Quick Takes

Published: December 2011

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Labor Force

• In 2010:
  • Number of Latinas in the labor force: 8,106,000¹
  • Percentage of labor force: 5.8%²
  • Percentage of Latinas who participated in the labor force: 56.5%³
  • Number of Latinas employed in management, professional, and related occupations: 1,952,000 (3.8% of all people employed in management, professional, and related occupations)⁴
• In 1998:
  • Number of Latinas in the labor force: 5,746,000⁵
  • Percentage of labor force: 4.2%⁶
• Projections for 2018:
  • Number of Latinas in the labor force: 12,253,000⁷
  • Percentage of labor force 7.3%⁸
  • Increase of Latinas in the labor force between 1998 and 2018: 113.2%⁹
• Women of color held 3.0% of board seats in the Fortune 500 in both 2010 and 2011, down from 3.1% in 2009.¹⁰
• Of all women board director positions, Latinas were only 4.9% of all women board directors. ¹¹

Educational Achievement

• Bachelor’s degrees in 2008-2009: 78,898 (4.9% of all people getting bachelor’s) compared to 50,628 Latino men (3.2%).¹²
• Master’s degrees in 2008-2009: 25,224 (3.8% of all people getting master’s) compared to 14,215 Latino men (2.2%).¹³
• Doctoral degrees in 2008-2009: 1,448 (2.1% of all people getting PhDs) compared to 1,092 Latino men (1.6%).¹⁴

Income

• Among full-time wage and salary workers in 2010, Latinas’ median weekly earnings were $508, the lowest of all race/ethnic/gender groups. Latino men earned an average of $560 per week.¹⁵

Weekly Earnings by Race/Ethnic Group¹⁶

 

Buying Power

• Latinas/Latinos’ buying power has increased from $210.0 billion in 1990 to $1.0 trillion in 2010 and is projected to climb to $1.5 trillion in 2015. ¹⁷
• The percentage change in Latinas/Latinos’ buying power between 1990 and 2015 is 605.3%.¹⁸
• Latinas/Latinos’ share of the consumer market was 9.3% in 2010, and is expected to rise to 10.5% by 2015.¹⁹

Note: Latinas and/or Hispanics may be of any race.

Sources

¹ Bureau of Labor Statistics, unpublished tabulations from the 2010 Current Population Survey, "Employed and Experienced Unemployed Persons by Detailed Occupation, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity," Annual Averages 2010 (2011).

² Bureau of Labor Statistics, unpublished tabulations from the 2010 Current Population Survey, "Employed and Experienced Unemployed Persons by Detailed Occupation, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity," Annual Averages 2010 (2011).

³ Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Table 4: Employment Status of the Hispanic or Latino Population by Age and Sex," Annual Averages 2010 (2011).

⁴ Bureau of Labor Statistics, unpublished tabulations from the 2010 Current Population Survey, "Employed and Experienced Unemployed Persons by Detailed Occupation, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity," Annual Averages 2010 (2011).

⁵ Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, "Table 3.4: Civilian Labor Force by Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity, 1988, 1998, 2008, and Projected 2018" (2009).

⁶ Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, "Table 3.4: Civilian Labor Force by Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity, 1988, 1998, 2008, and Projected 2018" (2009).

⁷ Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, "Table 3.4: Civilian Labor Force by Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity, 1988, 1998, 2008, and Projected 2018" (2009).

⁸ Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, "Table 3.4: Civilian Labor Force by Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity, 1988, 1998, 2008, and Projected 2018" (2009).

⁹ Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, "Table 3.4: Civilian Labor Force by Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity, 1988, 1998, 2008, and Projected 2018" (2009).

¹⁰ Rachel Soares, Baye Cobb, Ellen Lebow, Hannah Winsten, Veronica Wojnas, and Allyson Regis, 2011 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Board Directors (Catalyst, 2011); Rachel Soares, Jan Combopiano, Allyson Regis, Yelena Shur, and Rosita Wong, 2010 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Board Directors (2010).

¹¹ Rachel Soares, Baye Cobb, Ellen Lebow, Hannah Winsten, Veronica Wojnas, and Allyson Regis, 2011 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Board Directors (Catalyst, 2011).

¹² National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 297: Bachelor’s Degrees Conferred by Degree Granting Institutions, By Sex, Race/Ethnicity, and Field of Study, 2008-2009," Digest of Education Statistics: 2010 (2011).

¹³ National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 300: Master’s Degrees Conferred by Degree Granting Institutions, By Sex, Race/Ethnicity, and Field of Study, 2008-2009," Digest of Education Statistics: 2010 (2011).

¹⁴ National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 303: Doctor’s Degrees Conferred by Degree Granting Institutions, By Sex, Race/Ethnicity, and Field of Study, 2008-2009," Digest of Education Statistics: 2010 (2011).

¹⁵ Bureau of Labor Statistics, Highlights of Women's Earnings in 2010 (July 2011).

¹⁶ Bureau of Labor Statistics, Highlights of Women's Earnings in 2010 (July 2011).

¹⁷ Jeffrey M. Humphreys, The Multicultural Economy 2010, Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business, University of Georgia (2010).

¹⁸ Jeffrey M. Humphreys, The Multicultural Economy 2010, Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business, University of Georgia (2010).

¹⁹ Jeffrey M. Humphreys, The Multicultural Economy 2010, Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business, University of Georgia (2010).

UPDATED December 14, 2011