Palacio Podcast
Long Beach Latinos: An Economic Power for the City’s Future
The economic power of Long Beach Latinos was the focus of a summit at the Convention Center on November 13th. An estimated 150 Government, Nonprofit, and Educational leaders gathered for an in-depth presentation and discussion of the report “Long Beach Latino Economic Profile & Impact.” The summit was convened by a partnership of sponsoring groups including Centro CHA, California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), the City of Long Beach Economic Development Department, and the California Department of Social Services.
In a recent PalacioMagazine.com podcast, Centro CHA Executive Director Jessica Quintana explained the purpose of the summit and what it meant for Latinos. Quintana said a major goal was to “shift the community’s focus from disparities to possibilities.”
(You can read the preview story HERE)
The summit’s presentation was eye-opening as to both the disparities and the powerful economic impact of Long Beach Latinos.
Long Beach Latinos: A Population Snapshot
Over 214,000 Latinos live in Long Beach, accounting for 44.5% of the city’s population
According to the report, Latinos account for 48.5% of Los Angeles County’s population, 38.9% of California’s population, and 17.8% of the nation’s population.
The share of the city’s Latinos has increased by 12.5% over the last decade compared to 4.5% in Los Angeles County.
Most of the Latino Community is concentrated in the north, northwest, and southwest areas of the Long Beach.
While 37% of all Long Beach Latinos are foreign born, 97% of Latinos under the age of 18 are United States-born.
Long Beach Latino Economic Profile & Impact Report
Long Beach Latinos: The Economic Impact
There is substantive economic power in Long Beach Latinos. According to the summit’s report, over 100,000 Latinos contribute to the workforce in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Annually, Long Beach Latinos generate $33 billion in economic activity
Those dollars support close to 80,000 additional jobs in the region
- 40% of Long Beach’s contribution to the regional economy is generated by Beach Latinos
The contribution of Long Beach Latino Immigrants to the economy cannot be ignored. The report lists significant impacts:
Over 52,000 foreign-born Long Beach Latinos contribute to the region’s workforce
Those Latino immigrants create $16.8 billion annually in economic activity
- That supports close to 40,000 additional jobs in the region
About 21% of Long Beach’s contribution to the regional economy is generated by the city’s Latino immigrants
Report co-author Dr. Seiji Steimetz of CSULB found many of these findings significant and some surprising. Dr. Steimetz is Professor and Chair of the University’s Department of Economics.
Long Beach Latino Economic Profile & Impact Report
Long Beach Latinos: Education
Education, of course, was a prominent topic of discussion in both the report and the table discussions during the summit.
60% of Long Beach Latinos aged 25 and over have at least a high school diploma or equivalent, compared to 91% of all other Long Beach residents in that age group
The good news is that the share of Latinos aged 25 and over with at least a high school diploma has increased by 15.4% over the last decade. That’s compared to an increase of 2.6% amongst all other Long Beach residents in that age group
Latino children account for 58% of Long Beach’s K-12 grades
- 44% of Long Beach college students are Latinos
9% of Long Beach Latinos aged 25 and over have a bachelor’s degree or higher
Long Beach First District Councilperson Lena Gonzalez is an advocate for the importance of technology in education. She spoke to PalacioMagazine.com about the subject.
Long Beach Latinos: Bottom Line
This first summit offered an opportunity to present a mountain of data on Long Beach Latinos in one place. The organizers stated in the report’s introduction that this effort is “a starting point” to understand, analyze and address “key economic, health, and educational issues facing Latinos in Long Beach.” Co-convener and a report co-author Dr. Juan Benitez explained that more work needs to be done both on the data collection and analysis and then developing action policies from it.
Benitez is Executive Director of the Center for Community Engagement and a Professor of Chicano and Latino Studies at CSULB. Dr. Benitez was recently elected to the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education.
Besides Seiji Steinmetz and Juan Benitez, the report’s other authors include:
Jessica Quintana, Executive Director of Centro CHA, which has been serving the Long Beach Community since 1992.
Megan Anaya is a research intern at Centro CHA and a student majoring in Economics at California State University, Long Beach.
Lisa Grober, Ph.D. is Professor of Economics at California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Grober specializes in regional economic analysis, international trade and finance, macroeconomics, and economic development.
