New report shows impact of Hispanic, Latino communities on US and Arizona economy.

A new report shows the economic impact Hispanic and Latino communities have on the country and Arizona in particular. The Director of UCLA’s Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture Dr. David Hayes-Bautista is with us today to discuss this report.

While last year Hayes-Bautista only focused on Latino GDP on a national level, this year he says they were focused on state levels. This year the report had eight states highlighted as the top states for Latino GDP.

A couple of states that may be surprising additions are Illinois and New Jersey.

“Illinois has actually had a Latino population since 1718, believe it or not. New Jersey goes back to at least the 19th century,” Hayes-Bautista said.

According to the report, if these states’ GDPs were combined to represent a single country, it would represent the eighth largest GDP in the world.

“That’s pretty large, we are not talking about a country the size of Andorra,” Hayes-Bautista said.

With regards to Arizona, Latino development dates back to the 17th century in Southern Arizona.

The study highlights 2018 in particular, however, the covid-19 pandemic had a harsh effect on Latino communities. However, Hayes-Bautista says Latino communities recovered much quicker and entered the labor force faster than many other groups.