Many of the markets that have increased in rank among ethnic homes are in the Southern and Western regions of the U.S., according to Nielsen.

Las Vegas climbed up three notches in the rankings for the 2005-2006 TV season, to 22nd place. Its estimated Hispanic household count of 107,330 included 10,400 new Latino TV homes.

Las Vegas was among the four of the fastest-growing Hispanic markets, which also include Palm Springs (previously ranked No. 31, now 39); Phoenix (which continues to be ranked No. 9); and Ft. Myers (previously No. 39, now 36). All four had Hispanic-TV household increases of 8% or greater.

Other markets lost ground. Such is the case with Washington, D.C., which dropped three spots, from No. 17 during the 2004-2005 TV season to No. 20 for 2005-06. According to the report, the nation’s capital added a mere 870 new Hispanic TV households.

Despite these shifts, the top 10 Hispanic markets remain the same. According to the report, Los Angeles — the country’s largest — picked up 23,130 new Hispanic households for the 2005-06 TV season, climbing to more than 1.7 million. LA’s Hispanic TV households represent now more than 15% of the country’s total TV universe.