Puerto Rico

State

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2024 Population
3.23M
2024 Median Age
44.8
1.36% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
40.5%
2.46% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$26,297
4.79% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$131,500
5.54% 1-year growth
2023 Employed Population
999,009
2.92% 1-year growth

About

95.5% of the households in Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico are NUC University (10,526 degrees awarded in 2023), University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras (2,090 degrees), and Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus (2,003 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Puerto Rico was $131,500, and the homeownership rate was 67.9%.

Most people in Puerto Rico drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28 minutes. The average car ownership in Puerto Rico was 2 cars per household.

Photo by Breezy Baldwin
United States

Population & Diversity

In 2024, there were 1.07 times more Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents (1.06M people) in Puerto Rico than any other race or ethnicity. There were 988k Other (Hispanic) and 833k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

The most common non-English languages spoken as the primary language in households in Puerto Rico are Spanish (2,986,236 households), French (Incl. Cajun) (1,199 households), and Chinese (Incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) (861 households).

Population & Diversity

Population by Location

Sex *(USED)
RACE/ETHNICITY
The 3 PUMAS with the highest resident population
  1. San Juan Sur PUMA, PR
    184,545
  2. Bayamón PUMA, PR
    183,519
  3. San Sebastián, Utuado & Lares PUMA, PR
    180,039

In 2023 there were 3,254,885 residents in Puerto Rico.

The Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMA) with the highest resident population were San Juan Sur PUMA, PR (184,545 people), Bayamón PUMA, PR (183,519 people), and San Sebastián, Utuado & Lares PUMA, PR (180,039 people).

The following map shows all of the states in Puerto Rico colored by the resident population.

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Residents by Gender and Age

RACE/ETHNICITY
1,713,903
Women
52.7%
1,540,982
Men
47.3%

The resident population of United States in 2023 was 3,254,885 inhabitants, with 47.3% men, and 52.7% women.

The visualization shows the distribution of the residents by gender and age in Puerto Rico.

With the upper buttons you can add a filter by race.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Puerto Rico
  1. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    1.06M ± 10.9k
  2. Other (Hispanic)
    988k ± 11.3k
  3. White (Hispanic)
    833k ± 11.3k
99%
Hispanic Population
3.2M people

In 2024, there were 1.07 times more Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents (1.06M people) in Puerto Rico than any other race or ethnicity. There were 988k Other (Hispanic) and 833k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

99% of the people in Puerto Rico are hispanic (3.2M people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Puerto Rico as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

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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Non-English Households

Most Common Non-English Languages
  1. Spanish
    2,986,236 households (95.3%)
  2. French (Incl. Cajun)
    1,199 households (0.0383%)
  3. Chinese (Incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)
    861 households (0.0275%)

95.5% of the households in Puerto Rico reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language, which is higher than the national average of 22.3%. 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.

In 2024, the most common non-English language spoken in households in Puerto Rico was Spanish. 95.3% of the households in Puerto Rico reported speaking Spanish at home as the primary shared language between all members living in the household.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    22,561 ± 1,087
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    12,761 ± 961
  3. Korea
    6,763 ± 590

Puerto Rico has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.77 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Puerto Rico.

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Economy

The economy of Puerto Rico employs 999k people. In 2023, the largest industries in Puerto Rico were Restaurants & Food Services (72,269 people), Elementary & secondary schools (68,786 people), and Construction (47,649 people), and the highest paying industries were Industrial & miscellaneous chemicals ($81,722), Business, professional, political, & similar organizations ($78,874), and Sound recording industries ($78,584).

Males in Puerto Rico have an average income that is 1.14 times higher than the average income of females, which is $35,564. The income inequality in Puerto Rico (measured using the Gini index) is 0.46, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Workforce Diversity

Measure
RACE/ETHNICITY
500,499
Women
50.1%
498,510
Men
49.9%

The workforce of Puerto Rico in 2023 was 999,009 people, with 50.1% woman, and 49.9% men.

The visualization shows the distribution of the workforce by gender and age in Puerto Rico.

With the upper buttons you can see the distribution of the average salary and add a filter by race.

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Workforce and Wage by Location

Measure
RACE/ETHNICITY

In 2023 there were 999,009 people working in Puerto Rico. The Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMA) that concentrated the largest workforce were Bayamón PUMA, PR (61,191 people), San Juan Sur PUMA, PR (60,532 people), and Carolina PUMA, PR (55,522 people).

The following map shows all of the PUMAs in Puerto Rico colored by workforce or average wage.

With the upper buttons you can see the yearly change and add a filter by race.

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Occupations

999k
2023 Value
2.92%
1 Year growth
± 2.92%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Puerto Rico grew at a rate of 2.92%, from 971k employees to 999k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Puerto Rico, are Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive (46,352 people), Cashiers (37,667 people), and Customer service representatives (30,932 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Puerto Rico.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

999k
2023 Value
2.92%
1 Year growth
± 2.92%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Puerto Rico grew at a rate of 2.92%, from 971k employees to 999k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Puerto Rico, are Restaurants & Food Services (72,269 people), Elementary & secondary schools (68,786 people), and Construction (47,649 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Puerto Rico, though some of these residents may live in Puerto Rico and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$22,479
Median earning men ± $216
$22,235
Median earning women ± $228

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($36,106), Information ($35,486), and Public Administration ($33,308).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($33,971), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($32,540), and Wholesale Trade ($30,790).

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Education

In 2023, universities in Puerto Rico awarded 44,747 degrees. The student population of Puerto Rico in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 67,361 male students and 100,522 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Puerto Rico are Hispanic or Latino (42,593 and 95.3%), Unknown (721 and 1.61%), Black or African American (647 and 1.45%), and White (466 and 1.04%).

The largest universities in Puerto Rico by number of degrees awarded are NUC University (10,526 and 23.5%), University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras (2,090 and 4.67%), and Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus (2,003 and 4.48%).

The most popular majors in Puerto Rico are Registered Nursing (3,098 and 6.92%), Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist (1,299 and 2.9%), and Barbering (1,266 and 2.83%).

The median tuition costs are $5,400 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 Puerto Rico, the percentage of applicants admitted was 61.5%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 68.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 167,883 (40.1% men and 59.9% women).

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

The line chart below shows the annual evolution of the indicator by gender.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 167,883 students enrolled in Puerto Rico, 40.1% men and 59.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 159,893 records, of which 59.9% were women and 40.1% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Registered Nursing
    2,469 degrees awarded
  2. General Biological Sciences
    1,086 degrees awarded
  3. General Psychology
    715 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Puerto Rico was Registered Nursing with 2,469 degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. NUC University
    10,526 degrees awarded
  2. University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras
    2,090 degrees awarded
  3. Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus
    2,003 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was NUC University with 10,526 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 17,858 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Puerto Rico, which is 0.664 times less than the 26,889 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 42,593 degrees mean that there were 59.1 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 721 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, less-than 2-year ($8,800) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,190) 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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Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Measure

In 2023, 1.66% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 1.34% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

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Educational Attainment

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population of Puerto Rico in 2023 were High School or Equivalent (753k), Bachelors Degree (532k), and Primary Education (435k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Puerto Rico was $131,500 in 2024, which is 0.395 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $124,600 to $131,500, a 5.54% increase. The homeownership rate in Puerto Rico is 67.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Puerto Rico have an average commute time of 28 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Puerto Rico is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$131,500
Median Property Value 2024
±$959
$876,586
Median Property Taxes
±$6,424

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 Puerto Rico the largest share of households pay taxes in the None range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Puerto Rico compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

67.9%
Homeownership
2024
72.8%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 67.9% of the housing units in Puerto Rico were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 68.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Puerto Rico 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.
$26,297
Median Household Income
± $261
1.29M
Number of Households
± 8,840

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.29M households in Puerto Rico grew to $26,297 from the previous year's value of $25,096.

The following chart displays the households in Puerto Rico 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

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 (82.6%)
  2. Carpooled (6.39%)
  3. Worked At Home (6.12%)

In 2024, 82.6% of workers in Puerto Rico drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (6.39%) and those who worked at home (6.12%).

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

28 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Puerto Rico have a longer commute time (28 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.13% of the workforce in Puerto Rico have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

40.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Puerto Rico (1.3M out of 3.21M 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 25 - 34, followed by Females 75+ and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Puerto Rico is Hispanic, followed by Two Or More and Other.

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

94.3% of the population of Puerto Rico has health coverage, with 22.9% on employee plans, 44.1% on Medicaid, 14.5% on Medicare, 11.7% on non-group plans, and 1.01% on military or VA plans.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.1% were men and 52.9% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 17.5% under 18 years, 21.1% between 18 and 34 years, 38.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 23.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.1% were men and 52.9% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

5.72%
Uninsured
22.9%
Employer Coverage
44.1%
Medicaid
14.5%
Medicare
11.7%
Non-Group
1.01%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Puerto Rico declined by 7.91% from 6.21% to 5.72%.

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

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