THE POWER OF LATINAS: The Growing Influence of Latina Women in America

Latinas are not just about the fiesty attitude, cafecito, hoops, chancla or “Ay Dios mío” stuff. That of course, is a little stereotypical to say the least and always fun 😂☕💃🏽 but here is what Latinas are actually contributing to America that makes a day like National Latina Day even more impactful.

U.S. Latinas are an economic force in America! In Business, in Leadership, in Culture and in their Economic Impact, especially in the United States of America.

Here are some strong, current statistics:

• There are roughly 34 million Latinas in the United States. Latinas now represent about 1 in 5 women in America and 1 in 4 young women under 18. That means their influence is only going to become more significant in the decades ahead. (Latino Donor Collaborative)

• Latinas have a 69% labor-force participation rate, which the 2025 LDC U.S. Latinas Overview describes as the second-highest among women in the United States. (Latino Donor Collaborative)

• Latina-owned businesses are growing faster than businesses owned by White women. LDC reports a 6.3% compound annual growth rate for Latina-owned businesses versus 3.9% for White female-owned businesses. (Latino Donor Collaborative)

• Latinas have enormous consumer influence. About 86% of Latinas report being the primary shopper in their households, giving them significant influence over what American families buy and which brands earn their loyalty. (Latino Donor Collaborative)

• The larger Latino economic story is staggering: U.S. Latino GDP reached $4 trillion in 2023. If U.S. Latinos were considered their own economy, it would rank as approximately the fifth-largest economy in the world. (Latino Donor Collaborative)

• Latino purchasing power has reached approximately $4.1 trillion, while Latino income reached about $3.1 trillion. (Latino Donor Collaborative)

• Although Latinos represented about 19.5% of the U.S. population, they were responsible for 28.3% of the additions to U.S. GDP between 2017 and 2022. That's a particularly powerful statistic because it demonstrates economic contribution beyond population share. (Latino Donor Collaborative)

• Latinos are projected to represent 22.4% of the U.S. labor force by 2030 and account for 78% of net new workers during this decade, according to LDC's projections. (Latino Donor Collaborative)

🎓 There's an education story here, too

There's an outdated stereotype that is worth quietly dismantling with facts. Educational attainment among Hispanics has been rising substantially. BLS reported that 22% of Hispanic/Latino adults 25+ held a bachelor's degree or higher in 2023, while newer Census data continue to document educational attainment across the population. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

And education has a measurable economic effect: among Hispanic/Latino adults 25+ with bachelor's degrees or higher, the 2024 labor-force participation rate was 79.5% and the unemployment rate was only 2.8%. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

💪 And their impact goes far beyond a balance sheet.

Latinas have influenced virtually every corner of American life: business and entrepreneurship, medicine, science, education, law, politics, military service, entertainment, sports, food, fashion, music, journalism and community leadership.

They are also often doing something statistics don't capture particularly well: building bridges between generations and cultures.

A Latina can be thoroughly American while keeping alive the language, recipes, music, stories and traditions of parents or grandparents who came from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Central America, South America or elsewhere.

And increasingly, younger Latinas aren't viewing those identities as mutually exclusive. LDC found that nearly 80% of Gen Z Latinas identify with their heritage. (Latino Donor Collaborative)

Latinas aren't simply participating in the American story. They are helping write its next chapter.

So, yes, we can celebrate the cafecito. Celebrate the hoops. Laugh about the chancla. Dance in the kitchen. 😂 But we also have to celebrate the entrepreneurs, mothers, executives, teachers, scientists, nurses, artists, creators and community leaders whose work is helping move this country forward.

Latina isn't a race or a single culture. A Cuban-American woman's experience can be very different from that of a Mexican-American, Puerto Rican, Dominican or Colombian woman. That's part of what makes the broader Latina identity so interesting. there's enormous diversity underneath the umbrella.

Interesting statistics to note: 2025 LDC U.S. Latinas Overview and 2025 U.S. Latino GDP Report.

So yes, we bring the cafecito, the sazón, the music, the big hoops and the big personalities. But we also bring ideas, businesses, leadership, purchasing power, innovation, resilience and an enormous amount of corazón. ❤️

That's a National Latina Day with some power. 💃🏽🌻