Six municipalities with at least 60% of their population living in poverty

Announcements
IEPR
24 December 2025

PRESS RELEASE

PUERTO RICO STATE DATA CENTER NETWORK (SDC-PR)

Six municipalities with at least 60% of their population living in poverty

They are located in the center and south-west according to the Map Series of the Puerto Rico Census Data Network

San Juan, PR, November 17, 2020 — The percentage of people living in poverty shows that six municipalities have between 60% and 64% of their population with this characteristic. The geographical distribution shows that they are located in the center and southwest of Puerto Rico, these being Maricao, Guánica, Adjuntas, Lajas, Jayuya and Comerío. La Selected Indicator Map Series includes the information collected during the period 2014-2018 through the Community Survey carried out by U.S. Census Bureau. This series includes ten indicators on demographic, social and economic topics at the level of municipalities and neighborhoods in Puerto Rico.

In addition, with information from the same period (2014-2018), the Socio-Demographic Profiles of Puerto Rico's Electoral Districts Which are divided volume I and II, with the 8 Senate Districts and with the 40 Representative Districts respectively. These provide a detailed photograph of each electoral district with essential information to know the particularities of the population that resides in each of them.

Both new products (Map and Profile Series) are part of the publications of the Puerto Rico Census Data Network (SDC-PR by its acronym in English). All of them can be accessed free of charge on the SDC-PR censo.estadisticas.pr. As a local liaison entity with the U.S. Census Bureau, the Institute of Statistics shares several findings from the Selected Indicator Map Series:

  • Among the 10 municipalities with the highest percentage of children under 18, eight of them were in the southern and central region of Puerto Rico. On the other hand, the 4 municipalities with the lowest percentage of minors were Guaynabo, and to the west Rincón, Mayagüez and Hormigueros.
  • The highest percentages of the 18-64 year old population were in 7 municipalities, these being Toa Alta, Aguada, Morovis, and in the central-eastern area Cidra, Gurabo, Juncos and San Lorenzo. On the other hand, the municipalities with the lowest percentages of the population aged 18-64 are located mainly in the southwest (Hormigueros, San Germán, Sabana Grande, Lajas and Guánica) and to the east (Fajardo, Ceiba and Culebra).
  • The municipalities with the highest percentage of elderly people (65+) are shown to be in the western area of Hormigueros, San Germán, Lajas and Rincón.
  • Municipalities with the highest percentages (80%-84%) of people with a higher education level or higher are geographically concentrated in the metropolitan area, in addition to Santa Isabel on the south coast. On the other hand, the two municipalities with the lowest percentage of education attained are located in the midwest (Maricao and Las Marías).
  • As for the population with disabilities (reported on their own account), 6 of the 10 municipalities with the highest percentages (Cayey, Cidra, Comerío, Aguas Buenas, Naranjito and Orocovis) are geographically concentrated in the central area, and the other 4 municipalities are located in the south-west (Guánica, Sabana Grande, Hormigueros and Yauco). On the other hand, a concentration of municipalities in the south-east region reflected hundreds of children with disabilities (< 15%), with 9 of the 13 municipalities in this category including the island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra.
  • In the metropolitan region, east and south, most of the municipalities with the highest percentage (50%-74%) of households with access to broadband internet are clustered. In a situation of lower access, some 4 municipalities in the western region showed that they had less than 35% of their homes with internet access, these being Lajas, Cabo Rojo, Maricao and Las Marías.
  • In percentage terms, the population in 37 municipalities around Puerto Rico was shown to have half of its population or more (50% +) living in poverty. Municipalities with the lowest percentage of people in poverty are located in the metropolitan area with the exception of the municipalities of San Juan and Cataño.
  • Regarding family income across municipalities, this indicates that about 7 municipalities (Gurabo, Trujillo Alto, Dorado, Carolina, Toa Alta, Culebra and Bayamón) showed a median of between $30,000 and $39,000 in family income. The municipality with the highest median household income was Guaynabo ($44,000).
  • The highest percentage of people in the workforce (50%-57%) are mostly municipalities in the metropolitan area and the Northeast, where 11 of the 13 municipalities with this characteristic are located, Culebra and Juana Diaz the only ones outside these regions.

“The series of maps provides a geographical perspective on features of interest within Puerto Rico. The behavior of geographical patterns could support government and community management, analysis for decision-making, and stimulate research. In the same sense, the profiles of the electoral districts serve as basic metrics for current and future public policy that affects the residents of these regions.” said Alberto L. Velázquez-Estrada, Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute.

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. In addition, as the leading entity of the SDC in 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 10-year population and housing censuses, among others. The Puerto Rico SDC portal can be accessed through: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/.

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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Statistics Institute to present Virtual Forum on Statistics and Technology

PRESS RELEASE

They will present the Virtual Forum on Statistics and Technology

The activity is free of cost

Fulfilling its mission to lead in the use of technology as a work tool and service in the development of better statistics, the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics will hold the Virtual Forum on Statistics and Technology on Friday, May 7, 2021 from 8:30 in the morning to 12:30 in the afternoon. The activity is free of charge, but it requires that participants register, from now on, through the following link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8947053084746770957

The event will include two educational sessions. The first session will present the following topics: Statistics and technology to understand population characteristics; Technology: An essential tool for economic statistics, as well as the interconnectivity of systems to improve government statistics. In the second intervention, the topics will be the following: Tools for visualizing statistics and indicators and The Future Now: “Big Data”.

As reported, the forum is aimed at statisticians, economists, professionals in the field of technology, students of business administration, public health, demographers, in short, anyone with an interest in statistical and technological issues. In the same way, we urge students from public and private schools at the higher level (High School) to register and benefit from this extraordinary educational opportunity. Participants will receive a certificate through their emails.

“This forum allows us to continue educating about how technology is an ally and an essential tool for the development of better quality statistics and effective data visualizations. Spaces like this give us the opportunity to interact with different representatives of academic and governmental sectors, private companies, non-profit organizations, as well as with the research community on how, through technology, we can provide the statistical data that is so essential in decision-making to promote economic and social development in Puerto Rico,” explained Dr. Orville M. Disdier, executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity tasked with 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 accessible quickly and universally.

For more information you can visit the website: https://estadisticas.pr.gov/. In addition, you can follow the Institute on social networks, through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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Contact:

Idia M. Martinez, R-28

787-603-3200

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Webinar: Intimate Femicide Risk Map

Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics to discuss key findings on intimate femicide and signs of risk in Puerto Rico

in a Webinar that will address risk assessment, non-fatal strangulation as a critical alert and the scope of Law 71-2024 on suffocation and its serious effects.

San Juan, Puerto Rico — April 13, 2026. The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics will hold the webinar: “Intimate Femicide Risk Map: Sociodemographic Patterns and Prevention Measures in Puerto Rico”. This with the objective of strengthening tools for the protection and prevention against violence. The activity is free of charge, but requires registration at the following link: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4963876538944780637.

The virtual event will take place this Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. as part of the Institute's Academy Program. The seminar will have a panel of experts composed of:

- Mariluz Bezares Salinas, Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute of Statistics.

- Dr. Idania R. Rodríguez Ayuso, Deputy Executive Director of the Institute of Statistics.

- Lcda. Laura Hernández Gutiérrez, Assistant Prosecutor IV, assigned to the Office of the Women's Attorney.

During the webinar, critical findings on intimate partner violence will be discussed, including the implementation of the Department of Justice's Danger Assessment and analyzed by the Institute. This tool examines lethality factors such as threats with weapons, daily control, and a history of strangulation.

One of the central themes will be non-fatal strangulation, identified as a high warning sign. In addition, the new Law 71-2024, a pioneer in Puerto Rico in recognizing strangulation and suffocation as crimes with serious psychological and physiological consequences, will be addressed.

The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics 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.

To learn more about the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, you can access www.estadisticas.pr.gov or follow their social networks: Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), X (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) and LinkedIn (Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics).

Requests for Proposals

THE DEADLINE FOR RECEIVING PROPOSALS IS EXTENDED TO WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 AT 11:55PM. Background: Ten (10) years after the beginning of the Institute's functions, it is essential that a comprehensive evaluation be carried out of its positioning, executions and strategies, in order to identify the stage of development in which the organization is currently in, as well as what its challenges, strengths and opportunities are. This request for proposal is intended to carry out an organizational diagnosis of the institute, allowing the development of a pragmatic and realistic plan, in line with its available resources. In the same way, it has the purpose of developing a short-term development plan.