Hispanic and Latino-owned businesses are transforming the U.S Economy. Over the past decade, Hispanic and Latino entrepreneurs have built companies at a rate that far outpaces the national average, generating billions in revenue and employing millions of Americans. Their success stories span every sector, from construction and professional services to retail, restaurants, and technology.

The data is striking. Between 2018 and 2022, the number of Hispanic and Latino-owned employer businesses increased by more than 44%. From 2021 to 2022 alone, they rose from approximately 406,000 to 465,000, marking a 14.6% increase in a single year. In 2021, nearly one in four new U.S. entrepreneurs was Hispanic or Latino, underscoring the outsized role this community now plays in new business creation.

The scale of this business creation is substantial. In 2021, Hispanic and Latino-owned employer firms generated $572.9 billion in revenue, employed over 3 million workers, and paid more than $124 billion in payroll. By 2022, revenue had grown to $653 billion, with total employment climbing to 3.5 million. Beyond employer firms, Hispanic and Latino-owned nonemployee businesses—sole proprietors, freelancers, and gig-economy participants—numbered 5.1 million in 2022 and generated $235.7 billion in receipts. Together, these enterprises represent an economic footprint larger than many national economies.

Growth has not come at the expense of profitability. In 2024, 84% of Hispanic and Latino-owned businesses reported profits. Between 2019 and 2022, median revenue growth for Hispanic and Latino-owned employer businesses was 25%, reflecting not only recovery from the pandemic but also sustained upward momentum.

Despite this record of growth, Hispanic and Latino entrepreneurs remain underrepresented in the trademark system. A leading study of trademark applications found that Hispanic and Latino applicants accounted for only about 7% of filings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, even though Hispanic and Latino Americans comprise nearly 19% of the U.S. population. While overall trademark filings continue to rise—with more than 200,000 applications submitted in the first quarter of 2025 alone—recent USPTO reporting has not included updated demographic breakdowns. The best available evidence suggests that the disparity persists.

This gap has real consequences. Trademarks are not abstract rights available only to large corporations. They are practical, accessible legal tools that secure brand identity, protect consumer goodwill, and build business value. For many Hispanic and Latino owned companies—particularly in industries such as food and beverage, retail, hospitality, and professional services—brand reputation is central to customer loyalty and market expansion. Without trademark protection, these businesses risk losing the very goodwill they have worked so hard to cultivate.

The underrepresentation of Hispanic and Latino entrepreneurs in the trademark system parallels broader structural challenges. Studies consistently show that Hispanic and Latino-owned businesses face barriers to accessing capital, scaling operations, and navigating regulatory systems. McKinsey & Company estimates that if Hispanic and Latino-owned businesses were able to scale at the same rate as other firms, they could add more than $1 trillion in revenue to the U.S. economy and create millions of new jobs. Securing intellectual property protection is an essential step toward realizing that potential.

Consider the broader economic context. As of 2023, the U.S. Hispanic and Latino economy—measured by total economic output—stood at nearly $4 trillion, growing at more than twice the pace of the overall U.S. economy. This makes Hispanic and Latino communities one of the most powerful economic engines in the nation. But without proportional participation in the intellectual property system, much of that growth remains unprotected and under-leveraged.

At Golan Christie Taglia, we celebrate the extraordinary contributions of Hispanic and Latino-owned businesses and the vital role they play in shaping the U.S. economy. As these enterprises continue to scale, protecting the brands they have built becomes essential to sustaining growth and securing long-term value. We welcome the opportunity to discuss brand protection strategies with entrepreneurs and business leaders to keep the momentum going.  

Sources

1. Andre Perry & Macarena Matheson, Charting the Surge in Latino or Hispanic-Owned Businesses in the U.S., Brookings (Oct. 2023).
2. U.S. Dep’t of Treasury, Treasury Analysis Highlights Latino Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth (Sept. 2022).
3. U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanic-Owned Businesses: 2021 (Oct. 2024).
4. U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Business Characteristics by Demographics: 2022 (Feb. 2025).
5. Gabrielle Emanuel, Latino-Owned Businesses Show Strong Post-Pandemic Growth, New Report Finds, GBH News (Mar. 27, 2025).
6. Christine Haight Farley, Demographics of Trademark Applicants at the USPTO, 106 Minn. L. Rev. 1253 (2022).
7. Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox, Filings Up, Pendency Down: USPTO 2024 Year in Review (Jan. 2025).
8. McKinsey & Co., The Economic State of Latinos in the United States (2023).
9. Russell Contreras, U.S. Latino GDP Hits $4 Trillion, Ranks Fifth in the World, Axios (Sept. 15, 2025).