SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — The Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SACHCC) is on a mission "to promote and develop business growth for members and to provide access to the Hispanic market." In doing so, SACHCC held its annual State of Hispanics event at the Golden One Center on Tuesday.
The purpose of the event was to uplift the more than half-a-million Hispanics living in Greater Sacramento. During the event, the SACHCC released an inaugural regional Hispanic Economic Report. The report summarizes the employment, educational, and socioeconomic status of Hispanic people, as well as racial economic inequalities.
"It’s critical to have data-driven conversations about equity and inclusion," said Shannon Williams PhD, Institute for Social Research at Sacramento State University. "This report lays the foundation to discuss both the important contributions of Hispanic and Latino residents to our region’s economic vitality, and also highlights where our work remains in providing equal opportunities for all."
The Institute for Social Research and Center for Business Analytics at Sacramento State analyzed data from the U.S. Census and several state agencies. The research team also collaborated with the SACHCC to conduct interviews with community members. Researchers looked at eight economic domains to set the foundation for future reports: Population, Income, Education, Digital Access, Employment, Socio-Economic Status, Impact of COVID, Hispanic profiles.
“This report shows the opportunities for investment to drive economic prosperity for everyone across our region,” said Cathy Rodriguez Aguirre, President and CEO of the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “Although Hispanics and Latinos keep the economy running and continue to be a growing demographic, there are still vast levels of inequity that need our immediate attention and regional solutions."
Researchers looked at six counties, including Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba. They found Hispanics are more likely to lack health insurance coverage, live at or below the poverty line, and receive SNAP benefits than other ethnic groups. The data also showed that Hispanics were more likely to work jobs that could not be completed remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, like farming and construction.
"The health disparities have affected our communities of color, particularly the Latino community, for years," said Caroline Cabias, co-chair with the Latino Economic Council of Sacramento. "Putting a report out like this will help leaders chart a path to the best way not only to get past this pandemic, but for the long term, both health as well as economic recovery of our communities."
SACHCC is the first Hispanic chamber in the state to conduct such an in-depth economic study. ABC10 acted as a proud sponsor of the 2021 State of Hispanics, along with SMUD, 3fold Communications, Sacramento State, Sierra Health Foundation, Golden1 Center/Sacramento Kings, Telemundo 33, Kaiser Permanente, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, AT&T, Five Star Bank, AARP California, AT&T, and Sacramento Regional Transit.
To review the complete Hispanic Economic Report, visit the SACHCC website.
