Although they make up only a minuscule portion of the total population, blacks in Idaho and Utah have seen their buying power increase faster than anywhere else in America during the past six years.
And with that buying power, black Utahns are also looking for opportunities to prosper in business themselves."We just want to have economic reciprocity," said Edward Lewis, chairman of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce Multi-ethnic Business Committee. "If indeed African Americans have a high spending power, they should have an equal business opportunity as well."
But "we just want an equal business opportunity, we're not asking for affirmative action," he said.
An analysis released Wednesday by the University of Georgia found black buying power in Idaho has increased 160 percent since 1990, the fastest in the nation.
Utah was second at 137 percent.
"All the leading states have relatively small black populations, so statistically that's very easy to double," said Jeffrey M. Humphreys, director of economic forecasting at the university.
Jeannetta Williams, president of the Salt Lake chapter of the NAACP, attributes the growth in black buying power in Utah to the increasing number of blacks with higher educational and economic backgrounds who have moved to Utah in those years.
"Regardless of what people say about the state of Utah, we are making a difference here," Williams said. "(Black) people are moving here from across the country with different management positions and educational backgrounds."
Black buying power is defined as the total personal income of blacks that is available, after taxes, to spend on products and services. The study did not look at how the money is spent.
"There is continued strong growth in black buying power, and that reflects both the strong demographic push of an expanding black population as well as the strength of the current business cycle," Humphreys said.
As he pointed out, Idaho's black population is less than 1 percent of the state's 1.2 million people, meaning that while the percentage increase was significant the actual market is not.
Nevertheless, lending institutions have recently begun to create more opportunities for minority groups, Williams said. "We're not seeing the red lining as much as in the past. We're seeing more loans going out to people, especially in the African American community."
The NAACP works very closely with banks in Idaho and Utah and helps educate and direct blacks seeking loans, Williams said.
Lewis said he relocated to Utah about four years ago and saw a need to help the black business community. After contacting the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce and attending several meetings, he was elected chairman of the Multi-ethnic Business Committee in January. The committee's goal is to identify issues that affect minority business owners and bring them to the attention of the Chamber of Commerce, he said.
"I came here because Salt Lake presented an opportunity," he said. There are still relatively few minority groups in the area. But "with the coming of the Olympics, the (city) wants to portray a multi-ethnic community," he said.
He also agrees blacks moving into the area have a high educational level, "which, of course, is going to reflect a higher buying power," he said.
The city's Multi-ethnic Business Committee is preparing a strategic plan to, among other things, improve the business climate for minorities, and provide business assistance and education, Lewis said.
"We will be dealing with a lot of the issues that come to the forefront," he said.
Still, many blacks and other minorities are hesitant to move here because of the "perception" they have of Utah, Williams said.
"We get a few calls from people asking what it's like living here with the small percentage of African Americans in Utah," she said. "We give them a report of the progress we have made and the inclusiveness we've seen."
"That's one of the things we hope to do with this committee - to change the perception and to bring new and innovative ideas," Lewis said.
The Multi-ethnic Business Committee may be what is needed at this point.
"We'll just have to wait to see what happens," Lewis said. "With the construction of the freeway and light rail, there's lots of business opportunities in front of us."
The biggest black consumer markets are New York at $53 billion, followed by California at $39.5 billion, Texas at $31.4 billion, Illinois at $26.3 billion and Georgia at $26 billion.
And Georgia was the only one of those markets that also ranked in the top 15 for percentage increases in buying power. It was 12th with a 69 percent increase.
"This tells us that this is probably the most attractive market in the country in terms of black consumers and also a concentrated market," Humphreys said.
Blacks spend one in every six dollars spent in Georgia, he said.
Nationwide, black buying power is up 54.2 percent since 1990, from $304 billion to $469 billion, the study found. *****
Additional Information
The top state rankings
States with the fastest growth of black buying power, 1990-97
1. Idaho 160 percent
2. Utah 136.9 percent
3. Nevada 103.6 percent
4. New Mexico 98.6 percent
5. Minnesota 97.6 percent
States with the largest black consumer markets in 1997:
1. New York $53 billion
2. California $39.5 billion
3. Texas $31.4 billion
4. Illinois $26.3 billion
5. Georgia $26 billion
Source: University of Georgia