PRESS RELEASE

PUERTO RICO STATE DATA CENTER NETWORK (SDC-PR)

The percentage of people with a high school level or higher in Puerto Rico increases

Comparison of the periods 2010-2014 and 2015-2019, indicates that 69 municipalities reflected an increase in this characteristic

San Juan, PR, December 10, 2020 — The U.S. Census Bureau today released the most recent data from the Puerto Rico Community Survey known as the Puerto Rico Community Survey. These statistics refer to information collected over a period of 5 years, from 2015 to 2019. The new publication provides data on demographic, social, economic and housing characteristics for Puerto Rico and municipalities, as well as for specific geographical levels such as neighborhoods, census tracts and block groups. As part of the State Data Center Network of the U.S. Census Bureau in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) presents several interesting results:

1. In a comparison of the previous five-year period 2010-2014, compared to the most recent period 2015-2019, estimates indicate that:
   • In Puerto Rico's population aged 25 and over, the percentage of people with a high school education degree or higher increased from 23.6% to 25.9%, this difference being statistically significant.
   • At the municipal level, some 69 municipalities showed a similar increase in the number of people with at least a high school degree.
     • In 24 of the 69 municipalities, the differences were statistically significant.
     • The municipality of Ceiba showed no change (18.1%) during both periods.
     • On the other hand, the municipalities of Maricao, Juncos, Aguada, Arroyo, Cataño, Sabana Grande, Patillas and Maunabo showed a decrease in this characteristic within the educational level achieved. The difference between the municipality of Juncos was the only statistically significant difference.
2. In addition, at the level of Puerto Rico during the period 2015-2019, among the social characteristics it was estimated that:
   • 85,573 grandparents live with their grandchildren, of whom 38.6% are responsible for them.
   • Of the households in Puerto Rico (1,192,654), the following types are broken down:
     • 37.8% are from families of married couples,
     • 8.5% are from couples who live together,
     • in 16.3% of households, men are heads of household without a wife/partner (or) present, and of these 11.8% live alone,
     • and in 37.3% of households women are heads of household without a husband/partner (or) present, and of these 16.3% live alone.
   • Regarding the presence of computers and Internet access, 68.6% and 60.4% of households in Puerto Rico have a computer and a broadband Internet subscription, respectively.

“The comparison of the percentage of people with education, at least at the high school level, shows that most municipalities increased that percentage in the most recent period. However, the considerable differences between municipalities with this characteristic are striking, ranging from 8% in Maricao to 45% in Guaynabo.”, said Alberto L. Velázquez-Estrada, Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute.

Tables with interesting characteristics can be accessed in the U.S. Census Bureau's data dissemination tool data.census.gov. In addition, as the leading entity of Puerto Rico's SDC, 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 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.

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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 our website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. In addition, you can follow us on social networks through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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For questions:

https://preguntas.estadisticas.pr/

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PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Results from the first food safety study in Puerto Rico presented

Under the name Puerto Rico Food Security Survey 2015, and in collaboration with the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance, BRFSS) administered in Puerto Rico by the Department of Health, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) presented the results of the first study on this topic to be carried out in Puerto Rico. The BRFSS is a continuous epidemiological surveillance system that is carried out in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States and its jurisdictions, including Puerto Rico. The study population was adults aged 18 and over and the response rate in Puerto Rico was 71.1%, placing us among the top 25 jurisdictions with the highest participation. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, food insecurity is a key factor that complements the undernourishment indicator and makes it possible to improve the characterization of hunger.

“The large amount of food imported into Puerto Rico, among other aspects, makes the population more vulnerable to food insecurity. This is why it is essential to know the statistics related to this aspect, as well as the risk behaviors, morbidities and health practices of vulnerable populations,” said the Institute's acting executive director, Dr. Orville M. Disdier.

From the most relevant data from this study, it is estimated that 33% of the population aged 18 and over in Puerto Rico were food insecure. Similarly, 21.7% of the people interviewed indicated that, in the 12 months before the study, there were times when they had to serve themselves less food or stop eating one of their daily meals due to lack of money. A quarter of these (25.8%) did so almost every month.

The study also revealed, among others, that the Arecibo region had the highest percentage of food insecurity with 40.6%, while the metropolitan area and Ponce were the regions with the lowest food insecurity with 31.8% and 31.4% respectively. 44.3% of food-insecure people perceived their health as regular or poor. This percentage was higher in women (47.6%) compared to men (38.7%). People diagnosed with a depressive disorder were 2.7 times more likely to belong to the food-insecure group than people who had not been diagnosed with a depressive disorder.

“One of the most revealing results is related to poverty and its impact on food insecurity. The study concluded that people with an income of less than $25,000 are 3.3 times more likely to belong to the food insecure group than people with an income of $25,000 or more,” said Myribel Santiago, Project Manager of the Institute and lead author of the study.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous entity, created by Act No. 209 of August 28, 2003, as amended, in order to promote changes in the systems for the collection and analysis of the information that is generated, so that it is complete, reliable and has quick and universal access. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is responsible for establishing criteria and standards for the collection and analysis of information from government agencies, and for supporting those private sectors that are interested in demonstrating and giving public evidence of the objectivity of statistical data. To access the study you can visit Publications.

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Contact: Lourdes Burgos, R-27

lburgos@upfrontpr.net 787-562-2932

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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.

2. 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.

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