Economics
Several different measures offer insights into Hispanics’ economic well-being and the ways in which economic status changes over time and how it varies among Latino sub-groups. The Center has focused attention on how changes in the business cycle have affected employment and income.
Related Publications
1.21.2010
Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2008
1.21.2010
Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2008
12.11.2009
Between Two Worlds: How Young Latinos Come of Age in America
5.12.2009
Through Boom and Bust: Minorities, Immigrants and Homeownership
During the housing boom of 1995-2005, the nation's minority groups experienced greater gains than whites in homeownership rates. But in the market meltdown since then, homeownership rates have fallen more steeply for most minorities than for whites. Through both boom and bust, Hispanics and blacks have been far more likely than whites to receive higher-priced loans and carry higher debt relative to their incomes. Meantime, while immigrants have a substantially lower homeownership rate than the native born, they also have experienced a smaller decline in the rate during the market bust. The report also examines how demographic patterns are related to foreclosure rates across the nation's 3,141 counties.
3.5.2009
Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2007
3.5.2009
Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2007
2.12.2009
Unemployment Rose Sharply Among Latino Immigrants in 2008
The current recession is having an especially severe impact on employment prospects for immigrant Hispanics. The unemployment rate for foreign-born Latinos increased 2.9 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of 2008 compared with an economy-wide increase of 2.0 percentage points. Trends in other key indicators, such as the employment rate, the number employed and labor force participation, also reveal a more severe impact on immigrant Latinos. Native-born Hispanics and blacks have also felt strong negative effects from the recession.
1.8.2009
Hispanics and the Economic Downturn: Housing Woes and Remittance Cuts
Like the U.S. population as a whole, Latinos are feeling the sting of the recession. Almost one-in-ten (9%) Latino homeowners say they missed a mortgage payment or were unable to make a full payment and 3% say they received a foreclosure notice in the past year, a new Pew Hispanic Center survey finds. Some 36% say they are worried that their own home may go into foreclosure. The recession has also seen a decline in the amount of money that Hispanic immigrants sent in the past year to relatives or others in their country of origin.
12.15.2008
Latino Workers in the Ongoing Recession: 2007 to 2008
A small but significant decline has occurred during the current recession in the share of Latino immigrants active in the U.S. labor force. The decrease is sharpest among immigrants from Mexico and among immigrants who arrived in the U.S. since 2000. But the increase in the unemployment rate for immigrant Hispanics so far is not as high as the increase for native-born Hispanics. This development, however, could be an artifact, a consequence of the withdrawal of foreign-born Hispanics from the labor force.
10.2.2008
Sharp Decline in Income for Non-Citizen Immigrant Households, 2006-2007
Incomes of non-citizen households--nearly half of which are led by undocumented immigrants--fell 7.3% from 2006 to 2007, in sharp contrast to an increase of 1.3% for all U.S. households. Household incomes of non-citizens who are Hispanic; from Latin America; recently arrived; male; less educated; and employed in construction, production or service occupations fell the most.
6.4.2008
Latino Labor Report, 2008: Construction Reverses Job Growth for Latinos
The latest economic slowdown has had a disproportionate impact on Latino workers. From an historic low in late 2006, the unemployment rate for Latinos rose sharply in 2007 and currently stands well above the rate for non-Latinos. Immigrant Hispanics, especially Mexican and recent arrivals, have been hurt the most by the slump in the construction industry. Weekly earnings for most groups of Hispanic workers also slipped backward last year. There are no signs Latino immigrants are leaving the U.S. labor market but they now play a smaller role in the growth of the Hispanic workforce than in recent years.
1.23.2008
Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2006
1.23.2008
Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2006
12.13.2007
2007 National Survey of Latinos: As Illegal Immigration Issue Heats Up, Hispanics Feel a Chill
The 2007 National Survey of Latinos finds Hispanics are feeling a range of negative effects from the increased public attention to immigration and stepped up enforcement measures.
8.21.2007
1995-2005: Foreign-Born Latinos Make Progress on Wages
Foreign-born Latinos, especially the newly arrived, were much less likely to be low-wage earners in 2005 than in 1995. Yet despite progress into the middle of the wage distribution, many foreign-born Latinos remain low-wage earners. Over the same period, foreign-born Asians boosted their presence in the high-wage workforce.
3.7.2007
Construction Jobs Expand for Latinos Despite Slump in Housing Market
9.27.2006
Latino Labor Report 2006: Strong Gains in Employment
The Hispanic unemployment rate reached a historic low in the second quarter of 2006. The gap between the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rates for Latinos and non-Latinos was the smallest since 1973, when employment data on Latinos first became available. Wages for Latino workers also rose at a faster rate than for other workers in 2005-06. The healthy job market for Hispanic workers has been driven by the construction industry. But construction is showing signs of a slowdown that could impact Latino employment in the near future, especially for foreign-born workers.
8.29.2006
A Statistical Portrait of Hispanics at Mid-Decade
8.29.2006
A Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population at Mid-Decade
8.10.2006
Growth in the Foreign-Born Workforce and Employment of the Native Born
Rapid increases in the foreign-born population at the state level are not associated with negative effects on the employment of native-born workers. An analysis of the relationship between growth in the foreign-born population and the employment outcomes of native-born workers revealed wide variations but no consistent pattern across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The size of the foreign-born workforce, its relative youth and low education level are also unrelated to the employment prospects for native workers. These findings emerge from the analysis of Census Bureau data for the boom years of the 1990s and the subsequent recession and slowdown.
4.13.2006
The Labor Force Status of Short-Term Unauthorized Workers
12.6.2005
Survey of Mexican Migrants, Part Three: The Economic Transition to America
This study analyzes the employment experience of migrants before they left Mexico, their transition into the U.S. labor market, and their economic status in their new jobs. It uses the Pew Hispanic Center's Survey of Mexican Migrants, which interviewed 4,836 migrants, mostly believed to be undocumented, as they were applying for identity cards issued by Mexican consulates. The vast majority were gainfully employed before they left for the U.S. Failure to find work at home does not seem to be the primary reason that the estimated 6.3 million undocumented migrants from Mexico have come to the U.S.
7.26.2005
The New Latino South: The Context and Consequences of Rapid Population Growth
The Pew Hispanic Center released a new report that examines the rapid growth of the Hispanic population in the South. The study details the distinctive characteristics of the Latinos moving to new settlement areas, the very successful economic development models that prompted the Hispanic influx and the consequences for local policymakers. The report provides detailed demographic and economic data on six states: Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
5.2.2005
Latino Labor Report, 2004: More Jobs for New Immigrants but at Lower Wages
Hispanics, mostly recently arrived immigrants, accounted for over 1 million of the 2.5 million new jobs created in 2004. But Hispanics are the only major group of workers to have suffered a two-year decline in wages and they now earn 5 percent less than two years ago. The growing supply and concentration of immigrant Latinos in certain occupations suggests that they are competing with each other in the labor market to their own detriment. While non-Hispanics moved into high-skill occupations, the vast majority of new jobs for Hispanic workers were in relatively low-skill occupations calling for little other than a high school education.
3.16.2005
Hispanics and the Social Security Debate
This report examines the demographic and economic characteristics that define Latinos' stake in the Social Security debate as well as their views on major policy options. The topics covered in the report include: the impact of President Bush's proposals for individual investment accounts on various segments of the Hispanic population; Hispanics' reliance on Social Security compared with other racial and ethnic groups; and the role of Latino workers in helping finance the system as the Baby Boom generation heads to retirement. In addition a new public opinion survey of a nationally representative sample of the Hispanic population examines Latino views of President Bush's proposals and other issues in the policy debate.
10.18.2004
The Wealth of Hispanic Households: 1996 to 2002
According to the study, the median net worth of Hispanic households in 2002 was $7,932. This was only nine percent of $88,651, the median wealth of non-Hispanic White households at the same time. The net worth of Non-Hispanic Blacks was only $5,988. Thus, the wealth of Latino and Black households is less than one-tenth the wealth of White households even though Census data show their income is two-thirds as much.
6.16.2004
Latino Labor Report, First Quarter 2004: Wage Growth Lags Gains in Employment
The "jobless recovery" may have turned around, but gains for Latinos have not been widespread. Immigrant Latinos, especially the most recent arrivals, have captured the most jobs.
6.7.2004
The Remittance Marketplace: Prices, Policy and Financial Institutions
Research by the Pew Hispanic Center points to difficulties in achieving further price reductions; limited penetration of the market by financial institutions. On the eve of the annual summit meeting of the world's leading industrialized nations, the Pew Hispanic Center released a detailed evaluation of how much it costs for immigrants to send money back home to their families in Latin America.
2.23.2004
Latino Labor Report, 2003: Strong but Uneven Gains in Employment
Latinos experienced substantial gains in the U.S. labor market in 2003. The number of Hispanics added to the employment rolls was twice as high as in 2002, and unemployment eased downward. For the first time since January 2000, Latinos experienced increases in employment that consistently outpaced their population growth in the United States.
11.24.2003
Remittance Senders And Receivers: Tracking The Transnational Channels
10.7.2003
Jobs Lost, Jobs Gained: The Latino Experience in the Recession and Recovery
11.22.2002
Billions In Motion: Latino Immigrants, Remittances And Banking
5.28.2002
Work or Study: Different Fortunes of U.S. Latino Generations
3.21.2002
Guest Workers: New Solution, New Problem?
1.24.2002
New Lows From New Highs: Latino Economic Losses In The Current Recession
1.24.2002
Hispanics and the Current Economic Downturn: Will The Receding Tide Sink Hispanics?
1.24.2002
The Socioeconomic Status of Hispanic New Yorkers: Current Trends and Future Prospects
1.1.2002
Hispanic Economic Prospects Depend on Education and a Strong Economy