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There's an outdated stereotype that is worth quietly dismantling with facts.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. 💃🏽🌻

NATIONAL LATINA DAY: LATINA ENERGY IS A WHOLE VIBE

If you are a Latina, you may already know when National Latina Day is! If you are not, now you know it is on August 20th. National Latina Day is celebrated every year on August 20th. 

It was started in Texas in 2015 by Loli Alvarez Castilla and the online community Latinas Empowering Latinas. 

The Goal:  To honor Latinas and recognize their social, cultural, and professional influences on our society. There are many ways Latinas have had a positive impact on our society.

Latinas aren’t one monolithic culture: Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Colombian, Nicaraguan, Dominican, Venezuelan, Argentine, etc. all have their own traditions. Personally, I'm Cuban-American and find that that there are many shared or familiar themes across many Latino families. 

For example:

• 💋 Getting “dressed up” is sometimes just… getting dressed. Hoop earrings, lipstick, perfume, nails, cute shoes. Running to Publix does not necessarily require looking like you just escaped the house. 😂
• ☕ Cafecito is practically a love language, (especially in a Cuban household.) And somehow there is always time for coffee, even when there is absolutely no time for coffee.
• 🥘 Food = love. “Did you eat?” can basically mean I love you, I missed you, are you okay, and sit down because I'm feeding you, whether you are hungry or not.
• 👡 La chancleta (or chancla) has achieved mythical status. Every generation seems to know the legend, even people who were never actually chased with one. 😂
• 💃 Music can turn an ordinary kitchen into a dance floor. Salsa, merengue, bachata, reggaetón, cumbia…depending on the family, cleaning the house may come with a soundtrack.  Growing up in a Latin household it was weekends listening to El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico or Hansel y Raul; now-a-days for me, it's Marc Anthony 100%
• 🗣️ We can tell an entire story with our hands, eyebrows and facial expressions. Sometimes words are merely supporting actors.
• 📢 Volume does not necessarily equal anger. A room full of Latinos can sound like an international incident when everyone is actually having a fantastic time.
• 👩‍👧 Mamá knows everything. Sometimes before you do. And Abuela? She operates on an intelligence network that remains unexplained by modern science.
• 🥡 You rarely leave someone's house empty-handed. There is a strong possibility you're going home with leftovers, dessert, a container you are expected to return someday, and possibly unsolicited life advice.
• ❤️ Family tends to extend WAY beyond the nuclear family. Cousins, tíos, tías, godparents, grandparents, bonus relatives and people who aren't technically related but have been around so long nobody remembers why they're called Tía or Titi.
• 🎉 We don't need a huge excuse for a gathering. Birthday? Party. Graduation? Party. Baptism? Party. New job? Party. Someone bought a new patio set? Honestly, we can work with that. 😂
• 🧹 Saturday morning cleaning music is a cultural memory. If you woke up hearing music blasting, you knew immediately: Oh crap. We're cleaning today.
• 🥰 Terms of endearment are everywhere. Mi amor, mami, papi, corazón, gordi, mi vida, muñeca, sometimes said to people we've known for approximately seven minutes.
• 🧿 A little superstition often sneaks into everyday life. Evil eye, spiritual cleansing, lucky traditions, grandma's remedies, energy, prayer, herbs, depending heavily on country and family. El mal de ojo protection is pretty much known in almost all Latin cultures.
• 🌺 Strength and softness coexist. There is often a deep pride in women who nurture, hustle, protect their families, speak their minds, laugh loudly, survive hard things and somehow still make sure everybody ate.

And one I especially love:

Latinidad isn't just speaking Spanish or where you were born. It's heritage, family stories, recipes, music, humor, traditions, resilience and all those tiny things passed from one generation to the next. ❤️

The most important thing to me about being a Latina is the culture and traditions rooted in love and history and a whole lot of feistiness!

Latina energy is whole vibe! 

Cafecito ☕
Hoops ✨
Familia ❤️
Sazón 🌶️
Music 💃
Attitude 💋
& absolutely no volume control 🔊😂

What would you add to a Latina Survival Kit?

You can support your favorite Latina or Latina-owned business, not just on National Latina Day but any day by attending local networking events that support Latinas, community meetups, social media shares of a business/company owned by a Latina or sharing a Latina mom bloggers post!  #iykyk

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