Group points the way for Hispanic success in America

Stat house
August 2001

Group points the way for Hispanic success in America
The enormous jump in the Hispanic population revealed in the 2000 Census shows the country's social and economic future may hinge, in part, on how Hispanics fare, the National Council of La Raza asserts in a report published in July. The advocacy group's analysis of the Census data says Hispanics' success will depend on advancements in community life, education, work and savings, and health care.

Community Life
Between 1980 and 1990 the Hispanic population in the U.S. increased by 53 percent, and between 1990 and 2000 it grew another 58 percent to 35 million people. "Now one in eight Americans is of Hispanic origin, and Latinos are as likely to be found in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as they are in San Antonio, Texas," NCLR President Raul Yzaguirre says. Hispanic numbers grew not only in expected places like California and New York but also in non-traditional areas like the Midwest and parts of the South. The Hispanic population doubled in Milwaukee in the ‘90s; today Hispanics make up 12 percent of the city.

Hispanics continue to live mostly in metropolitan areas, however, and they are becoming increasingly segregated from Anglos. Plus only 46 percent of Hispanics owned their own homes in 1999, while 72 percent of Anglos did. The homeownership gap isn't confined to low-income families: Anglo families who made $15,000 a year or less were more likely to own their homes than Hispanics with incomes of up to $45,000.

"Latinos have helped build solid neighborhoods in just about every corner of the country," Yzaguirre says. "But we can make these neighborhoods even stronger and safer if we expand the American dream of homeownership to Hispanic families and work to reduce segregated and isolated communities."

NCLR's report calls for increased federal funding for housing counseling and more accessible first-time homebuyer programs at the state level. It also says eliminating racial profiling and police abuse would create safer communities.

Education
According to the Census figures, the Hispanic population is an especially young one. Half of American Hispanics are under 26 and more than a third are under 18. Yet Hispanic children don't attend school in the same numbers as other ethnic groups. While 55 percent of Anglo 3- and 4-year-olds are in pre-school, and 60 percent of African Americans are, only 36 percent of Hispanic children attend school before kindergarten. Three-quarters of Hispanic students go to predominantly minority schools, up from two thirds in 1980. NCLR says more Hispanic children need to attend successful early education programs, such as Head Start.

Work and Savings
With advances in education Hispanics could also access greater career opportunities, NCLR's report says. "Latino men are more likely to be in the workforce than any other group of Americans," Yzaguirre says. "Yet our families make up a large share of the working poor because we continue to be in the lowest-paying jobs and we don't have many opportunities to move up the economic ladder, in part because of poor education."

With higher incomes, Hispanics might also be able to save more, according to NCLR. Its report calls for more workforce development initiatives and efforts to expand savings opportunities, including Individual Development Accounts.

Health Care
The future of the Hispanic population also depends on its access to health care. In 1999, two in five Hispanic adults of working age did not have health insurance. Only one in four African Americans and one in seven Anglos lacked coverage. NCLR supports extending the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to parents. Its report also advocates restoring the benefits legal immigrants lost during the 1996 immigration and welfare reforms.—Anne Graber

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