Puerto Rico

State

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

2024 Employed Population

1.03M

2.97% 1-year growth

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

RACE/ETHNICITY

The 3 PUMAS with the highest resident population

San Juan Sur PUMA, PR
185,450
Bayamón PUMA, PR
182,596
San Sebastián, Utuado & Lares PUMA, PR
179,059

In 2024 there were 3,234,309 residents in Puerto Rico.

The Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMA) with the highest resident population were San Juan Sur PUMA, PR (185,450 people), Bayamón PUMA, PR (182,596 people), and San Sebastián, Utuado & Lares PUMA, PR (179,059 people).

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

Residents by Gender and Age

RACE/ETHNICITY

1,705,045

Women

52.7%

1,529,264

Men

47.3%

The resident population of Puerto Rico in 2024 was 3,234,309 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.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Puerto Rico

Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
1.06M ± 10.9k
Other (Hispanic)
988k ± 11.3k
White (Hispanic)
833k ± 11.3k

99%

Hispanic Population

3.2M people

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.

Global Diversity

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
49,766 ± 5,435 people
Cuba
9,846 ± 2,432 people
Colombia
4,201 ± 1,590 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Puerto Rico was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 49,766 Puerto Rico residents, followed by Cuba with 9,846 and Colombia with 4,201.

Non-English Households

Most Common Non-English Languages

Spanish
2,986,236 households (95.3%)
French (Incl. Cajun)
1,199 households (0.0383%)
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.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
22,561 ± 1,087
Gulf War (2001-)
12,761 ± 961
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.

Economy

The economy of Puerto Rico employs 1.03M people. In 2024, the largest industries in Puerto Rico were Restaurants & Food Services (73,694 people), Elementary & secondary schools (68,852 people), and Construction (50,714 people), and the highest paying industries were Industrial & miscellaneous chemicals ($79,943), Business, professional, political, & similar organizations ($79,672), and Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments ($76,937).

Males in Puerto Rico have an average income that is 1.12 times higher than the average income of females, which is $36,899. The income inequality in Puerto Rico (measured using the Gini index) is 0.454, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Workforce Diversity

Measure

RACE/ETHNICITY

516,426

Women

50.2%

512,210

Men

49.8%

The workforce of Puerto Rico in 2024 was 1,028,636 people, with 50.2% woman, and 49.8% 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.

Workforce and Wage by Location

Measure

RACE/ETHNICITY

In 2024 there were 1,028,636 people working in Puerto Rico. The Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMA) that concentrated the largest workforce were San Juan Sur PUMA, PR (63,364 people), Bayamón PUMA, PR (62,435 people), and Carolina PUMA, PR (56,945 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.

Occupations

1.03M

2024 Value

2.97%

1 Year growth

± 2.97%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Puerto Rico grew at a rate of 2.97%, from 999k employees to 1.03M employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Puerto Rico, are Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive (46,046 people), Cashiers (36,967 people), and Customer service representatives (33,714 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Puerto Rico.

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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

1.03M

2024 Value

2.97%

1 Year growth

± 2.97%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Puerto Rico grew at a rate of 2.97%, from 999k employees to 1.03M employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Puerto Rico, are Restaurants & Food Services (73,694 people), Elementary & secondary schools (68,852 people), and Construction (50,714 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.

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).

Education

The student population of Puerto Rico in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 68,652 male students and 103,108 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Puerto Rico are Hispanic or Latino (46,003 and 94.5%), Black or African American (926 and 1.9%), White (739 and 1.52%), and Unknown (677 and 1.39%).

The largest universities in Puerto Rico by number of degrees awarded are NUC University (14,321 and 29.4%), Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus (1,930 and 3.96%), and University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras (1,880 and 3.86%).

The most popular majors in Puerto Rico are Registered Nursing (2,907 and 5.96%), Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist (1,683 and 3.45%), and Electrician (1,579 and 3.24%).

The median tuition costs are $5,760 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 2024 in Puerto Rico, the percentage of applicants admitted was 57.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 67.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 171,760 (40% men and 60% 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.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 171,760 students enrolled in Puerto Rico, 40% men and 60% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 163,632 records, of which 60.1% were women and 39.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Electrician
1,547 degrees awarded
Barbering
1,440 degrees awarded
General Cosmetology
1,295 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in Puerto Rico was Electrician with 1,547 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate from schools in Puerto Rico according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

NUC University
14,321 degrees awarded
Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo Campus
1,930 degrees awarded
University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras
1,880 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was NUC University with 14,321 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 19,549 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Puerto Rico, which is 0.669 times less than the 29,207 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 46,003 degrees mean that there were 49.7 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 926 degrees awarded.

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.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, less-than 2-year ($9,395) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,185) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($3,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Measure

In 2024, 1.47% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 1.26% of women were in the same situation.

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

Educational Attainment

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population of Puerto Rico in 2024 were High School or Equivalent (754k), Bachelors Degree (540k), and Some college (420k).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Wage Distribution

0.454

2024 Wage GINI in Puerto Rico

0.46

2023 Wage GINI in Puerto Rico

In 2024, the income inequality in Puerto Rico was 0.454 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.22% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Puerto Rico was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (82.6%)
Carpooled (6.39%)
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.

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.

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.

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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