Hispanic visibility in US media lacking even as group fuels nation’s economy

The news: As Hispanics become an important driver of US population and spending growth, recent reports show the community remains underrepresented in significant aspects of American life such as media and entertainment.

Room for improvement: Hispanics have very low representation in US media and are likely to work in service roles, per a Government Accountability Office report on Latinos in film, television, and other publishing outlets released in early October.

• Hispanics make up 18% of the US workforce but just 12% of media, the GAO found. Latinos constitute 4% of media senior executives and managers.
• Hispanics represent 9.29% of people in streaming shows, lagging behind Blacks at 16.12% and 11.18% for Asians, per a report by the Latino Donor Cooperative.

Despite their low presence in media, Hispanics are making a mark on the US population and economy. Latino buying power continues to rise, and the group’s US consumer expenditures are growing faster than those of non-Latino consumers, our Spotlight report notes.

• Hispanics’ real consumption—the amount spent after accounting for price inflation—grew more than three times faster from 2010 to 2020 versus non-Latino consumers. This was driven by high-income households, which represent the fastest-growing segment of the Hispanic population, per a McKinsey & Company analysis.
• Latino buying power is projected to reach $2.6 trillion by 2025; the group's growth in buying power from 2020 will be nearly 50% more than that of white households, which have the largest share of the market.

These stats are meaningful because Hispanics can be a powerful consumer base for brands. McKinsey found that Hispanics are willing to pay 1.2 times more, on average, for products they feel are better suited to their needs and preferences.

Go further: For more data on US Hispanics and how brands can meet their needs, read our Spotlight: Hispanic Consumers 2022.