San Juan, Puerto Rico — June 17, 2025. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute released the results of the Cost of Living Index (COLI) for the first quarter of 2025 (January-March). The data reveals that in the urban area of Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas, public services registered an index of 161.0 (position 5 out of 282), equivalent to a cost 61% higher than the average of the participating jurisdictions. The main factor behind this gap is the residential electricity rate, whose price was 90.5% above the average of the urban areas participating in the study.

More expensive foods

In the supermarket category, the data reveal that the urban area of San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas is ranked 13th out of 282 participating urban areas in the United States, with an index of 110.7. This indicates that the cost of food in this urban area is 10.7% higher than the average for the rest of the participating areas.

Among the supermarket items considered for the COLI study, several products registered particularly high price gaps compared to the average of the participating jurisdictions.

Here are some selected items:

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An MSA is delimited according to demographic and economic criteria, considering the degree of socioeconomic integration measured by the daily movements of individuals within the urban area to their urban core. This metropolitan area has more than 2 million people, about two-thirds of the total population of Puerto Rico, so its prices affect the well-being of most households in the country.

The San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is comprised of 40 municipalities. Of these municipalities, 15 meet the characteristics for price collection according to the established methodology. These are: Bayamón, Caguas, Canovanas, Carolina, Cataño, Cidra, Dorado, Gurabo, Guaynabo, Rio Grande, San Juan, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto and Vega Alta.

General MSA Indicators

Below are the overall results of the 6 categories considered for COLI.

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“The fact that the residential electricity rate in Puerto Rico is 90.5% higher than the average of the urban areas participating in the COLI shows a structural distortion in the energy system. This situation directly makes the daily lives of households more expensive and reduces their financial room for maneuver. Combined with the increase in the cost of food, this translates into a clear deterioration in the standard of living of citizens,” explained Dr. Ronald G. Hernández Maldonado, Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute.

“The composite index reflects very high costs in public services and food, partially offset by relatively low prices in health care, transportation and other miscellaneous goods,” Hernández said.

The COLI, developed since 1968 by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), measures quarterly the relative cost of living in participating urban areas of the United States, including Puerto Rico.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute offers an interactive calculator to compare the cost of living between the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA and other participating cities: 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 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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40% higher the price of eggs in the urban area of San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas

Similarly, grocery items are 11.4% more expensive in this area than the average among 295 participating urban areas in the United States

San Juan, Puerto Rico — November 22, 2024. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute released the results of the Cost of Living Index (COLI) for the third quarter of 2024, corresponding to the months of July, August and September. The data reveals that the urban area of the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas is ranked number 18 in the supermarket category. In percentage terms, the supermarket items in the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA are 11.4% more expensive than the average among 295 participating urban areas in the United States.

Within the category of supermarket items, the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA is positioned as the most expensive urban area in the United States for the cost of eggs, ranking first in the ranking. This means that this product is 40% higher than the average in urban areas of the United States. On the other hand, in the health care category, the visit to the general practitioner is in position number 295, while dental cleaning is in position 293, positioning the urban area as one of the most affordable among the participants in the country for these services.

In terms of the overall Cost of Living, the urban area of Metropolitan Statistical Area San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas is ranked 80th out of 295 in the United States, with a composite index of 102.3. This indicates that the cost of living in this area is 2.3% higher than the average of participating urban areas in the United States.

Below are the indexes and rankings by category for the urban area of the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA:

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The composite index is derived from six main categories of consumer spending, with high costs in public services and supermarket items highlighted. These are partially offset by relatively low costs in health care and miscellaneous goods and services.

The 15 municipalities that make up the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA and that meet the characteristics for price collection according to the established methodology are: Bayamón, Caguas, Canóvanas, Carolina, Cataño, Cidra, Dorado, Gurabo, Guaynabo, Rio Grande, San Juan, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto and Vega Alta.

“The COLI results for the third quarter of 2024 show that in the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA, public services, grocery items and housing are, on average, much more expensive than in most participating MSAs in the rest of the United States. The COLI, carried out by the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute, is an essential tool for evidence-based decision-making related to the development and economic growth of Puerto Rico,” explained Dr. Orville M. Disdier, Executive Director of the Institute.

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 in each participating urban area. Since 1968, the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) has developed this widely recognized methodology.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute also offers a comparative cost-of-living calculator 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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The number of post-secondary graduates in creative disciplines is decreasing

According to the Puerto Rico Creative Industries Report 2020 from the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

April 21, 2023. A decline in the number of post-secondary graduates in creative disciplines is part of the data presented in the Creative Industries Report in Puerto Rico 2020 published by the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics. This report collects social, economic and labor indicators for the development of creative industries in Puerto Rico. In this sixth edition, in addition to multiple economic and demographic indicators, post-secondary education indicators are included as a means of establishing a profile on the input of human capital to this commercial and industrial sector.

“The year 2020 was one where all economic and social activities were affected by isolation measures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The creative industries were no exception,” said Dr. Francisco Pesante, lead author of the study, who explained that, for this reason, this report shows, among others, data related to post-secondary graduates in creative disciplines that totaled 1,963 people, which represents a decrease compared to previous years (2,210 in 2019; 2,453 in 2018).

The Puerto Rico Creative Industries Report 2020 details the following aspects: Number of graduates by level of post-secondary education; Number of establishments by number of employees; Number of registered establishments by industrial sector; Number of registered employees and distribution by sex by Creative Industry; Average annual wage by specific industry; Average annual salary of some creative occupations per year; Ratio of creative establishments per population in municipalities and Value of imports and exports of creative industries.

The scope of this report, Pesante reported, is limited to data sets where standardized industrial or occupational coding systems are used. As for economic indicators, the data handled are limited to establishments with people on the payroll. Therefore, this report does not include data on people who are self-employed, nor does it include data on people who work voluntarily or did not report their creative activities as their main source of income.

As a summary, the Puerto Rico Creative Industries Report 2020 presents the following data:

1. Post-secondary graduates in creative disciplines totaled 1,963 people. Graphic Design (14.7%), Computer Science (12.3%) and Digital Graphic Design (11.3%) were the disciplines with the highest number of graduates.
2. The total number of creative establishments ranged from 1,844, according to U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns (CBP) and 2,019 establishments according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages). 67.3% correspond to establishments with 1 to 4 employees (CBP). In this area, companies dedicated to Computer System Design (10.3%), Advertising Agencies (9.8%) and Computer Programming Services (9.3%) dominated.
3. The number of employees in creative industries totaled 15,818, mainly employed as Computer Programming Services (15.9%), Computer Systems Design (14.1%) and Newspaper Publishing (11.0%).
4. The profession with the most equitable distribution by sex was the Souvenir, Gift or Novelty Stores sector (with 54.6% occupied by women and 45.4% by men).
5. The highest average salaries were reported by Software Publishing occupations ($151,073). As for average salaries for creative occupations, the maximum value corresponds to Architects, except landscape designers ($52,990), while the minimum wage includes library assistants ($18,920).
6. At the island level, Puerto Rico registered a rate of 6.13 establishments dedicated to creative activities, per 10,000 inhabitants. Seven municipalities did not register establishments with people on the payroll, dedicated to creative activities. The municipality with the lowest rate per 10,000 inhabitants was Loíza with 0.42, while San Juan had the highest concentration, with 24.7 establishments per 10,000 inhabitants.
7. The value of imports of goods classified under the creative sectors exceeded exports, with a negative trade balance of $184,870.354 million for Puerto Rico.

Dr. Orville M. Disdier, Executive Director, explained that the main objective of this report is to offer both the government of Puerto Rico and all citizens a tool to enrich knowledge about the creative economy in Puerto Rico and thus promote the economic development of this sector. “Through the Creative Industries Report 2020, we can understand the economic value of creativity and innovation in Puerto Rico. Having these data and statistics is crucial for economic development and for harnessing the full potential of creative industries in Puerto Rico's recovery and growth.”

The Puerto Rico Creative Industries Report 2020 is available at: Creative Industries 2020

You can also access a Dashboard, where some of the data presented in this report are collected, through the following link https://bit.ly/3UPckEd.

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. On social media through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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