The grocery bill calls the shots. Or the gas pump. Or the prescription that went unfilled because this month you had to choose.
That is the daily math of working-class Latino families in the United States, according to the most complete survey ever published on them: 2,700 working-class Latino adults interviewed nationwide between August 28 and September 17 by UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization. The headline figure says it all: 68% say they are working harder than ever but falling further behind — the ladder of upward mobility feels broken to them.
And make no mistake, this is no distant minority. Nearly 80% of Latino adults — about 38.5 million people — are part of the working class: 1 in 5 workers in the country, in construction, agriculture, transportation and manufacturing. They are projected to account for 78% of net-new workers this decade. Whatever happens to them happens to the economy.
The cost of living wins, by a mile
83% ranked the cost of living among their top three economic worries, followed by jobs and wages (55%) and health care (52%). Only 12% say they live comfortably; 61% say they just meet their expenses or struggle to get by.
The picture of the past year is stark: 40% say they are worse off than a year ago, nearly triple those who say they are better off (14%). And of those losing ground, 76% blame one thing: higher prices on everyday goods and services.
This isn’t perception. 78% took concrete steps just to stay afloat: 43% bought less food or switched to cheaper groceries, 38% dipped into savings, and nearly 1 in 5 (18%) took another job or extra hours. UnidosUS president Janet Murguía put it in plain words: families are “eating less to save money, skipping doctors’ visits or not filling prescriptions for needed medicine.”
On health care the number hurts: more than half (53%) gave up some form of health care because of the cost — skipping the doctor, leaving prescriptions unfilled or substituting cheaper over-the-counter medicine.
Also read: 5.5 million lost food stamps in a year.
Housing weighs heavier than ever
53% spend 30% or more of their income on housing — the threshold where a household is considered cost-burdened. Among renters, the figure climbs to 66%. Six in ten renters (60%) worry they won’t make next month’s rent; and 41% of homeowners worry about making their next mortgage payment.
Among the 41% who want to buy a home, the obstacles are the familiar ones, only harder: 64% say prices are too high and 51% say they lack savings for a down payment.
Enforcement raids reach the wallet too
The survey connects immigration to economics, and the link is direct. 44% say concerns about immigration enforcement hurt their household finances in the past year — higher expenses, lost income, or family members afraid to go to work or seek health care.
On Main Street it hits harder: 60% of Latino small-business owners say it hurt their business, mostly through fewer customers and lower sales, employees missing work, or difficulty finding workers.
A decisive bloc nobody is talking to
With 11 days to go before the November 3 election, one figure should worry both parties: 55% say no party, campaign or organization has asked them to register or vote. The gap holds even in battleground states — 57% in Florida, 60% in Texas. Only 23% have been contacted by Democrats and 15% by Republicans.
And yet they are not checked out: 45% say they are 100% certain to vote, and another 16% are almost certain. 41% of working-class Hispanic independents think neither party is advancing the interests and needs of working people — that is not apathy, it is skepticism.
What they’re asking for is not abstract
The survey tested concrete solutions and every one drew at least 75% support. At the top: a national paid family and medical leave program (86%), financial help to lower Affordable Care Act premiums (84%) and universal, low-cost childcare (80%). Also: a federal retirement savings program with a government match for workers whose jobs don’t offer one (82%), raising the federal minimum wage to $25 an hour (77%) and up to $20,000 in down payment assistance for a first home (81%).
There is, though, one note that doesn’t fit the gloom: 55% still believe prosperity is achievable for their families. They work harder, cut more, worry more — and they haven’t given up. The question the survey leaves on the table, eleven days before the vote, is a different one: who will talk to them first?
Related on Actual USA: Trump’s worst approval (36%): gas prices sink him with Hispanics and 980,000 deportations in 18 months.
Official sources
- UnidosUS, “New UnidosUS Poll: Working-Class Hispanics Are Working Harder Than Ever but Falling Behind — And Few Candidates Are Asking for Their Vote” (October 6, 2026): https://unidosus.org/press-releases/new-unidosus-poll-working-class-hispanics-are-working-harder-than-ever-but-falling-behind/
- UnidosUS, “Broken Ladder: Latino Working Families Fight for Economic Stability” (full survey briefing): https://unidosus.org/publications/broken-ladder-latino-working-families-fight-for-economic-stability/
Comentarios