With the economy booming, Ernesto Martinez can barely keep up with all the construction work coming into the small drywall company he owns. He's part of a historic wave of Latino prosperity in America.

It wasn't always like this. Martinez remembers when he was 17. He had $120 to his name, and it was all in his pocket. It's how much he got paid for his first job in the U.S., as a mover. He says he stood there, mesmerized, in front of a shop window at the mall.

Profiles Of America In Full Employment

America Is In Full Employment, So Why Aren't We Celebrating?

Martinez was looking at a pair of Air Jordans. They cost around $100.

"I fell in love with them," he says. He didn't speak English, so he turned to his brother and said, "Ask them to bring me a size 8."

"What do you want those shoes for?" his brother responded disapprovingly.

Martinez says that's when he decided to learn English, so he could go back and get the shoes.

Alondra, the daughter of Ernesto and Araceli, stands next to the Statue of Liberty in a family photo. Mohamed Sadek for NPR

Mohamed Sadek for NPR

He had just arrived from Mexico. It was the 1990s, and cultural critics spoke of a "Latin explosion": Over the next two decades the Hispanic population would grow from 22.4 million people, to 50.5 million. But the numbers did not translate into power, or well-being: The 2000 census reported they had a poverty rate of 21.2% — nearly double the overall U.S. rate.

Latinos Lead Nation In Childhood Poverty Oct. 10, 2011

Martinez's wife, Araceli, had three cleaning jobs, but it was still hard to get by. She says the owners of one of the hotels where she worked made her do heavy lifting — such as moving furniture.

It was grueling, but she just couldn't afford to lose that job.

Across the U.S. today, there are plenty of jobs. Unemployment for Latinos is at 4.2% — the lowest in recorded history. And their poverty rate has gone down somewhat, to 18.3%.

Loading...

Don't see the graphic above? Click here.

For the Martinez family, things have improved dramatically.

On a rainy Sunday afternoon, Araceli shows a reporter around her home in New Jersey. She and Ernesto were able to buy it in the early 2000s. It's beautiful, with an expansive backyard.

And it takes a lot of work to afford this place.

Enlarge this image

Alondra (left) and her mother, Araceli, look through family photographs after a Sunday Mass and family lunch. Araceli has three jobs to provide for her family. Mohamed Sadek for NPR

Mohamed Sadek for NPR

Alondra (left) and her mother, Araceli, look through family photographs after a Sunday Mass and family lunch. Araceli has three jobs to provide for her family.

Mohamed Sadek for NPR

Araceli still has three jobs: house cleaner, supermarket cashier and assistant at a day care. Both she and Ernesto say their incomes have barely budged in the past decade. But the cost of living has gone up. "Sometimes you have to have two or three jobs to make ends meet," Araceli says. "Everything is expensive. Food, utilities, car insurance."

So, despite low unemployment numbers, economists urge caution.

Profiles Of America In Full Employment

In This Town, You Apply For A Job And You Get It

Yes, joblessness is down, and that's great. But Hispanics earn about one-fourth less than white workers do. And for some 7 million Central American and Mexican immigrants who don't have legal status, it's even harder to move up. Being undocumented often leads to exploitation. It makes it harder to get an education. It forces people to work for low wages in the informal economy. It makes it difficult to start and build a company.

Loading...

Don't see the graphic above? Click here.

Which is why, for all the talk about the Latin cultural explosion and unemployment going down, some academics and activists worry about the formation of a permanent Hispanic underclass in America.

Enlarge this image

Araceli sits in front of a photo of her daughter. Alondra is part of the record number of Hispanics enrolling in college. Mohamed Sadek for NPR

Mohamed Sadek for NPR

Araceli sits in front of a photo of her daughter. Alondra is part of the record number of Hispanics enrolling in college.

Mohamed Sadek for NPR

But Ernesto and Araceli say they see a really bright future. And it's because of their daughter.

Alondra is 22 years old. She's the eldest of the two Martinez kids. When they were born, Ernesto says, he had a clear vision: He didn't want to see them doing drywall. "I want them to have a 9-to-5 job. I want them to be well-dressed and not dirty like we get dirty," he says.

Changing Face Of College

As Elite Campuses Diversify, A 'Bias Towards Privilege' Persists

As soon as Alondra was born, Ernesto started saving for her to go to college.

But as Alondra got older, she didn't see herself as the kind of person who goes into higher education. "Growing up, I was very aware of the kind of family I came from. When you don't have lawyers and doctors and people with careers in your family, you think it's so far-fetched. And it's like, so much money," she says.

Education

N.J. University Works To Improve Graduation Rates For Latinos

A high school Spanish teacher spoke to her about New Jersey's Educational Opportunity Fund, the state's support program for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

That's how Alondra ended up going to Montclair State University. She's part of the record number of Hispanics going to college: Enrollment nearly tripled between 1999 and 2016.

At this year's graduation ceremony for students in the Educational Opportunity Fund program, she gave a speech. Alondra was nervous at first.

Enlarge this image

Alondra (center) recently graduated from Montclair State University. She's part of the record number of Hispanics going to college: Enrollment nearly tripled between 1999 and 2016. Courtesy of Montclair State University

Courtesy of Montclair State University

Alondra (center) recently graduated from Montclair State University. She's part of the record number of Hispanics going to college: Enrollment nearly tripled between 1999 and 2016.

Courtesy of Montclair State University

"Being a first-generation college student means breaking every barrier, silencing every negative voice and pushing myself to be the woman I know I am meant to be," she said.

Then she turned to her parents. "Mamá, papá, lo logramos," she said. Mom, dad, we made it.

This fall, Alondra will be going to Rutgers University to pursue a master's degree in college student affairs. She dreams of being a college dean someday.

Enlarge this image

The Martinez family stands in front of their home in New Jersey. During a speech at her graduation, Alondra said to her parents: "Mamá, papá, lo logramos." Mom, dad, we made it. Mohamed Sadek for NPR

Mohamed Sadek for NPR

The Martinez family stands in front of their home in New Jersey. During a speech at her graduation, Alondra said to her parents: "Mamá, papá, lo logramos." Mom, dad, we made it.

Mohamed Sadek for NPR

Ernesto marvels at this. This generation's goal is to be lawyers, engineers and architects.

"That is their dream," he says. "And what was my dream?"

Nearly 30 years ago, it was a pair of Air Jordans.

Profiles Of America In Full Employment

As Employment Rises, African American Transplants Ride Jobs Wave To The South

Profiles Of America In Full Employment

With Workers Hard To Find, Immigration Crackdown Leaves Iowa Town In A Bind

Profiles Of America In Full Employment

Former Inmates Are Getting Jobs As Employers Ignore Stigma In Bright Economy