Vega Alta, PR

Census Place

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2024 Population
8,388
2024 Median Age
46.8
1.74% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
40.1%
1.96% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$25,197
6.4% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$123,900
1.2% 1-year decline
2024 Employed Population
2,710
3.35% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Vega Alta, 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.

In 2024, the median property value in Vega Alta, PR was $123,900, and the homeownership rate was 63.8%.

Most people in Vega Alta, PR drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 30.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Vega Alta, PR was 2 cars per household.

United StatesPuerto RicoVega Alta Municipio, PRSan Juan-Carolina-Caguas, PRToa Baja & Dorado PUMA, PRVega Baja, Vega Alta & Morovis PUMA, PR

Population & Diversity

In 2024, there were 1.64 times more Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents (4.26k people) in Vega Alta, PR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.59k Other (Hispanic) and 883 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Vega Alta, PR
  1. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    4.26k ± 774
  2. Other (Hispanic)
    2.59k ± 628
  3. White (Hispanic)
    883 ± 260
99.7%
Hispanic Population
8.36k people

In 2024, there were 1.64 times more Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents (4.26k people) in Vega Alta, PR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.59k Other (Hispanic) and 883 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

99.7% of the people in Vega Alta, PR are hispanic (8.36k people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place 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
    121 ± 92
  2. Gulf War (1990s)
    18 ± 38

Vega Alta, PR has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 6.72 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Vega Alta, PR employs 2.71k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Vega Alta, PR were Retail Trade (444 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (401 people), and Manufacturing (334 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($44,907), Transportation & Warehousing ($44,907), and Public Administration ($36,642).

Employment

Occupations

2.71k
2024 Value
± 475
−3.35%
1 Year decline
± 25.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Vega Alta, PR declined at a rate of −3.35%, from 2.8k employees to 2.71k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Vega Alta, PR, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (521 people), Sales & Related Occupations (437 people), and Health Diagnosing & Treating Practitioners & Other Technical Occupations (199 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Vega Alta, 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

2.71k
2024 Value
± 475
−3.35%
1 Year decline
± 25.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Vega Alta, PR declined at a rate of −3.35%, from 2.8k employees to 2.71k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Vega Alta, PR, are Retail Trade (444 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (401 people), and Manufacturing (334 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Vega Alta, PR, though some of these residents may live in Vega Alta, 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

$27,744
Median earning men ± $8,593
$21,899
Median earning women ± $4,005

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($52,517), Retail Trade ($50,152), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($49,167).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($31,920), Retail Trade ($24,562), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($20,388).

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Vega Alta, PR was $123,900 in 2024, which is 0.372 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $125,400 to $123,900, a 1.2% decrease. The homeownership rate in Vega Alta, PR is 63.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Vega Alta, PR have an average commute time of 30.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Vega Alta, PR is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$123,900
Median Property Value 2024
±$7,237
$2,430
Median Property Taxes
±$328

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

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

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Rent vs Own

63.8%
Homeownership
2024
72.4%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 63.8% of the housing units in Vega Alta, PR were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 60.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Vega Alta, 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.
$25,197
Median Household Income
± $3,823
3.81k
Number of Households
± 485

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.81k households in Vega Alta, PR grew to $25,197 from the previous year's value of $23,682.

The following chart displays the households in Vega Alta, 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 Vega Alta, 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 (83.9%)
  2. Worked At Home (6.9%)
  3. Carpooled (4.8%)

In 2024, 83.9% of workers in Vega Alta, PR drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (6.9%) and those who carpooled to work (4.8%).

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

30.3 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Vega Alta, PR have a longer commute time (30.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.39% of the workforce in Vega Alta, PR have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

40.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Vega Alta, PR (3.32k out of 8.28k 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 55 - 64 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Vega Alta, PR 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

97.4% of the population of Vega Alta, PR has health coverage, with 22% on employee plans, 52% on Medicaid, 13.2% on Medicare, 8.83% on non-group plans, and 1.44% on military or VA plans.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 14.5% under 18 years, 19.6% between 18 and 34 years, 38.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 27.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

2.56%
Uninsured
22%
Employer Coverage
52%
Medicaid
13.2%
Medicare
8.83%
Non-Group
1.44%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Vega Alta, PR grew by 8.93% from 2.35% to 2.56%.

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

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