Hispanic consumers represent a substantial part of the regional market, while wages and the cost of living remain among the top economic concerns.
Hispanic consumers in the Houston region spend nearly $63 billion a year, according to estimates from market research firm Claritas. However, almost nine in ten Hispanic participants in a University of Houston–presented survey cited the high cost of living as their main economic concern.
The figures were announced on October 20, 2026, during the annual State of Hispanics Data Summit, organized by the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce at the Hilton Americas-Houston. More than 400 businesspeople, researchers and officials participated in the meeting on the region’s economic and demographic trends.
Hispanic spending could grow three times faster in Houston
Hispanic consumer spending could grow over the next five years at a pace three times faster than that of non-Hispanic consumers, according to Claritas projections presented at the summit.
Mitzi Hudson Fleissner, regional research director for Telemundo Station Group, presented the results on consumer habits. Among the highlighted purchase categories were bathroom and kitchen renovations, smart-home technologies, and foundation repairs.
The estimate of nearly $63 billion corresponds to the annual spending of Hispanic consumers in the Houston region. It does not represent the earnings of Hispanic-owned businesses or the gross domestic product generated by this population.
The figures were documented by the Houston Chronicle, which covered the October 20 presentation.
Hispanics represent a third of small-business owners
Hispanics’ participation in Houston’s economy is also reflected in entrepreneurial activity. Approximately one in three small-business owners in the region is Hispanic, as well as more than 40% of self-employed individuals, according to data shared during the summit.
Hispanic population incomes have also grown. The figures show an increase of about 63% over the last 22 years, though the released information does not specify whether that growth is inflation-adjusted.
The income gap versus the non-Hispanic population persists. According to Fleissner, both groups have posted similar income growth rates in recent years, so the economic distance between them has not disappeared.
The cost of living concerns nearly 90% of Hispanic respondents
Rising incomes and consumption have not eliminated concerns about daily expenses. A survey presented by Jim Granato, dean of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston, found that nearly 90% of Hispanic participants identified the high cost of living as their main economic problem.
Stagnant wages, job availability, and economic inequality also appeared among the identified concerns.
The results form part of the SPACE City Panel project, a longitudinal study examining the opinions of residents of the Houston metropolitan area on economic, political and social issues.
A previous measurement of the same project, published in February 2026, found that 78% of Houston respondents included wages not keeping pace with the cost of living among their top three economic problems. 73% selected high costs of living among those three concerns.
In that February measurement, 40% of Hispanic participants specifically identified the cost of living as their main economic problem. The February and October percentages correspond to different presentations and questions, so they do not alone allow establishing that concern increased between the two dates.
The February report by the University of Houston also notes that Houston’s cost of living is about 6% below the national average, though expenses and wages remain among the main concerns of participants.
The Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce maintains public resources on Hispanic business and economic activity in the region.
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