IDAHO HISPANICS MADE ECONOMIC GAINS SINCE 2000

BYLINE: US States News

DATELINE: BOISE, Idaho

 The Idaho Department of Commerce & Labor issued the following news release:

  Despite a national economic downturn in 2001-2002, the buying power of Idaho's largest minority grew much faster than the rest of the state between 2000 and 2007.

  Overall, Hispanic buying power has risen from 2.8 percent of total statewide buying power to over 5 percent this year, when Hispanic spending is projected to account for $2.1 billion of the $40.9 billion spent statewide.

  A new statewide analysis, conducted by Idaho Commerce & Labor in collaboration with the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs, found that while the average annual increase in real per capita buying was just under 1 percent for non-Hispanics in the 1990s, it was only three-tenths of a percent for Hispanics.

  But since 2000, Idaho's Hispanics have felt the effect of state's economic expansion and experienced an average annual increase of 2.7 percent compared to 1.7 percent for non-Hispanics in real per capital buying power, which is the buying power attributed to every man, woman and child and adjusted for inflation.

  Using buying power estimates provided by the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia, analysts found that per capita, the buying power of Idaho Hispanics is just over 51 percent, slightly more than half of non-Hispanics.

  "Although Hispanics are becoming better off at a faster rate than non-Hispanics, the gap remains significant - almost half as compared to non-Hispanic," Margie Gonzalez, executive director of the Hispanic commission, said. "Closing that gap further will require increasing the education and training available to Hispanics."

  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 54 percent of Idaho Hispanics over 25 did not have a high school diploma in 2005 compared to 13 percent of the population overall, which translates into a greater proportion of Hispanics holding down low-paying jobs.

  Overall, 30 percent of Idaho's workers are employed in service, agriculture, construction, maintenance and repair jobs while 52 percent of all Hispanics in the work force are employed in those jobs. At the other end of the wage scale, 31 percent of all Idaho jobs are in management or professional services but only 13 percent of Hispanics work in those sectors.

  "As Idaho's largest minority - over 9 percent of the population - Hispanics are a key segment of Idaho's labor force and an increasingly important factor in the state's economy," Idaho Commerce & Labor Director Roger B. Madsen said. "The state must pursue policies and initiatives that help all of Idaho's workers secure the education, training and skills to improve their lives, command higher wages and increase employer profitability."

  Growth in Idaho's Hispanic buying power has been most heavily concentrated in south central and southwestern Idaho, again reflecting the economic gains Hispanics have been making since 2000.

  In 2000, only five Idaho counties had Hispanic populations of more than 10 percent, and no where did Hispanics control over 10 percent of the buying power. Fourteen counties recorded Hispanic buying power of less than 1 percent and over half, 24, less than 2 percent.

  Today, however, Hispanics in each of 10 southern Idaho counties control 10 percent or more of the buying power, and in small Clark County in eastern Idaho, Hispanics have 27.5 percent of the buying power. Only one county, Nez Perce, records Hispanic buying power at less than 1 percent, and just 14 are at 2 percent or less.

  The entire analysis can be found on the Internet at cl.idaho.gov.

  Contact: Bob Fick, 208/332-3570, ext. 3628; Georgia Smith, 208/841-5509.