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

Announcements
IEPR
24 December 2025

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.

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.

##

For questions:

https://preguntas.estadisticas.pr/

Share this article:

Visit our Official Activities, and participate with us

Visit our Calls for applications and be part of the new opportunities we have for you.

If you have any questions or just want to contact us, visit the Contact Us section.

We are at your disposal. If you need custom statistics, do not hesitate to contact us.

Sign up for our online workshops. Connect with the experts and discover the power of data!

Visit our Blog and keep up to date with the latest news and topics of interest.

Visit our Press Releases and stay connected to the Institute.

Explore the Publication Calendar and keep up to date with Puerto Rico's statistics.

Complete the form for the selection of our Statistics Coordination Committee

Suscribe to receive news directly to your email.

Listen to the Official PRIS podcast and stay informed with the experts

Puerto Rico's population is around 3.3 million in 2017

PUERTO RICO'S POPULATION IS AROUND 3.3 MILLION IN 2017

It has fallen by 10% since the most recent 2010 Decennial Census

San Juan, PR — El U.S. Census Bureau released today the most recent annual population estimates for Puerto Rico. These statistics refer to July 1, 2017 and include the components of annual population change since July 1, 2010 that support the population estimate since the beginning of the decade. As the leading entity of the Network State Data Center (SDC) of the U.S. Census Bureau in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) presents this brief summary of the findings of the new annual population estimates for 2017:

  1. The population of Puerto Rico was estimated at 3,337,177 people as of July 1, 2017.
  2. In contrast to the last 2010 Census when the official population count resulted in 3,725,789 people, the new estimate points to a cumulative population decrease in the current decade of 10 percent up to 2017. That is, a population decline at a rate of -1.5% each year on average (annualized rate).
  3. As for the resident population of 18 years of age or older, this was estimated at 2,680.381 million, comprising 80% of the resident population of Puerto Rico.
  4. The components of population change considered for the estimates assume that, between July 1, 2016 and July 1, 2017, there were 28,000 births and 29,000 deaths in Puerto Rico. For the first time, annual population estimates reflected natural population growth (the number of births minus the number of deaths) that results in more deaths than births. Regarding migration, the net balance was close to -68 thousand people during the same period.

More statistics on Puerto Rico's annual population estimates can be obtained at: https://censo.estadisticas.pr. Information on the methodology used to produce the estimates can be accessed hither.

After conducting a decennial Census, such as the 2010 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau prepare the annual population estimates before the next Census. These estimates are prepared by analyzing data on births, deaths and migration. As a result, with each new publication of the estimates, adjustments are made to the previously estimated years. For example, with the publication of the 2017 estimates announced in this release, the estimates already published for 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 were revised. Each publication is distinguished according to the year in which they were produced and are named as Vintage.


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. The Institute has in its inventory, accessible through www.estadisticas.pr.gov, over 300 statistical products. In addition, it is a custodian and provides access to over 100 data sets or Data sets by means of www.data.pr.gov and to over 40 tables and more than 6 thousand indicators through: www.indicadores.pr

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.

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

##

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

Statisticians rank among the professions with the highest growth in employment in the next decade in Puerto Rico

Statisticians rank among the professions with the highest growth in employment in the next decade in Puerto Rico

Reduction of Puerto Rico's trade balance of surplus

San Juan, Puerto Rico — August 21, 2025. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute published foreign trade data for the month of June 2025, allowing for an analysis of performance in terms of international trade for fiscal year 2025, which covers July 2024 to June 2025. Annual exports totaled $60,652,028,821, representing a decrease of 7.23% compared to the previous fiscal year, while annual imports totaled $56,372,227,806, representing an increase of 4.64% compared to the same previous period. This results in a trade balance of $4,279,801,015, a figure that reflects a decrease of 62.8% compared to the $11,508,357,246 recorded in 2024 and constitutes the lowest value in the entire 2010-2025 series. The trade balance is the indicator that measures the difference between the value of exports and that of imports of goods from a jurisdiction. A surplus occurs when exports exceed imports; a deficit, when the opposite happens. This indicator constitutes one of the main measures of international trade, since it reflects both productive capacity and the level of dependence on foreign goods. In general terms, productive capacity refers to what Puerto Rico is able to produce and sell (reflected in exports), and the level of dependence on what Puerto Rico needs to buy abroad (is reflected in imports).