The Economic Benefits of Latino Immigration: How the Migrant Hispanic Population’s Demographic Characteristics Contribute to US Growth

by Admin

The  Hispanic  community  in  the  United  States  has  contributed  significantly  to  US  economic  growth  in  recent  decades and will continue to do so over the next 10 to 20 years. This contribution derives partially from demographic vitality: the fact that Hispanics are the youngest and largest minority group in America and are on a path toward becoming an increasingly large share of the US labor force. Higher fertility rates, net immigration, and growing labor force participation rates will reinforce this trend. This paper presents evidence showing that Hispanic educational attainments  are  now  rapidly  converging  to  the  US  average.  The  Hispanic  community  now  exhibits  significantly  higher levels of opportunity-driven entrepreneurship than does the rest of the US population. These factors position the Hispanic community to increase its contribution to the US economy in coming decades, with significant positive effects on the overall economic growth rate.

Since the early 2000s, the Hispanic community has shown significantly higher rates of opportunity-driven entrepreneurship than white, African American, and Asian American populations. This type of entrepreneurship occurs when someone starts a new business to take advantage of a business opportunity rather than becoming self-employed out of economic hardship.

 

The Economic Benefits of Latino Immigration: How the Migrant Hispanic Population’s Demographic Characteristics Contribute to US Growth