The wealth gap between Hispanics and Whites is widening, according to The Hispanic Wealth Project (HWP)’s recently released annual report, which reveals trends in key areas of homeownership, entrepreneurship and savings and investment.
“The Hispanic Wealth Project was formed as a response to the vanishing wealth Latinos experienced during the great recession when they lost two-thirds of their household wealth,” says Jerry Ascencio, chairman of the Hispanic Wealth Project, “We are encouraged by the commitments from several organizations that recognize how vital Latinos are to the U.S. economy and look forward to engaging additional partners in this important effort.”
Some of the key findings of the Hispanic Wealth Project Annual Report include: In 2011, the median White household had $111,146 in household wealth while the median Hispanic household had only $8,348¹. In 2013, while both groups experienced gains, the gap further widened with White household wealth at $141,900 and Hispanic household wealth at $13,700. Without active intervention this trend will likely continue unfettered.
- In 2015, Hispanics continued to drive homeownership growth for the U.S. accounting for 69 percent of the total net growth in U.S. homeownership. The current rate of Hispanic homeownership is 45.6 percent with the median Hispanic household noted as a renter household.
- At 4.1 million, the number of Hispanic-owned businesses has more than doubled in the last 13 years. Hispanics also had the highest rate of new business starts in 2015. With more than twice as many as the next largest grouping, Hispanic business starts far exceed those of any other minority demographic.
- In 2016, NAHREP released 10 principles designed to guide Hispanics toward a more disciplined approach to financial management and wealth creation.
For more information, visit www.hispanicwealthproject.org.
