenance and repair occupations; and 20 percent in production, transportation and material moving occupations.
  
  
• 51 percent: Percentage of householders of Mexican origin who owned the home in which they lived.
  
  
• $347.3 billion: The value of goods traded between the United States and Mexico in 2007. Mexico was our nation’s third-leading trading partner, after Canada and China.
  
  
• 701,078: Number of firms owned by people of Mexican origin in 2002. Among these Mexican-owned firms, 275,896 were in California and 235,735 in Texas.
  
  
• $96.7 billion: Sales and receipts for firms owned by people of Mexican origin in 2002.
  
  
• 116,290: Number of firms owned by people of Mexican origin in the construction sector in 2002, which led all sectors.
  
  
• $100.4 million: Product shipment value of tamales and other Mexican food specialties (not frozen or canned) produced in the United States in 2002.
  
  
• 337: Number of U.S. tortilla manufacturing establishments in 2005. About one in three was in Texas.