The next majority is already here
About a third of U.S. Hispanics are under 21, 27% of Generation Alpha is Hispanic, and 93% of Latinos under 18 are U.S. citizens, nearly all of them by birth. This is a domestic growth story, not an immigration story.
Latino youth are reshaping the future workforce, consumer base and innovation pipeline right now. The cohort is bilingual, bicultural and influential: the vast majority speak English fluently while staying rooted in culture, which makes one thing clear in the guide’s words: language does not unlock this audience, culture does.
They are also tech-forward. About seven in ten Hispanic teens use AI chatbots, and a third use them every day, more than White teens. Hispanic graduates earned 16,028 engineering bachelor’s degrees in the class of 2022, up 35% from the class of 2017, the fastest growth of any racial or ethnic group. As the U.S. ages, Latino youth are filling critical labor gaps and sustaining long-term productivity.
The gap is on the brand side: 76% of Latinos ages 12 to 34 say brands treat them as an afterthought, up from 71% in 2022. Companies that build relationships now are buying loyalty in the higher-earning stages of life that follow. Ignore them and you miss the market; invest in them and you are investing in where growth goes next.
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Chamber members reach the businesses, media partners and civic leaders acting on these numbers across the Bay Area.
