All the information in this section has been gathered by the Bureau of the Census - Population Projections by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin.

• Population (hispanic living in the U.S.): 32.7 Million, year 2001

• By the year 2005: 36,057 Million

• Hispanic households had a median income in 2001 of $37,860, compared to $47,178 for non-Hispanic whites.

• The top six U.S. Hispanic markets in order of rank are: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Texas, and Chicago. In 1995, 74 percent of the nation's Hispanics resided in five states: California (the largest with 9 million), Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois.

• California's Hispanic origin population is expected to double between 1995 and 2025, and account for one third of the nation's Hispanic population.

• Texas will remain in second place with 17% of Hispanics in 2025. New York is expected to decline from 9 to 6 percent and is expected to switch from third to fourth place with Florida. Illinois will remain in fifth place.

• By 2010 Hispanics are projected to become the second largest race/ethnic group (surpassing African Americans to become the largest minority in the U.S.).

Population: 32.7 Million, year 2001

Hispanic Market Information Population: 27 Million Year 2000: 32.7 Million Annual growth exceeds 2% a year. Higher than the population growth at the peak of the baby boom era.

Hispanic Population Growth: 1995-2050 By the year 2001 there is total of 32 million.

By the year 2005: 36,057 million.

By the year 2010: 41,139 million.

By the year 2020:62,652 million.

The Hispanic market enjoys a very strong economic power that marketers should not ignore. Buying power is defined as the income that is available, after taxes, for spending on goods and services.

With a combined buying power of over $223 billion, this market represents an enormous potential to U.S. marketers. Yet, as I mentioned, looking at this figure as a whole is not as meaningful, as trying to expose the real market potential. Because it is difficult to find accurate quantitative information on the Hispanic segments, I will attempt to combine my qualitative market knowledge with other sources of qualitative and quantitative information.

Regardless of what the actual numbers are, I have no doubt that the Hispanic market can be very profitable to marketers of goods and services. What makes it truly unique is that, unlike other segments of the U.S. population (that are reached through regular mass media), the Hispanic market can be accessed directly. The Hispanic market media is less saturated with advertising and is more cost effective than the regular market media. This means that, not only do Latinos have purchasing power, but there are also established channels available to gain access to this power. According to the Census Bureau, the average Hispanic (over 18) makes $19,099, as compared to $24,359 for the non-Hispanic population.

Hispanic Americans come from as many as 20 different countries - and some of these countries share little in common.
Argentina
Bolivia
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Puerto Rico
El Salvador
Spain
Uruguay
Venezuela

Thinking that all hispanics belong to one homogeneous group is one of the most serious misconceptions that exists among U.S. marketers.The hispanic market is not one homogeneous market, yet Hispanics do come together in the U.S. as a group of people that share a common identity.

The most important element that brings all hispanics together is language. While there are significant differences in the Spanish language amidst the various Spanish speaking countries, they are just modalities of what is truly the same language. The vocabulary may vary greatly when it comes to slang, but it is essentially the same when spoken formally. In addition, the media, especially national television, has contributed greatly towards unifying all Hispanics into one group.

By appealing to all Hispanic sub-groups, the TV networks constantly educate Hispanics on the heritage and culture of all Hispanic segments. Many Hispanics segments also find commonalties in their music, food, and religion. For example, the music of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Venezuela is all very similar in nature. These segments also share very similar food. Due to the colonization of America by Spain under the reign of Fernando and Isabela, most Hispanics are Roman Catholic.



No! Hispanic is not a race. There are Hispanic Americans of many races including White, Black, Native American, and even Asian. Many residents of Latin American countries exhibit characteristics of mixed races. The features vary from country to country depending on their heritage. For example, Mexico's strong Native Indian heritage is very apparent in the Mexican people. In contrast, Argentineans' Italian and German heritage makes Argentinean Americans look more like non-Hispanic Whites. Since the great majority of Hispanic Americans come from Latinoamerica, most U.S. Hispanics do "look" different. This characteristic "look" results in the tendency to lump all Hispanics together into a new Hispanic race. The mistake is so often seen and so widespread that many Hispanics themselves now classify themselves as members of the Hispanic race. Ironically, the term did not even exist 30 years ago!

• 8% of all US Households are hispanic Households.

• 18% of all hispanic households have median household income of $50,000 and above.

• 2.4% of all hispanic households have median household income of $100,000 and above.

• 1,402,000 hispanic households earn over $50,000 U.S.