Officials gather to form Statistics Coordination Committee

PRESS RELEASE

Study presents sociodemographic characteristics and contrasts between the Dominican and Puerto Rican populations

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) presented the study: Dominican population in Puerto Rico: Sociodemographic characteristics and contrasts with the Puerto Rican population, 2015-2019, which focuses on detailing the sociodemographic traits that characterize the Dominican population living in Puerto Rico, as well as the differences between these by sex characteristics. As part of this research, various characteristics of the Dominican population compared to the Puerto Rican population were examined, providing contrasts between the sociodemographic scenarios of both populations.

The study begins by highlighting that the minority population with the highest presence among the inhabitants of Puerto Rico is the Dominican one with 59%, followed by the Cuban (13%), Mexican (9%), Colombian (4%) and Spanish (3%), being the five populations of non-Puerto Rican Hispanic origin that predominate in the jurisdiction of Puerto Rico.

The Institute's senior manager of Statistical Projects and author of this study, Alberto L. Velázquez Estrada, indicated that the data presented show, among others, that the Dominican population in general is older than the Puerto Rican population, which has been an old population for several decades. “This suggests a possible increase in the needs for health services that the Dominican population will require, due to conditions related to aging. In the near future, both the Dominican and Puerto Rican populations will be moving, in significant proportional terms, to seventy-year-old ages, which typically lead to the onset or worsening of certain health conditions,” Velázquez said. On the other hand, “the gender disparity in the Dominican population in terms of income, poverty and people outside the labor force is prominent. The differences point to a more complicated or difficult situation for Dominicans compared to Dominicans living in Puerto Rico,” added Velázquez.

For his part, the executive director of the Institute of Statistics, Dr. Orville Disdier, indicated that “for years the Dominican population has contributed significantly to the demographic diversity of Puerto Rico, so knowing data about their sociodemographic traits and their contrasts with the Puerto Rican population is important for the development of initiatives that improve the quality of life of both populations.”

Other data included in this study show that:

• Over the past three decades, the average annual number of air passengers from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico decreased from 335,000 (1990-1999) to 324,000 (2000-2009), and then to 214,000 in the most recent decade (2010-2019).
• The geographical distribution indicates a marked concentration in the northern area of San Juan, which is home to about 35% of the Dominican population.
• The Dominican population residing in Puerto Rico and born in the Dominican Republic comprised 90%, and those born in Puerto Rico were 7%.
• The majority of the Dominican population in Puerto Rico was female, being around 58% compared to 42% men.
• The median age of the Dominican population (49 years old) is 8 years older than the Puerto Rican population (41 years old).
• The total Dominican population was characterized by having the highest percentage of married marital status at 40%, followed by 32% never married, traits that are reversed in their order in contrast to the Puerto Rican population.
• The education attained and by sex of Dominicans showed:
  • Higher percentages in the trait of people with less than high school education, being higher in men (44%) than in women (38%).
  • In turn, there is a notable difference by sex in people with a high school level, with women accounting for 14% compared to men with 8%.

• With regard to the Dominican and Puerto Rican populations that achieved some post-secondary education, the data indicate that women in both populations are characterized by having a higher percentage of educational level attained.
• The percentage of Dominicans who were out of the labor force was much lower among men (26%) than among women (44%).
• In contrast to the Puerto Rican population, the percentage of people out of the labor force was much lower among the Dominican population than in the Puerto Rican population.
• Among the most common occupations of the Dominican population were household cleaners (9.2%), construction work (6.0%), janitors or building cleaners (4.4%), cooks (4.0%) and personal care assistants (3.6%).
• The Dominican population reflected a median income with a marked difference by sex of about four (4) thousand dollars ($4,011), being lower for Dominicans with a median of $10,842 compared to Dominicans with $14,853.
• This disparity of income by sex compared to the Puerto Rican population presents a similar pattern; Puerto Rican women reflected a lower median income than Puerto Rican men, in this case by about three (3) thousand dollars ($3,099).
• Just over half of the Dominican population in Puerto Rico (51%) was in poverty. Among Dominican residents, the percentage in poverty was higher than among Dominicans at 54% and 48%, respectively.
• Related to the health aspect, people with some difficulty hearing, seeing, cognitive, outpatient and/or self-care, reflected that out of every (10) Dominican people, two (2) of them have a disability, a finding quite similar to that shown by the Puerto Rican population.

To access the report, you can visit Publications.

About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook accounts (@statistics.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) and LinkedIn (Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics).

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Contact: Idia M. Martinez, R-28, 787-603-3200

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Puerto Rico Statistics Institute publishes Strategic Plan 2022 - 2025

The design took into account the opinion of employees in all sectors of the economy, employees of the Institute and the general public

September 28, 2022: Building on the achievements made in the previous Strategic Plan, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute published its Strategic Plan 2022 - 2025. In order to achieve a comprehensive plan aligned with the current needs of society, the opinion of users of the Institute's products and services, as well as the opinion of the general public, was taken into consideration. In addition, an internal analysis process was carried out using the SWOT methodology (strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats).

“Among the most revealing findings of the analysis, the need for more budget and human resources capable of updating statistics more frequently, improving our technological platforms and achieving fiscal and administrative autonomy for the Institute stand out. We converted this input into goals within our strategic plan to advance our mission of continuing to publish reliable and important statistics for citizens and expanding their reach and dissemination,” said the president of the Institute's Board of Directors, Dr. Javier Hernández.

The new Strategic Plan focuses on the following 10 goals:

• Maximize the participation and effectiveness of the Statistics Coordination Committee (CCE).
• Establish and strengthen projects aimed at “filling the various empty spaces” in the various economic, social, environmental and cultural statistics.
• Strengthen the management structure of statistical projects to expand the capacity to carry out statistical and oversight projects.
• Strengthen the administrative structure that allows the proper functioning of internal processes.
• Improve the capacity and quality of technology, information systems, and the Institute's portals.
• Improve public exposure, marketing and education about our products and services.
• Strengthen, expand and modernize the Academies and Workshops Program.
• Establish and strengthen alliances with the scientific community and non-governmental entities.
• Promote the strengthening of fiscal and administrative autonomy.
• Move the Institute's physical facilities to a larger infrastructure appropriate to current needs.

Regarding additional services that the Institute could offer, respondents suggested that specialized workshops and training, scientific advice, multisectoral collaboration and community research, among others, be provided.

“Although the Institute already offers some of these services, the survey results indicate that these efforts need to be maintained and strengthened. Hand in hand with that, we must strengthen the Institute's marketing to better publicize the services we offer,” concluded Disdier.

You can access the Strategic Plan at:

Strategic Plan Statistics Institute of Puerto Rico 2022-2025.pdf

About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook accounts (@statistics.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) and LinkedIn (Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics).

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