Hispanic Entrepreneurs in the 2000s ─ An Economic Profile and Policy Implications

Hispanics account for more than half the population growth in the United States over the last decade. With this surge has come a dramatic spike in the number of Hispanic-owned businesses. Hispanic Entrepreneurs in the 2000s is a pioneering study of this nascent demographic. Drawing on rich quantitative data, authors Alberto Davila and Marie T. Mora examine key economic issues facing Hispanic entrepreneurs, such as access to financial capital and the adoption and vitality of digital technology. They analyze the varying effects that these factors have on subsets of the Hispanic community, such as Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Salvadorans, while considering gender and immigrant status. This account highlights key policies to drive the success of Hispanic entrepreneurs, while drawing out strategies that entrepreneurs can use in order to cultivate their businesses. Far-reaching and nuanced, Hispanic Entrepreneurs in the 2000s is an important study of a population that is quickly becoming a vital component of American job creation.

Alberto Davila is Professor of Economics and V.F. "Doc" and Gertrude Neuhaus Chair for Entrepreneurship at The University of Texas-Pan American. Marie T. Mora is Professor of Economics at The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA). She serves on the Data Users Advisory Committee for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Board of the American Society of Hispanic Economists.