Net migration was estimated at 35,000 people in 2019

Announcements
IEPR
24 December 2025

During the calendar year 2019, it was estimated, in net terms, that nearly 35,000 people immigrated to other jurisdictions in the United States. This is revealed by the most recent data from the Community Survey.

Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau covers the 2019 calendar year. The new data has been published through the new platform data.census.gov. As the local entity liaising with the U.S. Census Bureau, the Institute of Statistics shares several findings from the new 2019 data:

  1. In 2019, Puerto Rico's migration indicators showed the following changes compared to previous years:
    • Around 35,000 people immigrated to other jurisdictions in the United States in net terms, representing a decrease compared to previous years (2011-2018) where the net balance ranged from 49,000 to 113,000 people migrating annually based on information from the Community Survey.
    • 31,144 people immigrated from the United States to Puerto Rico, contrasting with an increase in immigrants of 49% compared to 2018, where an estimated immigration of 20,900 people was estimated.
    • 66,021 people immigrated to other jurisdictions in the United States, showing a decrease from the record number in 2018, which amounted to 133,451 people.
  2. Regarding various socioeconomic characteristics for Puerto Rico during 2019:
    • Some 684,655 people or 21.6% of the population (3,169,528) reported having a disability.
    • Around 77,000 grandparents live with their grandson or granddaughter under 18 and 32.2% of these are responsible for them.
    • For the population aged 25 and over (2,301,735):
      • 78.8% had a higher education or higher education
      • 27.2% had an education attained at the baccalaureate level or higher
    • 39.5% and 43.5% of families and individuals, respectively, are below the poverty line.
    • The median household income was $20,474.
    • The median household income was $25,388.
    • The GINI index, which measures income inequality, where the value of 0 indicates that there is perfect equality and the value 1 total inequality, places Puerto Rico with an indicator of 0.5509, being the highest when compared to the states.
    • As for households (1,170,982), it was estimated that:
      • 76.3% had a computer
      • 68.2% had access to an internet subscription (broadband)

“In terms of migration, published data for 2019 point to a reduction in net migration compared to previous years. However, the fact that nearly 35,000 people have emigrated means that 1% of Puerto Rico's population declined through emigration in a single year, which has been the drastic trend throughout the decade 2010-2020,” said Alberto L. Velázquez-Estrada, Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute.

See more details, data and information about the 2019 Community Survey at: data.census.gov. In addition, you can consult about the transition to the new platform for accessing census data, available at the following links, webinars: https://cutt.ly/Cw7v9fI, SDC-PR and tutorials: https://www.census.gov/data/academy/data-gems/2019/visualize-data.html.

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Population reduction continues in Puerto Rico's municipalities

Population reduction continues in Puerto Rico's municipalities

This is indicated by the estimates for the month of July 2022 of the U.S. Census Bureau

San Juan, PR, March 30, 2023 — The U.S. Census Bureau today released the most recent Annual Population Estimates data for municipalities in Puerto Rico, as well as for counties in the United States. These statistics refer to July 1, 2022 and include estimates of the total population for each municipality and the population change in the current decade. On behalf of the U.S. Census Bureau's Network of Data and Census Information Centers (SDC-PR) in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) reported several findings from the new publication of population estimates for the year 2022:

  1. Compared to the 2020 Decennial Census with reference to April 1, 2020, compared to the most recent year available, July 1, 2022, estimates indicate that:
    • Changes in the population of residents in municipalities ranged from 0.8% to -7.2%.
    • In 99% of the municipalities, a population decrease was estimated. Only for the municipality of Rincón, a slight increase (0.8%) was estimated.
    • Some 15 municipalities reflected an estimated reduction of more than three percent (3%) in the comparative period.
    • The total population of all of Puerto Rico is estimated to have fallen by two percent (2%), translating to nearly 64,000 fewer residents than in April 2020.
  1. In relation to the geographical aspect between municipalities, with regard to the change in the total population estimated up to the year 2022, the interactive map provides the geographical distribution.

In this one you can identify:

    • The five municipalities with the highest percentage of population decline were Guánica (-7.2%), Loíza (-4.4%), Guayanilla (-4.0%), Ponce (-3.9%) and Maricao (-3.8%).
      • Four of the five municipalities are located in the south and west of Puerto Rico, and Loíza, on the other hand, in the northeast.
    • The five municipalities with the lowest percentage of population decline were Barranquitas (-0.1%), Naranjito (-0.1%), Aibonito (-0.3%), Isabela (-0.4%) and Moca (-0.5%).
      • The first three municipalities are located in the central area (Barranquitas, Naranjito and Aibonito) and the last two (Isabela and Moca) in the western part of Puerto Rico.

“The pattern of population estimates continues to show a tendency to decrease, a trait of which, at the level of Puerto Rico, we are already approaching nearly two decades (since 2005) of being an increasingly smaller resident population but with a different demographic composition,” said Alberto L. Velázquez-Estrada, Senior Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute. As an interactive summary, the Institute published a visualization that allows us to see the new series of estimates at the municipal level, facilitating geographical comparison within Puerto Rico. This visualization can be accessed at: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/node/517.

The tables with the annual population estimates for Puerto Rico and its municipalities can be accessed at: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/EstimadosPoblacionales, as well as in the data dissemination tool of the U.S. Census Bureau: data.census.gov. In addition, as the leading entity of the State Data Center of Puerto Rico, the Institute manages the SDC portal, which contains the main statistical reports and publications of the U.S. Census Bureau on 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 decennial population and housing censuses, among others. The Puerto Rico SDC portal can be accessed through: censo.estadisticas.pr.

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.gov or write to preguntas@estadisticas.pr. They can also follow social networks through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) and Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) accounts.

Puerto Rico's median age is 40.

Puerto Rico's median age is 40.

Free workshops and webinars at the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

Free workshops and webinars at the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics 2023

Workshops and Webinars free of charge at the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

For government officials and the general public

Starting today, September 18, 2023, pre-registration begins for the offer of workshops and Webinars free of charge from the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics. This virtual offer of eight workshops with 12 sessions and four Webinars, will provide solutions for the access, management and analysis of government statistical data and are carried out with rigor and quality in content development by specialists.

The format online offers the opportunity to participate to government officials and the general public, since the format is asynchronous, that is, within the time available to the participant. In the same way, multiple sessions are included, allowing participants the flexibility to enroll on those dates that are most convenient. Interested individuals can complete pre-enrollment at https://estadisticas.pr.gov/academia.

The topics included are:

  • R statistical analysis software: one of the most commonly used open-access and user-friendly software for Data analytics and Data Science.
    • R basic: introductory workshop to help publicize and facilitate the adoption of this programming language for people interested in strengthening their resources for the processing, analysis, visualization and presentation of their statistical research.
    • RStudio: introduction to the integrated development environment (IDE, in English) for managing R, in the analysis, visualization and presentation of statistical analyses.
    • R Markdown: a comprehensive tool for generating reproducible reports and documents, which combine text, data analysis and visualizations.
    • Tidycensus: R library that facilitates the access and processing of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, such as the Census, population estimates and the Community Survey.
  • Tableau Public: free platform that allows the use of interface commands to explore, create and publish data and visualizations online.
  • Resources from the U.S. Census Bureau:
    • Population and housing data: presentation and performance of practical exercises on the tool https://data.census.gov/ to search for data on population and housing in Puerto Rico.
    • Access to microdata from the Community Survey: tool for customizing variable crosses for the analysis of population and housing data in Puerto Rico.
    • QGIS for analyzing data by geographical regions: QGIS is an open source Geographic Information System (GIS). In conjunction with data from the

U.S. Census Bureau, maps can be generated to analyze housing, economic, social and demographic issues.

On the other hand, the Webinars are live sessions, in which participants can connect via the Internet to a platform where they can watch and listen and ask questions to the speaker after completing the session.

The themes of the four Webinars They are:

  • Interactive tools for accessing statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau: discussion and practical exercises to obtain data from the Community Survey and the Decennial Census for statistical analysis on Puerto Rico and other jurisdictions.
  • Puerto Rico Manufacturing — Purchasing Managers Index: guidance on how to access this index and its subscripts, in addition to knowing how the data published in the monthly report prepared by the Institute are interpreted.
  • Rate adjustment calculator: guidance on the usefulness of the rate standardization process and in the development of a calculation template.
  • Preventing violence as a public health priority: guidance on the context of violence in Puerto Rico from a health perspective, where homicide statistics in Puerto Rico and worldwide will be presented.

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).