CEO Releases 2026 State of Hispanic Business Report

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, the Center for Entrepreneurial Opportunity (CEO) released The State of Hispanic Business, a new report examining the opportunities and barriers facing Hispanic entrepreneurs nationwide. At a time when Hispanic communities are navigating rising affordability challenges and significant political and cultural change, the report offers 10 key findings on Hispanic entrepreneurship and introduces a new measure called the Scaling Gap.

“As a proud member of the House Small Business Committee and the freshman representative for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I applaud the Third Way’s State of Hispanic Business Report for its intentional analysis of Hispanic entrepreneurship,” said Congressman Gil Cisneros (CA-31). Hispanic-owned small businesses are the fastest-growing group of small businesses today, with over 5 million going strong. Unfortunately, these entrepreneurs face many barriers to growth, including wealth gaps, credit score discrepancies, and challenges accessing capital. I am grateful to Third Way for shedding light on these obstacles. As government officials, we must commit ourselves to evidence-based policies that expand access to resources, cut red tape, and foster an environment where our Hispanic business owners can truly thrive.”

“Starting and growing a business are two very different challenges,” said Imani Augustus, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Opportunity. “This report identifies a Hispanic business scaling gap that has received far too little attention. By showing where entrepreneurs are successfully scaling—and where barriers continue to limit growth—we can help policymakers better target policies that create jobs and expand economic opportunity.”

“Third Way’s State of Hispanic Business Report highlights both the extraordinary momentum of Hispanic entrepreneurship and the barriers that continue to limit business growth,” said Mauricio Garcia, Senior Vice President of Programs at UnidosUS. “These findings reinforce a core pillar of UnidosUS's Economic Prosperity Agenda: When Latino entrepreneurs have a fair opportunity to grow their businesses, they create jobs, build wealth, and strengthen local economies. We hope this report helps inform solutions that expand opportunity and ensure Hispanic-owned businesses can fully contribute to America's long-term prosperity.”

"Third Way’s State of Hispanic Business Report captures the extraordinary growth and innovation of Hispanic-owned businesses, while shining a light on the barriers that too often stand between Latino entrepreneurs and their full potential. At NALCAB, we know business ownership is one of the most powerful tools for building wealth in Latino communities, and this report gives our field the data we need to advocate for real solutions,” said Marla Bilonick, President and CEO at The National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders. 

CEO is a joint venture between Third Way and the National Urban League aimed at dramatically increasing the opportunity for all disadvantaged entrepreneurs to start and expand successful businesses.

Read the full report at https://www.ceopolicy.org/products/the-state-of-hispanic-business.