Latino people represent more than a third of San Diego County’s population, but face unique barriers to economic equality, including systemic racism and historic socioeconomic disparities.
A just-released report has found that sizable income gaps still linger between Latino San Diegans and residents who identify as white and non-Latino.
The State of San Diego Latinos Report, which was commissioned by the San Diego Foundation and developed in partnership with the San Diego Regional Policy & Innovation Center, has found that a majority of Latino people in San Diego have individual incomes of $39,000 or less.
That makes for a sizable income gap: White, non-Latino San Diegans make around $28,000 more a year on average.
Nationally, the wealth gap is larger than the income gap, with Latino-Americans earning half as much as white Americans and with less than a quarter the amount of wealth, at approximately $200,000 compared to $1 million, respectively, in 2019.
The report was produced for the El Camino Fund, which also highlighted other factors faced by San Diegans, including citizenship, language, and education disparities. Additionally, it emphasized the need for consistent funding for Latino groups, a space for people to gather as a community, and access to data to evaluate their programs and their population’s needs.
“The State of Latinos Report is an important tool for understanding how philanthropic investments can jump-start economic mobility and generational wealth for San Diego’s 1.14 million Latinos,” said Mark Stuart, president and chief executive officer of the San Diego Foundation.
The report can be read in its entirety here.
