PRESS RELEASE

Statistics Institute Publishes Map on Response to the 2020 Census in Puerto Rico

The geographical visualization allows us to see the progress of the response to the Census in municipalities

San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 1, 2020 — The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) reported that they have made available a geographical visualization of the state of self-response to the 2020 Census in the municipalities of Puerto Rico. The visualization shows the different levels of response at the municipal level depending on the questionnaires completed and already received by the Federal Census Bureau. The tool allows you to easily compare the places where the response has been highest or lowest. More importantly, the visualization is updated several times each week, so it serves to monitor the progress of the response to the 2020 Census across Puerto Rico.

The visualization is nourished by self-response data reported periodically in the Federal Census Bureau's main visualization tool. However, since Puerto Rico has a different type of enumeration than other jurisdictions (updating and handing over the questionnaire to every household), the response rate has been different given the COVID-19 scenario. Therefore, at the moment, response values in Puerto Rico cannot be properly differentiated within the categories established in the visualization of the Federal Census. It is for this reason, and in order to be able to compare the progress of the 2020 Census response across Puerto Rico in an appropriate way, that the Institute prepared the geographical visualization available at: censo.estadisticas.pr, which is adjusted based on the values in the municipalities.

At the same time, municipal information of reference and interest was added to this interactive visualization. For example, position compared to other municipalities according to their percentage of self-response, estimated total housing units and percentage of occupied housing. The tool provides motivation, since residents of a municipality with a low response can become aware of this aspect, motivate themselves to do their part and at the same time motivate others to increase the percentage of their respective municipality.

“Field operations are temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 situation. In the case of Puerto Rico, enumerators will continue to deliver questionnaire packages to homes as soon as fieldwork resumes. We call on everyone to respond to the 2020 Census as soon as they receive the invitation. Whether you receive the invitation by post or subsequently by hand delivery to homes, the option to reply via the internet (https://2020census.gov/es.html) allows us to respond safely and quickly,” said Alberto L. Velázquez Estrada, Manager of Statistical Projects.

Census data plays a role in everyday life, as it helps to make decisions about the financing of services and infrastructure in the community, including health care, centers for the elderly, jobs, roads, schools, businesses and political representation. Therefore, they serve as a guide so that communities can obtain the fair funds they need, as well as to support companies to make decisions based on data that encourage the economy. Let's make sure we're all counted!

About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity tasked with coordinating the government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and accessible quickly and universally. In addition, as the leading entity of the SDC in Puerto Rico, the Institute manages the SDC portal, which contains the main statistical reports and publications of the U.S. Census Bureau about Puerto Rico, specifically those that are most in demand, such as annual population estimates, the Puerto Rico Community Survey (Puerto Rico Community Survey) and official statistics on Puerto Rico's 10-year population and housing censuses, among others. The Puerto Rico SDC portal can be accessed through: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/.

For more information you can visit the website: https://estadisticas.pr.gov/. In addition, you can follow the Institute on social networks, through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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Press Contact:

Idia Martinez 787-603-3200

imartinez@upfrontpr.net

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PRESS RELEASE

PUERTO RICO STATE DATA CENTER NETWORK (SDC-PR)

Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

Strong increase in households with people aged 65 and over in Puerto Rico

It is estimated that in 50 municipalities, four out of ten households have this trait.

San Juan, PR, December 8, 2022 — The U.S. Census Bureau released today the most recent data from the Puerto Rico Community Survey. These statistics refer to information collected over a period of five years, from 2017 to 2021. The new publication provides data on demographic, social, economic and housing characteristics for Puerto Rico and municipalities, as well as for specific geographical levels such as neighborhoods and census tracts. As part of the U.S. State Data Center Network. Census Bureau in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) presents several interesting results:

1. During the period 2017-2021, four out of ten households in fifty municipalities had one or more people aged 65 or older. This trait was reflected in only twelve municipalities in the period 2012-2016.
2. In a comparison of the previous five-year period 2012-2016, compared to the most recent period 2017-2021, estimates indicate that:
   • Among the total number of households in Puerto Rico, the percentage of households with one or more people aged 65 years or older increased from 35.1% to 40.6%, this change being statistically significant.
   • At the municipal level, the 78 municipalities showed an increase in this trait of households with one or more people aged 65 and over.
     • It should be noted that in 69 of the 78 municipalities, the increases were statistically significant.
     • The municipalities of Las Marías, Naranjito, Comerío, Aguada and Corozal showed the highest increase in this characteristic, this change being close to or greater than 10 percentage points.
   • On the other hand, the median income in Puerto Rico was reflected between periods;
     • A decrease in household income of 0.8% or from $22,136 to $21,967, not a statistically significant difference.
     • An increase in household income of 1.2% or from $26,439 to $26,745, a difference not statistically significant.

“The population aged 65 and over is increasingly present in the homes of our jurisdiction; this is partly a reflection of the peak of births that occurred in Puerto Rico in the 1940s and 1960s. Those generations active in our society require and will require support and services for their needs in the present and near future, whether from the immediate family circle, as well as from government programs aimed at this population, said Alberto L. Velázquez-Estrada, Senior Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute.

Tables with interesting characteristics can be accessed in the data dissemination tool of the U.S. Census Bureau data.census.gov. In addition, as the leading entity of the State Data Center of Puerto Rico, the Institute manages the SDC portal, which contains the main statistical reports and publications of the U.S. Census Bureau on Puerto Rico, specifically those that are most in demand, such as municipal profiles, estimated annual population; the Puerto Rico Community Survey (Puerto Rico Community Survey) and official statistics on Puerto Rico's decennial population and housing censuses, among others. The Puerto Rico SDC portal can be accessed through: censo.estadisticas.pr.

Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity tasked with coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable and have quick and universal access.

For more information you can visit the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov or write to preguntas@estadisticas.pr They can also follow social networks through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) and Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) accounts.

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Puerto Rico Statistics Institute participates in the hearing of the Natural Resources Committee of the United States House of Representatives

Washington, DC — June 21, 2024. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) participated in the hearing of the Subcommittee on Indigenous and Insular Affairs of the Committee on Natural Resources of the United States House of Representatives. During the hearing, entitled Examining the findings of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to address data breaches and improve data collection in the territories, the importance of having high-quality statistics for effective democratic governance and the appropriate allocation of government resources was emphasized.

The representative of the Institute at these hearings, Mr. Jacobo Orenstein Cardona, said that the Institute supports the recent GAO report, which recommends “that the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) ensure that your Chief Statistician develops a coordinated approach at the government level so that federal statistical agencies, in consultation with U.S. territories and other stakeholders, examine the costs, benefits and feasibility of including territories in statistical products and, as appropriate, identify ways to address any data gaps.”

During his presentation, Orenstein-Cardona, who is also the Institute's executive assistant, emphasized that “high-quality statistics are fundamental to a functional democracy because they provide a factual basis for making informed decisions. In a democratic society, the ability of citizens to make educated decisions about their governance and policies is paramount.”

Among other issues, Orenstein-Cardona emphasized that “high-quality statistics help in the allocation of government resources, since they indicate where more investment is needed, whether in education, health, infrastructure or other areas. They also promote a culture of responsibility, where public officials are responsible for their decisions and the results obtained.”

Orenstein-Cardona concluded his presentation by mentioning that, “through collaboration with federal and local governments, the Institute can serve as an intermediary and contribute significantly to the inclusion of Puerto Rico in federal statistical products. This will allow for comparability with other jurisdictions in the United States and will improve the reliability of statistics for the benefit of the entire population of Puerto Rico.”

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity responsible for coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and have quick and universal access.

For more information you can visit the website: www.estadisticas.pr or write to preguntas@estadisticas.pr. They can also follow social networks through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), X (@EstadisticasPR), LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) and Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) accounts.

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