Knowledge Center

Labor Force

• In 2012:
  • Number of Latinas in the labor force: 10,365,0001
  • Percentage of labor force: 6.7%2
  • Percentage of Latinas who participated in the labor force: 56.6%3
  • Number of Latinas employed in management, professional, and related occupations: 2,387,000 (4.4% of all people employed in management, professional, and related occupations)4
• In 2000:
  • Number of Latinas in the labor force: 6,767,0005
  • Percentage of labor force: 4.7%6
• Projections for 2020:
  • Number of Latinas in the labor force: 12,634,0007
  • Percentage of labor force 7.7%8
  • Increase of Latinas in the labor force between 2000 and 2020: 86.7%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 2012, Latinas’ median weekly earnings were $521, the lowest of all race/ethnic/gender groups. Latino men earned an average of $592 per week.15

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 $1.7 trillion in 2017.16
  • The percentage change in Latinas/Latinos’ buying power between 1990 and 2017 is 698.3%.17
  • Latinas/Latinos’ share of the consumer market was 9.1% in 2010, and is expected to rise to 11.1% by 2017.18

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

How to cite this product: Catalyst. Catalyst Quick Take: Latinas. New York: Catalyst, 2013.

• 1. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unpublished table from the 2012 Current Population Survey, "Employed and Experienced Unemployed Persons by Detailed Occupation, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity," Annual Averages 2012 (2013).
• 2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unpublished table from the 2012 Current Population Survey, "Employed and Experienced Unemployed Persons by Detailed Occupation, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity," Annual Averages 2012 (2013).
• 3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Table 4: Employment Status of the Hispanic or Latino Population by Age and Sex," Annual Averages 2012 (2013).
• 4. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unpublished table from the 2012 Current Population Survey, "Employed and Experienced Unemployed Persons by Detailed Occupation, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity," Annual Averages 2012 (2013).
• 5. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, "Table 3.4: Civilian Labor Force by Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity, 1990, 2000, 2010, and Projected 2020" (2012).
• 6. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, "Table 3.4: Civilian Labor Force by Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity, 1990, 2000, 2010, and Projected 2020" (2012).
• 7. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, "Table 3.4: Civilian Labor Force by Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity, 1990, 2000, 2010, and Projected 2020" (2012).
• 8. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, "Table 3.4: Civilian Labor Force by Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity, 1990, 2000, 2010, and Projected 2020" (2012).
• 9. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, "Table 3.4: Civilian Labor Force by Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity, 1990, 2000, 2010, and Projected 2020" (2012).
• 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 (Catalyst, 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, Current Population Survey, "Table 37: Median Weekly Earnings of Full-time Wage and Salary Workers by Selected Characteristics, 2012" (2013).
• 16. Jeffrey M. Humphreys, The Multicultural Economy 2012 (Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business, University of Georgia, 2012).
• 17. Jeffrey M. Humphreys, The Multicultural Economy 2012 (Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business, University of Georgia, 2012).
• 18. Jeffrey M. Humphreys, The Multicultural Economy 2012 (Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business, University of Georgia, 2012).