Puerto Rico Population 2024

3,191,269

The latest available figures put Puerto Rico’s population at 3,706,690. This is based on a US Census Bureau estimate from July 2011. At the time of writing in 2014, the estimated population is 3.68 million.

Puerto Rico is located in North America between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. It borders the Dominican Republic 237 miles to the west and the Virgin Islands 40 miles to the east.

If Puerto Rico were a full state in the United States (remember, it is actually a Commonwealth), this would make it the 29th largest state in the US, sandwiched between Oklahoma and Connecticut. It is, by some considerable distance, the largest US territory - the next largest being Guam with a population of 159,358.

Puerto Rico Population Decline

The figures above show that the population of Puerto Rico has begun to decline after a long period of steady and fairly rapid growth (as can be seen in this table).

The last full US census results, from 2010, showed that there were 3,725,789 people in Puerto Rico, so the population decrease was 19,099 in a single year. The previous census, conducted in 2000, showed that at that point, Puerto Rico had 3,808,610 people, so as well as losing just over 100,000 people in a decade, it appears as though the rate of population reduction is actually increasing.

There are a number of reasons for this decline including lower birth rates and lower death rates as the island becomes more prosperous. Increased emigration to the continental United States is also a factor, as people move to improve their economic prospects and sometimes – because Puerto Rico is a densely populated territory – to improve quality of life in other ways.

Largest Cities in Puerto Rico

The largest city in Puerto Rico is San Juan, the island’s capital. It has a population of 395,326, making it the 46th largest city in the USA.

Puerto Rico is one of the most densely populated areas of the United States and, as a result there are quite a few other fairly large towns and cities on the island.

The second largest city is Bayamon, which has 208,116 people and is the 103rd largest city in America. Other major cities include Carolina (176,762), Ponce (166,327) and Caguas (142,893).

Is Puerto Rico a Country?

Is Puerto Rico a country? Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States. That said, it is neither a sovereign country nor a state of the United States.

Size

The Island of Puerto Rico measures 9,104 square kilometers. It is the third-largest island in the United States and the 82nd globally. It is the smallest member of the Greater Antilles, which constitutes about 90% of the total West Indies land area.

Population

The population of Puerto Rico is roughly 3.2 million. The majority of the population, 75.8%, is white, followed by African Americans, 12.4%, while other ethnicities like American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders make up the rest. Since it is a territory of the United States, all Puerto Ricans are considered native-born Americans. However, they cannot vote in presidential elections and are not presented in the congress.

Economy

Puerto Rico has a high-income economy. The island has the most competitive economy in Latin America. Its main industries include manufacturing, electronics, textiles, the service industry, real estate, and tourism. Puerto Rico receives significant financial aid from the United States' federal government every year.

Puerto Rico Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Puerto Rico was:

  • White: 51.15%
  • Other race: 21.59%
  • Two or more races: 16.95%
  • Black or African American: 9.96%
  • Asian: 0.19%
  • Native American: 0.16%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.01%

Puerto Rico Population 2024

Puerto Rico Facts

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White1,693,65151.15%
Other race714,90421.59%
Two or more races561,15316.95%
Black or African American329,6519.96%
Asian6,2630.19%
Native American5,4070.16%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander2450.01%

White

Other race

Two or more races

Black or African American

Asian

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Puerto Rico Population by Race

Puerto Rico Population Pyramid 2024

Puerto Rico Median Age

43.1

Total

41.2

Male

44.8

Female

Puerto Rico Adults

There are 2,713,997 adults, (703,925 of whom are seniors) in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico Age Dependency

64.7

Age Dependency Ratio

35

Old Age Dependency Ratio

29.7

Child Dependency Ratio

Puerto Rico Sex Ratio

Female1,739,41352.53%
Male1,571,86147.47%

Puerto Rico Population by Age

Puerto Rico Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All1,196,7902.746832
Married437,9193.3783.116.9
Non Family407,0321.1761.238.8
Female272,2333.7256.243.8
Male79,6063.9560.839.2

3.44

Average Family Size

2.74

Average Household Size

68.0%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Puerto Rico Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Puerto Rico Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Puerto Rico Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 88.11%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 41.12%.

Puerto Rico Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$19,626

Average Earnings

$19,585

Average Male

$19,668

Average Female

Puerto Rico Earnings by Educational Attainment

Puerto Rico Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Puerto Rico Language

5.15% of Puerto Rico residents speak only English, while 94.85% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 94.7% of the population.

Puerto Rico Language

Puerto Rico Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Hispanic3,242,5171,387,29842.78%
Other710,712337,26547.45%
Multiple554,352217,39839.22%
Black326,889144,54044.22%
White28,2169,36533.19%
Native5,3742,47746.09%
Asian6,1962,33137.62%
Islander24517270.2%

42.67%

Overall Poverty Rate

40.8%

Male Poverty Rate

44.36%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Puerto Rico

The race most likely to be in poverty in Puerto Rico is Islander, with 70.2% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Puerto Rico is White, with 33.19% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 10.21%. Among those working part-time, it was 43.97%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 51.72%.

Puerto Rico Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade60.97%
High School46.66%
Some College34.78%
Bachelors or Greater16.36%

Puerto Rico Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed68.49%
Male Unemployed61.31%
Female Employed22.43%
Male Employed21.29%

Puerto Rico Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Puerto Rico Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Puerto Rico Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

34.5%

Overall Marriage Rate

36.6%

Male Marriage Rate

32.6%

Female Marriage Rate

Puerto Rico Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Puerto Rico Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.

Puerto Rico Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Puerto Rico Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

71,064

Number of Veterans

68,013

Male Veterans

3,051

Female Veterans

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Puerto Rico Veterans by War

count

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Puerto Rico Veterans by Age

count

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Puerto Rico Veterans by Race

Puerto Rico Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

17.95%

Veteran Poverty Rate

45.49%

Veteran Disability Rate

Puerto Rico Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

44.3%

Labor Force Participation

37.7%

Employment Rate

14.6%

Unemployment Rate

Puerto Rico Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Puerto Rico Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Puerto Rico Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Born in Puerto Rico

97.24%

Native Born

2.76%

Foreign Born

1.4%

Non Citizen

1.37%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

97.24% of Puerto Rico residents were born in the United States, with having been born in Puerto Rico. 1.4% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Puerto Rico Place of Birth

  1. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  2. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  4. Census QuickFacts
  5. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

Sources