Arecibo, PR

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population
180,767
2024 Median Age
45.5
1.11% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
40.3%
2.03% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$25,084
2.65% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$116,800
4.57% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
60,930
3.4% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Arecibo, PR reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

The largest universities in Arecibo, PR are Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo (593 degrees awarded in 2023), University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo (553 degrees), and ICPR Junior College-Arecibo (139 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Arecibo, PR was $116,800, and the homeownership rate was 69.2%.

Most people in Arecibo, PR drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Arecibo, PR was 2 cars per household.

United StatesPuerto Rico

Population & Diversity

In 2024, there were 1 times more White (Hispanic) residents (65.9k people) in Arecibo, PR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 65.7k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 40.8k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Arecibo, PR
  1. White (Hispanic)
    65.9k ± 2.83k
  2. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    65.7k ± 2.83k
  3. Other (Hispanic)
    40.8k ± 2.48k
99.5%
Hispanic Population
180k people

In 2024, there were 1 times more White (Hispanic) residents (65.9k people) in Arecibo, PR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 65.7k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 40.8k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

99.5% of the people in Arecibo, PR are hispanic (180k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Arecibo, PR as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Puerto Rico.
Most Common Origin
  1. Dominican Republic
    50,106 ± 5,453 people
  2. Cuba
    9,621 ± 2,405 people
  3. Colombia
    4,277 ± 1,605 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Puerto Rico was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 50,106 Puerto Rico residents, followed by Cuba with 9,621 and Colombia with 4,277.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    1,301 ± 273
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    633 ± 240
  3. Korea
    407 ± 165

Arecibo, PR has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.06 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Arecibo, PR.

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Economy

The economy of Arecibo, PR employs 60.9k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Arecibo, PR were Retail Trade (8,371 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (8,150 people), and Manufacturing (7,501 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($39,306), Management of Companies & Enterprises ($35,500), and Finance & Insurance ($35,075).

Employment

Occupations

60.9k
2024 Value
± 2,373
3.4%
1 Year growth
± 5.27%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Arecibo, PR grew at a rate of 3.4%, from 58.9k employees to 60.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Arecibo, PR, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (9,039 people), Sales & Related Occupations (6,177 people), and Production Occupations (5,145 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Arecibo, PR.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Puerto Rico.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Puerto Rico (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

60.9k
2024 Value
± 2,373
3.4%
1 Year growth
± 5.27%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Arecibo, PR grew at a rate of 3.4%, from 58.9k employees to 60.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Arecibo, PR, are Retail Trade (8,371 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (8,150 people), and Manufacturing (7,501 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Arecibo, PR, though some of these residents may live in Arecibo, PR and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$20,777
Median earning men ± $703
$20,859
Median earning women ± $771

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($34,155), Public Administration ($31,551), and Wholesale Trade ($31,132).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($30,054), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($29,936), and Public Administration ($27,927).

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Education

In 2023, universities in Arecibo, PR awarded 1,603 degrees. The student population of Arecibo, PR in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 2,389 male students and 4,402 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Arecibo, PR are Hispanic or Latino (1,600 and 99.8%), Unknown (2 and 0.125%), and White (1 and 0.0624%).

The largest universities in Arecibo, PR by number of degrees awarded are Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo (593 and 37%), University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo (553 and 34.5%), and ICPR Junior College-Arecibo (139 and 8.67%).

The most popular majors in Arecibo, PR are Registered Nursing (214 and 13.3%), General Microbiology (116 and 7.24%), and General Biological Sciences (70 and 4.37%).

The median tuition costs in Arecibo, PR are $5,184 for private four year colleges, and $5,024 and $5,024 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University
Measure

In 2023 in Arecibo, PR, the percentage of applicants admitted was 54.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 78.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 6,791 (35.2% men and 64.8% women).

The line chart  shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 6,791 students enrolled in Arecibo, PR, 35.2% men and 64.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 6,776 records, of which 64.8% were women and 35.2% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. General Microbiology
    116 degrees awarded
  2. General Biological Sciences
    70 degrees awarded
  3. Registered Nursing
    189 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Arecibo, PR was General Microbiology with 116 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Arecibo, PR according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
    593 degrees awarded
  2. University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
    553 degrees awarded
  3. ICPR Junior College-Arecibo
    139 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo with 593 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 471 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Arecibo, PR, which is 0.416 times less than the 1,132 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 1,600 degrees mean that there were 800 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 2 degrees awarded.

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Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private for-profit, 2-year ($7,879) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($725) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,168) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Arecibo, PR was $116,800 in 2024, which is 0.351 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $111,700 to $116,800, a 4.57% increase. The homeownership rate in Arecibo, PR is 69.2%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Arecibo, PR have an average commute time of 26.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Arecibo, PR is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$116,800
Median Property Value 2024
±$2,341
$47,056
Median Property Taxes
±$1,440

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Arecibo, PR the largest share of households pay taxes in the None range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Arecibo, PR compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

69.2%
Homeownership
2024
71.6%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 69.2% of the housing units in Arecibo, PR were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 68.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Arecibo, PR compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$25,084
Median Household Income
± $1,076
68k
Number of Households
± 2,120

In 2024, the median household income of the 68k households in Arecibo, PR grew to $25,084 from the previous year's value of $24,436.

The following chart displays the households in Arecibo, PR distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Arecibo, PR is from Puerto Rico.
0.46
2023 Wage GINI in Puerto Rico
0.457
2022 Wage GINI in Puerto Rico

In 2023, the income inequality in Puerto Rico was 0.46 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.548% growth from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Puerto Rico was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Puerto Rico in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Puerto Rico across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (88.8%)
  2. Worked At Home (5.86%)
  3. Carpooled (2.98%)

In 2024, 88.8% of workers in Arecibo, PR drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (5.86%) and those who carpooled to work (2.98%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

26.6 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Arecibo, PR have a longer commute time (26.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.67% of the workforce in Arecibo, PR have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Arecibo, PR compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Arecibo, PR distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Arecibo, PR have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

40.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Arecibo, PR (72.1k out of 179k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 75+, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Arecibo, PR is Hispanic, followed by White and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

94.5% of the population of Arecibo, PR has health coverage, with 21.3% on employee plans, 49% on Medicaid, 15% on Medicare, 8.23% on non-group plans, and 0.918% on military or VA plans.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.2% were men and 52.8% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 16.8% under 18 years, 21% between 18 and 34 years, 38.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 23.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.2% were men and 52.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

5.51%
Uninsured
21.3%
Employer Coverage
49%
Medicaid
15%
Medicare
8.23%
Non-Group
0.918%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Arecibo, PR declined by 9.59% from 6.1% to 5.51%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Arecibo, PR changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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