Ponce, PR

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population
270,459
2024 Median Age
44.4
1.37% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
46.9%
2.36% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$22,247
7.75% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$104,900
1.75% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
83,137
3.71% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Ponce, 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 Ponce, PR are Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce (1,004 degrees awarded in 2023), Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Ponce (611 degrees), and Instituto Educativo Premier (347 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Ponce, PR was $104,900, and the homeownership rate was 70.9%.

Most people in Ponce, PR drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Ponce, PR was 2 cars per household.

About the photo: Early Morning Ponce, PR
Photo by Heidi
United StatesPuerto Rico

Population & Diversity

In 2024, there were 1.37 times more Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents (130k people) in Ponce, PR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 94.6k White (Hispanic) and 29.7k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Ponce, PR
  1. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    130k ± 2.81k
  2. White (Hispanic)
    94.6k ± 2.59k
  3. Other (Hispanic)
    29.7k ± 1.88k
99.5%
Hispanic Population
269k people

In 2024, there were 1.37 times more Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents (130k people) in Ponce, PR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 94.6k White (Hispanic) and 29.7k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

99.5% of the people in Ponce, PR are hispanic (269k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Ponce, 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
    1,506 ± 256
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    927 ± 256
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    419 ± 113

Ponce, PR has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.62 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Ponce, PR employs 83.1k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Ponce, PR were Retail Trade (11,456 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (11,292 people), and Manufacturing (8,801 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($39,219), Information ($35,268), and Finance & Insurance ($34,164).

Employment

Occupations

83.1k
2024 Value
± 2,339
3.71%
1 Year growth
± 3.87%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ponce, PR grew at a rate of 3.71%, from 80.2k employees to 83.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Ponce, PR, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (12,308 people), Sales & Related Occupations (8,938 people), and Production Occupations (6,141 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Ponce, 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

83.1k
2024 Value
± 2,339
3.71%
1 Year growth
± 3.87%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ponce, PR grew at a rate of 3.71%, from 80.2k employees to 83.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Ponce, PR, are Retail Trade (11,456 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (11,292 people), and Manufacturing (8,801 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Ponce, PR, though some of these residents may live in Ponce, 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

$20,899
Median earning men ± $708
$19,736
Median earning women ± $657

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($43,318), Public Administration ($34,249), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($30,552).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($32,655), Public Administration ($27,288), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($25,217).

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Education

In 2023, universities in Ponce, PR awarded 3,604 degrees. The student population of Ponce, PR in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 5,704 male students and 9,288 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Ponce, PR are Hispanic or Latino (3,584 and 99.5%), Unknown (11 and 0.305%), White (4 and 0.111%), and Black or African American (1 and 0.0278%).

The largest universities in Ponce, PR by number of degrees awarded are Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce (1,004 and 27.9%), Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Ponce (611 and 17%), and Instituto Educativo Premier (347 and 9.63%).

The most popular majors in Ponce, PR are Electrician (266 and 7.38%), Barbering (193 and 5.36%), and General Biomedical Sciences (178 and 4.94%).

The median tuition costs in Ponce, PR are $5,520 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 Ponce, PR, the percentage of applicants admitted was 76.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 40.7%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 14,992 (38% men and 62% 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 14,992 students enrolled in Ponce, PR, 38% men and 62% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 14,743 records, of which 62% were women and 38% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Registered Nursing
    169 degrees awarded
  2. General Psychology
    91 degrees awarded
  3. General Biomedical Sciences
    173 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Ponce, PR was Registered Nursing with 169 degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce
    1,004 degrees awarded
  2. Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Ponce
    611 degrees awarded
  3. Instituto Educativo Premier
    347 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce with 1,004 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,530 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Ponce, PR, which is 0.738 times less than the 2,074 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 3,584 degrees mean that there were 326 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 11 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, 4-year or above ($8,840) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,664) 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 Ponce, PR was $104,900 in 2024, which is 0.315 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $103,100 to $104,900, a 1.75% increase. The homeownership rate in Ponce, PR is 70.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Ponce, PR have an average commute time of 24.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Ponce, PR is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$104,900
Median Property Value 2024
±$1,647
$75,432
Median Property Taxes
±$1,588

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 Ponce, PR the largest share of households pay taxes in the None range.

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

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Rent vs Own

70.9%
Homeownership
2024
73.1%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 70.9% of the housing units in Ponce, PR were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 71.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Ponce, 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.
$22,247
Median Household Income
± $779
106k
Number of Households
± 2,278

In 2024, the median household income of the 106k households in Ponce, PR grew to $22,247 from the previous year's value of $20,646.

The following chart displays the households in Ponce, 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 Ponce, 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%)
  2. Worked At Home (4.87%)
  3. Carpooled (4.21%)

In 2024, 88% of workers in Ponce, PR drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (4.87%) and those who carpooled to work (4.21%).

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

24.8 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Ponce, PR have a shorter commute time (24.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.42% of the workforce in Ponce, PR have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Ponce, 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 Ponce, PR distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Ponce, PR have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

46.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Ponce, PR (125k out of 266k 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 55 - 64, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 65 - 74.

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

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

95.5% of the population of Ponce, PR has health coverage, with 20.6% on employee plans, 52.8% on Medicaid, 11.9% on Medicare, 9.34% on non-group plans, and 0.9% on military or VA plans.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47% were men and 53% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.8% under 18 years, 20.8% between 18 and 34 years, 36.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 23.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47% were men and 53% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

4.46%
Uninsured
20.6%
Employer Coverage
52.8%
Medicaid
11.9%
Medicare
9.34%
Non-Group
0.9%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Ponce, PR declined by 3.42% from 4.61% to 4.46%.

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

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