PA Latino Chamber Alliance

Pennsylvania
Latino Chamber Alliance

About PaLCA

A statewide coalition of independent Latino chambers of commerce representing businesses across the Commonwealth. It is built on years of trust and collaboration with a collective legacy spanning over six decades of small business development, advocacy and investment.

The Challenge in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is facing a demographic and economic turning point. The working-age population declined by more than 146,000 between 2020 and 2024. The population under 25 decreased by an additional 33,000. Without intervention, these trends will compound — shrinking the workforce, the tax base, and the Commonwealth's long-term competitiveness.The Latino community is Pennsylvania's most powerful counterforce to this decline. Over the past two decades, Latinos have accounted for more than half of the Commonwealth's total population growth. In Pittsburgh alone, the Latino population grew by 80% between 2010 and 2020 — while the overall city grew by less than 1%. The Latino sub-economy in Pennsylvania is expanding at 6.2% annually, compared to just 1.1% for the state overall.

Pennsylavia's Latino sub-economy is expanding at 6.2% annually, compared to 1.1% for the state overall.

Only 2% of employer firms in Pennsylvania are Latino-owned.

Hispanics represent 8.72% of the Commonwealth's population and approximately 7% of solopreneur businesses, but only 2% of establishments with employees, out of 382 thousand.Latino entrepreneurs are already starting businesses at three times the national rate. The potential is not in question — the gap is in scaling. The overwhelming majority of Latino-owned businesses remain solo operations, unable to break through into employer firms that create jobs, enter supply chains, and drive sustained economic growth. This is not a motivation problem. It is a systems and access problem.The Pennsylvania Latino Chamber Alliance is uniquely positioned to close this gap — at scale, statewide, and with accountability.