By Marcelo Wheelock, MIAMI, November 4, 1999.
Hispanics in the United States will enjoy more economic opportunities due to
their increased bilingualism and the fact they are assimilating more easily
into the mainstream culture than other minorities. One of the surprises in
the report this year is that the Hispanic market is much more bilingual than
in previous years," Rick Tobin, president of Strategy Research Corporation
(SRC), told EFE. In its study titled "2000 U.S. Hispanic Market Study," SRC
found that some 64 percent of Hispanics do not have a strong preference for
one or the other language and are equally proficient in English or Spanish.
The study found that 32 percent of Hispanics have no preference as far as the
language used for advertisements. However, 14 percent prefer bilingual
advertisements and 30 percent want them in Spanish.

"The most important facet of the study is that Hispanics now understand
English better. Therefore, they will have a better future in this country,"
Tobin said. Hispanic purchasing power is expected to grow from 273 billion
dollars to about 325 billion, which translates from a current median family
income of 32,600 dollars to 34,900 dollars. Due to this, more and more
Hispanics are turning to technology. The study found that 30 percent of
homes have computers, 19 percent have access to the Internet and 35 percent
own and use a cellular telephone. The study, whose results were published
Thursday, interviewed 1,600 Hispanics living in the ten main Hispanic markets.

By the end of this century, the Hispanic population will have reached 34
million inhabitants to comprise an estimated 12 percent of the total United
States population (276 million). Demographic data is based on information
from the Census Bureau. This means that one of every eight people in the
country will be Hispanic by 2000 and by 2015 the total population in the
United States is expected to double to 62.7 million. The forecast in the
study indicated that persons of Mexican descent will comprise 63.3 percent of
the Hispanic population. Those of Central and South American descent will
make up 14.8 percent, Puerto Rican descent will make up 10.5 percent, Cuban
descent will make up 4.5 percent and descendants from other Latin countries
will account for 6.9 percent.

Sixty percent of all Hispanics will live in ten cities: Los Angeles will have
6.9 million; New York City will have 3.8 million; Miami will have 1.5
million; San Francisco and Chicago will each have 1.4 million, and Houston
will have 1.3 million. The Hispanic population in San Antonio will reach 1.2
million, while Dallas and McAllen, Texas will each have 900,000. San Diego
will have 800,000 Hispanics. The study also found that in 2000, seven U.S.
states will have a Hispanic population of over one million inhabitants. In
those states, Hispanics will comprise 34 percent of the total population of
California; 19.2 percent of the population in Texas; 8.6 percent in New York;
in Florida 7.3 percent; in Illinois 4 percent; in Arizona 3.5 percent; and in
New Jersey, 3.2 percent of the total population will be Hispanic.