Los Angeles, California is a world leader in business, entertainment, international trade, media, fashion, science, sports, technology and education and has what some experts say is the highest concentration of Latina-owned businesses in the country. The explosion of businesses run by Latina entrepreneurs is a direct result of having one of the highest populations in the entire country, second only to New York City.

According to the U.S. Census, California boasted 36.3 million residents in 2010 with 13.6 million of those people classified as Hispanics. This means that in 2010, Hispanics made up 37.7 percent of the state’s total population. Latinos are expected to grow to 15 million this year.

Los Angeles County is expected to be home to 8 million Hispanics this year. With their population continuing to skyrocket, Hispanics are naturally, opening their own businesses at a higher rate than ever before and in a variety of sectors. According to the U.S. Hispanic Business Census, the number of Hispanic-owned businesses in California increased from 424,724 to 566,436 from 2002 to 2007.

The Institute for Organization Training & Development —a national association of Hispanic entrepreneurs and individuals interested in strengthening the Hispanic business community—and World Demographic Research LLC estimate that Hispanic-owned businesses in California will reach close to 725,000 this year.

In Los Angeles County, Latino businesses rose from 188,472 in 2002 to 225,757 in 2007. World Demographic Research and IOTD Hispanic Research Center project that Hispanic businesses in the county will reach 265,000 in 2012.

The Census does not break down ethnic businesses by gender except at the national level but experts believe the impact of Latinas though not tracked down by the numbers, are visible through the diversity of the businesses they run.

“Latinas constitute the fastest-growing segment of the small-business arena. They are pioneers in their industries, stimulating local economies and spearheading community development initiatives,” says Cecilia Mota, former president of the National Latina Business Women Association and managing partner of group Mujersisimas.

Latina-owned businesses are everywhere Mota goes.

“It is safe to say that the large majority of family-owned and newly established restaurants in the area are run by a Latina. You walk down any major street in the heart of the commercial districts of East LA, Boyle Heights, South Gate, McArthur Park, Montebello, Lynwood just to name a few and you find vibrant communities of Latino/Latina owned enterprises like music stores, mini markets/convenience stores, tamalerias, pupuserias, panaderias, service industry related, apparel and beauty shops, remesas, librerias cristianas, print shops and the list goes on,” Mota adds.

“This historical and explosive growth of Latino owned businesses continues to demonstrate the growing demand, economic power, the connection, need, and influence for all things Latino, giving us a glimpse of what the rest of Los Angeles may look like in another 15 years when a larger wave of Latino graduates will either take over their families business and open additional locations or follow the road toward entrepreneurship,” she believes.

In a city with such a high concentration of Latinos, Jesse Torres, regional director of the Los Angeles Small Business Development Center Network states more research needs to be done specifically on Latina business owners and entrepreneurs. According to a presentation he made recently using Census data, the main psychological motivation behind business startups is that the founders desire to work for themselves and to be in control of their lives.

Due to a lack of studies on Latinas and the uncertainty of the November presidential elections, which will affect the city’s political and economic climate, Torres says it is hard to predict how many more Latinas will open their own businesses in the coming years and in what sectors.

He imagines an overall growth in businesses and jobs related to transportation and construction that will be needed as a result of the infrastructure going on in Los Angeles, particularly the high speed rail projects.

“There really isn’t a strong program or effort to really support Latina entrepreneurship and small businesses. Either way, [the impact] is significant,” Torres continues, adding he hopes younger Latinos will venture into online businesses and take advantage of the opportunities in the cyber world.

Los Angeles City Councilman Tony Cardenas believes Latinas are playing a larger role in the city’s economy year by year. “There is a wide diversity of Latina businesses, whether in technical fields or in retail markets, there is evidence of Latinas having businesses,” Cardenas says. “Successful Latinas are always helping out with the younger crowd, always mentoring them. I always really enjoy that about the Latino community; how much we do past the business to help other generations.”

One barrier that Latinas are working to break down is the prejudice they sometimes experience as new business owners because they are a minority, women and Latinas. “We need to encourage people to recognize them as equals as we see more Latino and Latina businesses and prove that they are phenomenal,” Cardenas adds.

Betty Rengifo Uribe, executive vice president and head of the business and personal banking division at California Bank & Trust believes that Latinas have a huge advantage in that they see the value of networking with each other. “There’s always an element of cooperation and I think because of that, probably one Latina will influence several others to grow other businesses and that helps foster the economy,” she states.

Jorge Corralejo, chair and CEO of the Latino Business Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles, considers the city the small business capital of the world and believes the largest portion of these businesses to be run by Latinos.

From Taco Nazo—which Maria and Gilberto Romero began as a lunch truck serving fish and shrimp tacos in 1978 and grew to an actual restaurant that boasts “the best fish tacos in California”—to Maria Contreras-Sweet, the executive chairwoman and founder of Proamerica Bank, a commercial bank focused on businesses that specialize in Latinos, successful Latinas “are all over the place,” he says.