PUERTO RICO'S POPULATION IS AROUND 3.3 MILLION IN 2017

It has fallen by 10% since the most recent 2010 Decennial Census

San Juan, PR — El U.S. Census Bureau released today the most recent annual population estimates for Puerto Rico. These statistics refer to July 1, 2017 and include the components of annual population change since July 1, 2010 that support the population estimate since the beginning of the decade. As the leading entity of the Network State Data Center (SDC) of the U.S. Census Bureau in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) presents this brief summary of the findings of the new annual population estimates for 2017:

1. The population of Puerto Rico was estimated at 3,337,177 people as of July 1, 2017.
2. In contrast to the last 2010 Census when the official population count resulted in 3,725,789 people, the new estimate points to a cumulative population decrease in the current decade of 10 percent up to 2017. That is, a population decline at a rate of -1.5% each year on average (annualized rate).
3. As for the resident population of 18 years of age or older, this was estimated at 2,680.381 million, comprising 80% of the resident population of Puerto Rico.
4. The components of population change considered for the estimates assume that, between July 1, 2016 and July 1, 2017, there were 28,000 births and 29,000 deaths in Puerto Rico. For the first time, annual population estimates reflected natural population growth (the number of births minus the number of deaths) that results in more deaths than births. Regarding migration, the net balance was close to -68 thousand people during the same period.

More statistics on Puerto Rico's annual population estimates can be obtained at: https://censo.estadisticas.pr. Information on the methodology used to produce the estimates can be accessed hither.

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After conducting a decennial Census, such as the 2010 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau prepare the annual population estimates before the next Census. These estimates are prepared by analyzing data on births, deaths and migration. As a result, with each new publication of the estimates, adjustments are made to the previously estimated years. For example, with the publication of the 2017 estimates announced in this release, the estimates already published for 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 were revised. Each publication is distinguished according to the year in which they were produced and are named as Vintage.

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. The Institute has in its inventory, accessible through www.estadisticas.pr.gov, over 300 statistical products. In addition, it is a custodian and provides access to over 100 data sets or Data sets by means of www.data.pr.gov and to over 40 tables and more than 6 thousand indicators through: www.indicadores.pr

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 on 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.

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

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Press Contact: Sandra Morales Blanes: (787) 688-0401

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January 21, 2018

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PUERTO RICO INSTITUTE OF STATISTICS QUESTIONS PURPOSE OF CONSOLIDATING TO “OUTSOURCE”

The executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, Dr. Mario Marazzi-Santiago, today questioned the purpose of consolidating this public entity, with the sole purpose of outsourcing it later, as proposed in Reorganization Plan No. 1 referring to the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC) for the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute.

To expedite the proposal to “outsource” the Institute's functions, the Government could simply propose a bill to amend the Institute's Organic Law. Another alternative could be to consider including your outsourcing proposal in an existing legislative vehicle, such as Senate Bill 236 (Open Data Act). But, in this case, it was proposed to merge for the sole purpose of 'externalizing' its functions. It is a proposal that seems strange to us. I don't want to think of it as a mechanism designed to prevent the Legislative Assembly from discharging its function of analyzing and finally approving the reorganizations of entities created by law, such as the Institute.

On January 8, 2018, at a press conference from La Fortaleza, the Secretary of Public Affairs and Public Policy, Lcdo. Ramón Rosario Cortés, presented a proposal to reorganize the DDEC and consolidate several public entities, including the Institute. In the case of the Institute, it is proposed to consolidate it with the DDEC, with the sole purpose of outsourcing its functions, in order to guarantee its “real independence” since, as recognized by Rosario Cortés himself that day, the Institute since its creation, “although it has had independence, it depends on appointments from the Governor, including Executive officials who are part of that Board”.

For his part, Dr. Marazzi-Santiago thanked the recognition that statistical functions must be performed without political interference. “We are ready to study alternative mechanisms that allow the selection of members of the Institute's Board of Directors without the need for the incumbent Government to interfere. Recent experiences with this issue provide compelling evidence to support the desirability of this change in public policy,” said the Executive Director of the Institute.

The Institute was created as a public instrument with so much administrative and fiscal autonomy that it already allows it to operate outside the Government, almost like a private company. As La Fortaleza is already aware, the Institute does not consult its contracts or appointments with La Fortaleza or with the Office of Management and Budget, but rather makes these decisions as in private companies, based on professional and technical criteria that ensure adequate governance of our institution.

Marazzi assured that this governance model has not only proven to be successful, but that the Institute's objectivity and professionalism have been recognized by numerous users of its services and interested individuals, most recently by the Congressional Task Force created under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stabilization Act (PROMESA) of 2016, which specifically recommended that the Institute continue to protect its independence.

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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. The Institute has in its inventory, accessible through www.estadisticas.pr.gov, more than 300 statistical products. In addition, it is a guardian and provides access to over 100 data sets or “data sets” through www.data.pr.gov and to over 40 tables and more than 6 thousand indicators through: www.indicadores.pr.

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

Press Contact: Sandra Morales Blanes (787) 688-0401.

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PRESS RELEASE

RED STATE DATA CENTER OF PUERTO RICO

December 6, 2018

THREE MUNICIPALITIES HAVE 70% OR MORE OF THEIR HOMES WITH INTERNET ACCESS

San Juan, PR — El U.S. Census Bureau released today the most recent data from the Puerto Rico Community Survey known as Puerto Rico Community Survey at the municipal level. These statistics refer to information collected from 2013 to 2017, a period of 5 years. The new publication provides data on social, economic and housing characteristics for Puerto Rico and municipalities, as well as for specific geographical levels such as neighborhoods, census tracts and block groups. As the leading entity of the Network State Data Center Of U.S. Census Bureau in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) presents this summary with several interesting results:

1. During the 5-year period (2013-2017), Guaynabo, Carolina and Gurabo were found to have the highest percentage of households (70%-71%), with internet connection, among all municipalities. With 60% to 69% of households with internet access, the municipalities of Juana Diaz and Villalba stand out outside the metropolitan area and east of Puerto Rico. On the other hand, some 38 municipalities had less than 50% of their homes with internet connection, mostly municipalities in the central and southwestern areas. In Puerto Rico, estimates indicate that about 54% of households had internet access.

2. As for households with one or more computer devices (laptop, desktop, tablets), the geographical distribution indicates that the highest percentages (60%-78%) are concentrated in the metropolitan area and coastal municipalities from Dorado, in the northeastern area, and to Humacao in the east. It is worth highlighting several municipalities with the same characteristics such as Aguadilla, Moca, Añasco, Mayagüez and Hormigueros in the west as well as Morovis, Jayuya, Villalba in the center. For Puerto Rico, it is estimated that about 62% of households had a computer device.

3. As for the median family income, comparing the two five-year periods (2008-12 vs. 2013-17), at the level of Puerto Rico it showed a reduction of -2.5% from $24,398 to $23,793.

At the municipal level:

• In 44 municipalities, there was a decrease in the median family income, and in 13 of these municipalities the change was statistically significant, with a confidence level of 90%.
• The 6 municipalities that showed the highest decrease according to the percentage change in family income were: Adjuntas, Guánica, Cidra, Loíza, Guayama and Ceiba.
• On the other hand, the 6 municipalities that showed the highest increase according to the percentage change in family income were: Culebra, Villalba, Morovis, Barceloneta, Vega Baja and Coamo. Of all these, Culebra appears to be the municipality with the greatest change, but its difference is not statistically significant.

As highlighted by Dr. Orville M. Disdier, Acting Executive Director of the Institute, in this new report the U.S. Census Bureau data are integrated on the use of computers and internet in homes in Puerto Rico, by municipality. “This is the first time, since this information began to be collected in the Survey in 2013, that we can know the estimates at a more detailed geographical level, as are all municipalities.”

For his part, Alberto L. Velázquez-Estrada, Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute, added: “Information related to internet access and computers expands the areas of research and analysis. For example, looking at the geographical pattern of fewer homes with computers and internet access in municipalities in the southwestern area of Puerto Rico, it alerts us to a possible association between the elderly population and computer and internet access. On the other hand, the reduction in family income at the Puerto Rico level translates to about $600 less during the most recent five-year period 2013-2017 compared to the previous 2008-2012. In other words, during the most recent period, there was less money in the family nucleus, complicating the socio-economic scenario faced by most families and their members in Puerto Rico.”

More statistics on the Community Survey estimates can be obtained at: http://factfinder2.census.gov/. If you need assistance using this tool to obtain data, you may find the self-study guide for using this available tool useful: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/fact-finder . Information on the methodology used to produce the estimates can be accessed hither.

In addition, as the leading entity of the Puerto Rico SDC, the IEPR manages the SDC portal, where you can find the main statistical reports and publications of the U.S. Census Bureau on 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/.

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. The Institute has in its inventory, accessible through www.estadisticas.pr.gov, over 300 statistical products. In addition, it is a custodian and provides access to over 100 data sets or “data sets” through www.data.pr.gov and to over 40 tables and more than 6 thousand indicators through: www.indicadores.pr.

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

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Press Contact: Sandra Morales Blanes (787) 688-0401

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