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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U.S. Census Bureau releases the most recent data on business activity using the 2013 County Business Patterns

San Juan, Puerto Rico — July 10, 2024. The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics released the results of the Cost of Living Index (COLI) for the first quarter of 2024, whose data show that the urban area of Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas, is ranked 82nd out of 301 urban areas in terms of overall cost of living in the United States, with a composite index of 102.3. The 15 municipalities that make up the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA are: Bayamón, Caguas, Canovanas, Carolina, Cataño, Cidra, Dorado, Gurabo, Guaynabo, Rio Grande, San Juan, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto and Vega Alta.

At the national level, the average cost of living is set at an index of 100. The composite index of 102.3 for the urban area of the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA indicates that living in this region is 2.3% more expensive than the average of the 301 participating urban areas nationwide.

The composite index is derived from six main categories of consumer spending, of which the following table presents the Rankings for the urban area of the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA. The combination of higher costs in supermarkets and utilities is partially offset by relatively low costs in health care and miscellaneous goods.

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About the Cost of Living Index (COLI):

COLI is a crucial tool for understanding regional differences in the costs of consumer goods and services. The indices are calculated based on data collected quarterly by different entities in each participating urban area. The COLI has been calculated in urban areas of the United States since 1968, using the methodology developed by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), a non-profit organization dedicated to research on community and economic development. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute, together with the network of members affiliated with C2ER, is responsible for collecting prices for goods and services established by C2ER.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute has designed a comparative calculator for the cost of living between the urban area of the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA and the rest of the participating cities in the United States. This tool is available at: https://apps.estadisticas.pr/coli/.

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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