They present economic and social indicators for Puerto Rico

In activity between the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics and the United States Census Bureau

San Juan, Puerto Rico. October 24, 2024. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute, in collaboration with the United States Census Bureau, presented the conference “Economic and Social Indicators on Puerto Rico: Exploring the Economic and Social Reality of Puerto Rico”, in which they examined the main economic and social indicators that impact Puerto Rico. Experts from the United States Census Bureau and the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics presented key issues, such as the cost of living, labor force, community resilience and migratory flow, among others. The activity took place on October 4. “Knowing some of the indicators that reflect the economic and social reality of Puerto Rico is essential for the development of effective public policies. This collaboration with the Census Bureau helps us to have more accurate and reliable data that will help us better understand the challenges and opportunities facing Puerto Rico,” said the executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, Dr. Orville M. Disdier.

For his part, Michael López-Pelliccia, (Chief of Staff, Economic Department) of the United States Census Bureau in Puerto Rico, said that, “The opening of the first Federal Center for Statistical Data Research in Puerto Rico (FSRDC) and events such as this conference are part of an ongoing effort to strengthen technical capacity in Puerto Rico. Through seminars, workshops, and webinars, we seek to provide local people with a more practical and accessible approach to using Census data. This type of technical assistance is key to ensuring that Puerto Rico can make the most of the wealth of information we offer.”

The conference included presentations by experts such as Ana G. Jara Castro, Clara E. Santiago Bello, Javier Gómez and Marijulie Martínez from the United States Census Bureau, who addressed issues such as building permit indicators and the “Census Business Builder” tool, among others. On behalf of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, Dr. Ronald G. Hernández Maldonado presented the Cost of Living Index, while Alberto L. Velázquez Estrada spoke about the migratory flow and the structure of the labor group in Puerto Rico.

Among the various indicators presented at the conference, the following stood out:

• El Quarterly Workforce Indicators which includes 32 labor force indicators that cover employment, job changes and income. This is a single work-level data source that provides demographic information on the labor market.
• The Community Resilience Estimates (CRE), which are modeled estimates of vulnerability factors in the population such as functional diversity, poverty level, access to vehicles and internet, employment, education, and others, combining data from the Community Survey.
• The tool Census Business Builder, which is a customer-focused application. It provides access to data to develop business plans, request financial assistance, study economic development, plan strategies and create emergency plans.
• The Internet page Puerto Rico Profile which links between its tools automated profiles for municipalities with data on employment, poverty, income, education and health, among others.
• The Cost of Living Index (COLI). This reflected in the most recent results for Puerto Rico, that the cost of grocery items in San Juan, Bayamón and Caguas is 12.2% more expensive than the average of the participating urban areas in the United States.
• Regarding the Migratory Flow and Structure of the Working Age Group in Puerto Rico, it was highlighted that emigration has been a constant in the history of Puerto Rico, but this has taken a deep toll on the working population in recent years. About 70% of working-age emigration occurred at ages 16 to 44.

The presentations and materials used during the conference are available through the following link: https://estadisticas.pr/en/Conferencia-Indicadores-Económicos-y-Sociales.

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.

Authorized by the Office of the Electoral Comptroller OCE-SA-2024-12788

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San Juan, Puerto Rico — August 21, 2025. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute published foreign trade data for the month of June 2025, allowing for an analysis of performance in terms of international trade for fiscal year 2025, which covers July 2024 to June 2025. Annual exports totaled $60,652,028,821, representing a decrease of 7.23% compared to the previous fiscal year, while annual imports totaled $56,372,227,806, representing an increase of 4.64% compared to the same previous period. This results in a trade balance of $4,279,801,015, a figure that reflects a decrease of 62.8% compared to the $11,508,357,246 recorded in 2024 and constitutes the lowest value in the entire 2010-2025 series. The trade balance is the indicator that measures the difference between the value of exports and that of imports of goods from a jurisdiction. A surplus occurs when exports exceed imports; a deficit, when the opposite happens. This indicator constitutes one of the main measures of international trade, since it reflects both productive capacity and the level of dependence on foreign goods. In general terms, productive capacity refers to what Puerto Rico is able to produce and sell (reflected in exports), and the level of dependence on what Puerto Rico needs to buy abroad (is reflected in imports).