Hispanic Statistics

Hispanic Student Population:

There are 1.7 million college students in the US.  As of 2002, there were 1.656M Hispanics in college, and an additional 199,800 in Puerto Rico.  (“Statistical Abstract of the U.S. : 2004,” U.S. Bureau of the Census, p. 170, 
Table No. 266: http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/04statab/educ.pdf
Table No. 1309:
http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/04statab/outlying.pdf).

U.S. Hispanics total over 40 million - what does this mean?

MSNBC published an article about the Cincinnati-based LaVerdad Marketing & Media.  LaVerdad provides   a series of seminars designed to help businesses know how to reach the growing Hispanic market.  Here are a few quotes:

"Collectively, the top 200 companies in the United States spend close to $200 million a year advertising to this market," said LaVerdad President and CEO Mike Robinson, a third-generation Mexican American. "Our goal is to help companies understand the Hispanic market when they do that marketing."  MSNBC article May 05

"Understanding the Hispanic Market:  "Hola, como estás," is not the usual greeting used at the Owens Corning World Headquarters, but it was commonplace in Panther Hall recently, when OC hosted the "Understanding the Hispanic Market: Business Opportunity or Matter of Survival" conference. Business leaders from around the Toledo metropolitan area gathered to learn the magnitude of the Hispanic market and how their businesses can tap into this exploding demographic."  Owens Corning internal news Jan 05

"Debi Doan, principal researcher with Procter & Gamble Co., said she used LaVerdad to do research after attending the seminar."  "They have been able to get us information as we need it and put together panels of consumers," Doan said. "Given that this is such a growing market, it really is worth understanding this important consumer."      MSNBC article May 05


One Size Doesn't Fit All:

Here are two stories from another marketing site:  www.ahorre.com

Chevrolet Nova, todays "American Classic". Nova sounds nice and simple in English, but the brand was exported to the country of Mexico. Nova in Spanish means "Can't Go" Imagine buying a car that was named "Chevrolet Can't Go".

Tropicana aired TV ads for their Original Orange Juice line utilizing the term "CHINA". China is the Puerto Rican term for the word "orange". Well, that worked well in the northeast, mainly in the New York tri-state market. During the eighties, the Puerto Rican community represented forty three percent of the 3.1* million Hispanics in the New York Hispanic Market (1980 Census). Tropicana launched the TV ads in Miami and flopped. Maimi in the 1980 had a +65% cuban representation of their 1.6 million Hispanic residents. Like in Cuba, most Latin American countries use the term "china" as the country China.


U.S. Hispanics statistics

Today, more than 1 in 8 people in the U.S. are of Hispanic origin. By 2007 Hispanics will be 1 in 5 in the U.S.  7 states have more than 1 million Hispanics (Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Texas).

Melting Pot  vs. Salad Bowl:
The term "melting pot" was created by advertising agencies in the mid 80's. It was a buzz word while pitching their new creative work from Madison Avenue.  Hispanics today are a "Salad Bowl". Each ethnicity has grown in size.  Our growth allows us to clearly identify ourselves, I am Colombian, I am Cuban...

Hispanic Ancestries, 2000
    Percent of Percent of
  Number Total Population Hispanic Population
Total Non-Hispanic (All Races) 246,116,088 87.45% n/a
Total Hispanic (All Races) 35,305,818 12.55% 100.00%
Mexican 20,640,711 7.33% 58.46%
Puerto Rican 3,406,178 1.21% 9.65%
Cuban 1,241,685 0.44% 3.52%
Dominican 764,945 0.27% 2.17%
Central American 1,686,937 0.60% 4.78%
Costa Rican 68,588 0.02% 0.19%
Guatemalan 372,487 0.13% 1.06%
Honduran 217,569 0.08% 0.62%
Nicaraguan 177,684 0.06% 0.50%
Panamanian 91,723 0.03% 0.26%
Salvadorian 655,165 0.23% 1.86%
Other Central American 103,721 0.04% 0.29%
South American 1,353,562 0.48% 3.83%
Argentinian 100,864 0.04% 0.29%
Bolivian 42,068 0.01% 0.12%
Chilean 68,849 0.02% 0.20%
Columbian 470,684 0.17% 1.33%
Ecuadorian 260,559 0.09% 0.74%
Paraguayan 8,769 0.00% 0.02%
Peruvian 233,926 0.08% 0.66%
Uruguayan 18,804 0.01% 0.05%
Venezuelan 91,507 0.03% 0.26%
Other South American 57,532 0.02% 0.16%
Other Hispanic or Latino Ancestry 6,211,800 2.21% 17.59%
Spaniard 100,135 0.04% 0.28%
Spanish 686,004 0.24% 1.94%
Spanish American 75,772 0.03% 0.21%
All Other Hispanic or Latino Ancestry 5,349,889 1.90% 15.15%