PRESS RELEASE
DR. MARIO MARAZZI‐SANTIAGO
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

April 3, 2018

AUTHORIZED STATEMENTS BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE STATISTICAL INSTITUTE REGARDING APPROVAL OF REORGANIZATION PLAN #7

Last night, the Senate approved Reorganization Plan #7 to reorganize the Department of Economic Development and Commerce, merging into it several government entities, including the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.

We agree that several statistical divisions from different entities can be consolidated to achieve cost-efficiencies, and the Institute is ready to assume those functions under the right circumstances. In fact, we are under the orders of the Governor and the Legislative Assembly to develop a Plan for the Reorganization of the Statistics System that consolidates these functions into an independent institution.

However, the aforementioned Reorganization Plan #7 also proposes to eliminate all the Institute's independent governance structures and transfer them to the Secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Trade, and then “outsource” the statistical functions. This is not the way to solve problems with Puerto Rico's statistics.

Thousands of people, 16 members of Congress, the Private Sector Coalition, the Transparency Network, the American Statistical Association and even the Fiscal Oversight Board have recommended that the Institute remain an independent entity of the Government of Puerto Rico, free from political intervention. We urge the Legislative Assembly to carefully weigh the bills. We are once again at your disposal.

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

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San Juan, Puerto Rico — November 6, 2025 — The Institute of Statistics released the results of the Backwater Index for Puerto Rico, a study that offers a comprehensive look at the social and economic situation of Puerto Rico's municipalities. This index constitutes an analysis and planning tool that seeks to promote dialogue, reflection and informed action for the benefit of Puerto Rico's socioeconomic development.

El Lagging Index measures a multidimensional phenomenon using a summary data that allows us to compare the relative performance of municipalities in two dimensions: Economic Mobility and Demography. Five main variables were considered in its design: the percentage of people below the poverty level, the unemployment rate, the percentage of high school graduates (in a population aged 18 and over), the dependency rate by age and the median age.

The index was calculated for two comparative periods: 2014-2018 and 2019-2023, allowing us to observe changes in scores and relative positions of municipalities over time. Index values fluctuate between 0 and 1, with a higher score representing a higher relative level of lagging.

The analysis reveals that 42 municipalities showed a decrease in their score of the Lagging Index, which suggests a relative improvement in the conditions measured by the indicator. Of these, 22 municipalities registered a reduction of more than 5%. In the same way, there are concentrations of municipalities with higher scores —indicating greater relative lagging— in the center, south, southwest and southeast regions of Puerto Rico, while several municipalities in the metropolitan area and adjacent to it showed progress compared to the rest of the archipelago.

The municipalities of Culebra, Toa Alta, Gurabo, Juncos, Dorado, Trujillo Alto, Santa Isabel, Canóvanas, Toa Baja and Las Piedras performed better in their relative index in the last period analyzed (2019-2023). However, the Institute stresses that the index is a relative measure and not an absolute measure, so the results must be analyzed within the context and used as a basis for the development of more specific analyses.

“The value of the index is not in pointing out which municipality is better or worse, but in providing an objective basis for analysis, planning and decision-making. It is an opportunity for mayors and officials who participate in decision-making to know their social and economic reality and to develop strategies that respond to the specific needs of their municipalities,” said Dr. Ronald Hernández, Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico.

For the elaboration of the Lagging Index, the Institute applied rigorous statistical methods —including exploratory factor analysis, normalization and aggregation of variables—using data from the five-year estimates of the Community Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau And the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Data

Table 1 shows the results of the Lagging Index at the municipal level for the periods 2014 - 2018 and 2019 - 2023. The table is ordered according to the position of the municipalities based on their index value for the period 2019 — 2023. The higher the index score, the worse or less favorable the outcome of the phenomenon.

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Table 1: Lagging Index Results

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According to Dr. Hernández, the results of the study highlight the need to design comprehensive public policies that address both the economic aspects and the demographic transformations of Puerto Rico. “The improvements seen in several municipalities are encouraging, but it is essential that socio-economic development efforts are integrated with strategies to respond to the ongoing demographic transition. This includes strengthening geriatric health services, care policies, retention of young people and urban planning adapted to long-lived communities,” said the Institute.”

Hernández indicated that, the Municipal Backwater Index seeks to promote an evidence-based dialogue between the different sectors of Puerto Rico. Its purpose is to serve as a planning and evaluation instrument, which facilitates the identification of areas of opportunity and guides investment decisions, municipal planning and public policy at the central and local levels.”

The full report of the Municipal Backwater Index is available in: Backwater Index for Puerto Rico

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 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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Study will reveal the profile of the Puerto Rican farmer

Study will reveal the profile of the Puerto Rican farmer

It will also help strengthen our food security

May 30, 2022. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) launched the questionnaire “Study on the Profile of the Puerto Rican Farmer” with the objective of collecting information, data and statistics on farmers and their crops, as well as incentives received by the Department of Agriculture.

“The information obtained in this questionnaire will help to develop a profile of farmers in Puerto Rico, which will allow us to identify possible barriers and challenges that they currently present. Getting to know our farmers better will help us promote and improve local agriculture and strengthen our food security,” said Dr. Orville M. Disdier Flores, executive director of the Institute, who called on all farmers to invest a few minutes to complete and share the questionnaire with other farmers before June 20. The questionnaire can be accessed through the following link: Farmer Profile Study

Disdier explained that the data obtained will also serve to justify various initiatives, such as, for example, the development of new public policies that promote better services for farmers and aid to improve food production in Puerto Rico. The information collected, Disdier explained, will also make it possible to strengthen data on the Statistics and Indicators of Agricultural Production in Puerto Rico, tool recently launched by the Institute and which is available at the following link: Agriculture.

For questions or help with the questionnaire, please contact Manuel A. Mangual, project coordinator, at the following email manuel.mangual@estadisticas.pr or at (787) 819-0730.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is a governmental entity in the executive branch, with fiscal and administrative autonomy, whose main purpose is to ensure that Puerto Rico has complete, reliable statistics that are quickly and universally accessible. 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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