Today, the Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC), a nonprofit organization and think tank, in partnership with Kantar, the world’s leading brand intelligence company, together with client partners TelevisaUnivision, Victoria’s Secret, Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP), and We Are ALX (Amplify Latino Excellence) release Data Beyond Demographics: U.S. Latinas’ Economic Power, Influence, and Growth, a comprehensive new study that documents how 34 million U.S. Latinas are reshaping American wealth, work, and influence on their own terms. A consistent pattern of statistically significant differences throughout the study reveals a distinct economic story for U.S. Latinas—one that brands and institutions have yet to fully recognize. The report is available for public download.
America’s 34 million Latinas represent one in every five U.S. women. The research found that Latinas are pursuing financial independence, entrepreneurship, and wealth-building at rates that distinguish them from their non-Latina peers. More than half (52%) expect to own a business during their lifetime, 61% maintain multiple streams of income, and 79% say building generational wealth is a priority. Beyond their growing role as entrepreneurs and wealth builders, their financial decisions anchor a $2.8 trillion Latino consumer economy growing at double the pace of the non-Latino market. Data shows 86% of Latinas have primary or joint responsibility for financial decisions within their households, and 74% serve as trusted sources of advice on new brands and products among family and friends (vs. 68% of non-Latina women). When brands earn a Latina consumer’s loyalty, they also earn an entirely new network of powerful, decision-making consumers.
The study also documents the cost of brands failing to recognize this power; 80% of Latinas report being treated as an afterthought by the brands competing for their dollars, compared to 60% of non-Latina women. As a result, 56% have actively walked away from brands that perpetuate one-dimensional stereotypes, and 57% say they scrutinize brands and institutions more closely than they used to. The gaps with non-Latina women on these measures are statistically significant. This is a consumer who has run out of patience with the gap between her economic weight and the seriousness with which institutions engage her.
KEY FINDINGS AT A GLANCE
- Latinas are financial gatekeepers and brand influencers: 86% of Latinas control or share household purchasing decisions, and 74% are actively consulted by family and friends for brand and product recommendations vs. 68% of non-Latina women.
- Their cultural identity drives decision-making: 65% of Latinas say their cultural background shapes how they authentically express themselves. The comparison to non-Latina women (47%) marks the single widest attitudinal gap measured in the entire survey.
- They have an ownership mindset: 52% of Latinas expect to own a business in their lifetime vs. 43% of non-Latina women. To accelerate their financial goals, 61% generate multiple streams of income vs. 52% of non-Latina women.
- They are building wealth without a blueprint: 71% of Latinas are entirely self-taught in financial management, and 66% actively seek out financial planning information and enjoy learning how to manage their money, 7% higher than their non-Latina counterpart.
- Generational wealth is a priority: 79% of Latinas say building generational wealth is important to them, reflecting a long-term focus on economic mobility and family prosperity.
- They are rejecting outdated portrayals and taking action: Nearly 8 in 10 Latinas say stereotypes persist in advertising and media, and as a result, 56% actively disengage from brands that misrepresent them. The pattern is statistically distinct and unique to Latinas.
- Latinas are stepping forward, ready to lead: 70% of Latinas say it is important to take up space and command respect in professional settings and 71% see personal success as a vehicle for uplifting their community (vs. 67% of non-Latina women).
- Latinas are clear about how they want to be portrayed by brands: As entrepreneurs, leaders in male-dominated fields, financial decision makers, working mothers, and CEOs, shown across the full range of skin tones, ages, and body types. 73% actively support brands that hire and promote Latinas.
“For fifteen years, the LDC has built the evidence base showing where U.S. Latino contributions to American economic growth are being underestimated. This study makes the case for a cohort whose cultural identity is the operating system on which they are building wealth, businesses, and influence. The brands, capital allocators, and policy leaders who design for this reality today and for the next decade of American economic growth. The ones who wait will find themselves outside an ecosystem that is growing without them,” said Ana Valdez, President and CEO of the Latino Donor Collaborative.
“The Data Beyond Demographics study provides brands with a deeper understanding of this key consumer segment, and at TelevisaUnivision, we’re committed to giving brands the knowledge and cultural intelligence they need to succeed,” said Juliana Gomez, SVP of Strategy and Insights at TelevisaUnivision. “U.S. Latinas are the primary economic engines and decision-makers for their families and communities. Marketers that actively recognize and invest in them gain loyal, long-term customers.”
“Latinas are not asking to be included. They are redefining what power looks like and how it is expressed. This study makes clear that Latinas expect to see themselves reflected not as an afterthought, but in the full range of who they are as leaders and forces of change. For brands, especially in beauty and fashion, that means truly representing how Latinas show up in the world,” said Challise Nichols, AVP of Customer & Market Insights at Victoria’s Secret. “This research sets a clear mandate for how brands must evolve, ensuring that products and brand storytelling showcase Latina influence and ambition in ways that feel dynamic, modern, and long overdue.”
“In a political climate designed to make Latinas feel smaller, a large majority in this study say they are more motivated to lead and take action. Philanthropy should pay close attention to that. Latinas are already giving, already volunteering, already building the generational wealth that will define the next era of civic participation, and they are doing it at rates that outpace their peers. Nearly half of Millennial Latinas are now primary household income earners. The capacity to give is growing. The will is already there,” said Jennifer Chavez Rubio, Interim President & CEO of Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP).
“Latinas are not an emerging market; they are a commanding economic force already shaping the present and the future of the U.S. economy. This Kantar report makes one thing clear: the gap is no longer in Latina potential, it is in institutional recognition,” said Eneida Roman, President & CEO of We Are ALX (Amplify Latino Excellence). “Today’s Latinas are building wealth, driving decisions, and holding brands accountable with precision and purpose. When you earn the trust of a Latina, you don’t gain a customer, you gain a network. At We Are ALX, we see this every day—investing in Latinas is not a social imperative, it is a growth strategy for the future of this country.”
To download the full report and review the mixed-methodology used in the study, visit: LDC Report Download. To download a Kantar article about the study, visit: Kantar U.S. Latina Study.
About Latino Donor Collaborative
The Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC) is an independently funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and think tank. LDC has consistently provided economic and business data through meticulous research and fact-based insights. Its reports have become essential tools for American resource allocators, highlighting the growing opportunities emanating from the myriad contributions of U.S. Latinos across the societal spectrum. Learn more at www.latinodonorcollaborative.org/.
About Kantar
Kantar is the world’s leading marketing data and analytics business. We deliver the intelligence needed to power brand growth. We provide the signals that help organizations act quickly and confidently. We empower brands to make effective marketing decisions based on predictive evidence. And we help them craft powerful growth strategies rooted in the connection between consumers, brands and enterprise value. All this is powered by our uniquely robust human and synthetic data, our unrivalled IP, our AI-native platform and the team of global brand experts that bring this all together. https://www.kantar.com/
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