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

Announcements
IEPR
22 December 2025
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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Statistics Institute obtains approval of federal funds to develop Puerto Rico's Violent Death Surveillance System

Statistics Institute obtains approval of federal funds to develop Puerto Rico's Violent Death Surveillance System

Webinar: Intimate Femicide Risk Map

Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics to discuss key findings on intimate femicide and signs of risk in Puerto Rico

in a Webinar that will address risk assessment, non-fatal strangulation as a critical alert and the scope of Law 71-2024 on suffocation and its serious effects.

San Juan, Puerto Rico — April 13, 2026. The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics will hold the webinar: “Intimate Femicide Risk Map: Sociodemographic Patterns and Prevention Measures in Puerto Rico”. This with the objective of strengthening tools for the protection and prevention against violence. The activity is free of charge, but requires registration at the following link: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4963876538944780637.

The virtual event will take place this Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. as part of the Institute's Academy Program. The seminar will have a panel of experts composed of:

- Mariluz Bezares Salinas, Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute of Statistics.

- Dr. Idania R. Rodríguez Ayuso, Deputy Executive Director of the Institute of Statistics.

- Lcda. Laura Hernández Gutiérrez, Assistant Prosecutor IV, assigned to the Office of the Women's Attorney.

During the webinar, critical findings on intimate partner violence will be discussed, including the implementation of the Department of Justice's Danger Assessment and analyzed by the Institute. This tool examines lethality factors such as threats with weapons, daily control, and a history of strangulation.

One of the central themes will be non-fatal strangulation, identified as a high warning sign. In addition, the new Law 71-2024, a pioneer in Puerto Rico in recognizing strangulation and suffocation as crimes with serious psychological and physiological consequences, will be addressed.

The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics 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.

To learn more about the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, you can access www.estadisticas.pr.gov or follow their social networks: Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), X (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) and LinkedIn (Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics).

Data from the World Values Survey for Puerto Rico revealed

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Data from the World Values Survey for Puerto Rico revealed

54% of people do not leave their house at night as a security measure

In Puerto Rico, family is the most important aspect (94%), followed by work (70%), free time (66%) and religion (65%). These are some of the data reflected in the recent World Values Survey for Puerto Rico carried out by a team of professors and students from the University of the Sacred Heart, led by Dr. Javier Hernández, director of the Department of Business Administration of Sagrado, and supported by the Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico. The study was revealed at the Forum and presentation on the World Values Survey for Puerto Rico 2018, at the Sacred Heart University, where a panel of renowned experts in different areas analyzed and commented on the results.


The World Values Survey is an instrument that allows the development of statistics on the ethical, social, economic and political values of Puerto Ricans, as well as the assessment of their daily lives, civic and governmental institutions, and their connection with the world of work, their families and their communities. This survey provides an opportunity to address the nature of social capital in Puerto Rico vis-a-vis the rest of the world and, therefore, to know what the people are prepared to do and what they need to plan their development as a social, economic and cultural collective.

One of the relevant data from this study points out that the majority of people in Puerto Rico (91%) consider themselves quite happy or very happy. However, despite the fact that 85% understand that their neighborhood is very safe or quite safe, 71% avoid carrying a lot of cash and 54% do not leave their house at night, as a security measure. On the other hand, only a minority thinks that most people can be trusted (18%).

The study also reveals that a majority has no interest in politics (52%) and would not vote for any political party and only for independent candidates (54%). In 2001, the percentage that showed no interest in politics represented 28%.

For the lead author of the study, Dr. Javier Hernández, “The World Values Survey is a valuable tool that will allow us to compare results with over 60 countries. It is part of the efforts to make Puerto Rico part of the main international indicators and to support institutional decision-making. The survey addresses issues of great relevance to the government, academia, the third sector and civil society, so we invite all sectors to analyze their results.”

“The return of Puerto Rico to the World Values Survey represents an important effort, since it allows us to continue with the recommendation of the Institute of Statistics to make Puerto Rico part of the main indicators at the global level. In the same way, this project represents a vital source of information to contribute to the culture of evidence-based decision-making. This is valuable information about our values, beliefs and political culture, among other information, necessary to guide public policy decisions. The survey results have a multisectoral scope, which is key for different levels of government, the non-governmental sector and the academy,” said Dr. Orville M. Disdier, acting executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.

The Sacred Heart University, established in 1880 by the religious order of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is a Catholic, private, non-profit institution that promotes a unique and innovative educational project in an environment characterized by excellent community life. The University offers associate degrees, baccalaureates, combined degrees, master's degrees, post-baccalaureate certificates and collaborative agreements with other universities in and outside of Puerto Rico. The academic offer focuses on the areas of Business Administration, Natural Sciences, Communication, Nursing and Humanities-Social Sciences.

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 or to access the 2018 World Values Survey for Puerto Rico you can visit the website: https://estadisticas.pr.gov/ or through the social networks of Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico).

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Press Contacts:

Lourdes Burgos/787-562-2932/ lburgos@upfrontpr.net

Idia Martinez/787-603-3200/ imartinez@upfrontpr.net