Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Arecibo Municipio, PR Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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N/A
Health Not enough data
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F
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 71% of counties in Puerto Rico
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Arecibo Municipio | Puerto Rico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 86,478 | 3,229,809 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 504.8 | 605.9 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.62% | -1.09% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 46.0 | 43.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 33,406 | 1,288,628 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Arecibo Municipio declined by 15.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 86,478 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Arecibo Municipio is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.3% of residents. That is 1.1 points above Puerto Rico as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 18,253 21.1% -0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 16,820 19.4% on par
- Gen X 45–60 18,439 21.3% +1.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 17,134 19.8% -0.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Puerto Rico, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.9% of the people living in Arecibo Municipio and men 48.1%.
- Women 51.9% Puerto Rico 52.3%
- Men 48.1% Puerto Rico 47.7%
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100% of everyone living in Arecibo Municipio
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Economy
Arecibo Municipio has a the economy index of F, which means it scores poorly in the economy.
| Metric | Arecibo Municipio | Puerto Rico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $23,823 | $26,331 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.60% | 3.76% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 14.4% | 10.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Arecibo Municipio is about 10% lower than in Puerto Rico.
Housing
| Metric | Arecibo Municipio | Puerto Rico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $104,034 | $138,158 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $530 | $578 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 65.4% | 67.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Arecibo Municipio is about 16.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $530 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Arecibo Municipio spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 183 hours, about 7.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Arecibo Municipio | Puerto Rico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.0 | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.9 | 46.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 183 | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,672 | $6,063 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.1% | 6.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | — | — | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | — | — | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Puerto Rico:
Culebra Municipio (12.7 min), Jayuya Municipio (15.2 min), Vieques Municipio (16.0 min).
Slowest:
Naranjito Municipio (38.3 min), Toa Alta Municipio (33.8 min), RÃo Grande Municipio (33.4 min).
The average commute time in Arecibo Municipio is 22 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in Puerto Rico.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Arecibo Municipio has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Arecibo Municipio | Puerto Rico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.6% | 26.2% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.53 | 2.47 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Puerto Rico:
Guaynabo Municipio (0.4), San Juan Municipio (0.3), Trujillo Alto Municipio (0.3).
Lowest:
Maricao Municipio (0.1), Las MarÃas Municipio (0.1), Culebra Municipio (0.2).
Health
| Metric | Arecibo Municipio | Puerto Rico Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | — | — | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | — | — | 16.3% |
| Smokers | — | — | 19.0% |
Arecibo Municipio, PR Compared With Nearby Counties
Arecibo Municipio, PR is the largest of the 5 counties compared here, 86,478 residents against a local median of 30,178. Where Arecibo Municipio, PR breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 19% above the local median of $87,118 at $104,034.
The counties themselves spread $12,189 on median home price, so Arecibo Municipio, PR sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Arecibo Municipio, PR has the highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arecibo Municipio, PR | 86,478 | $23,823 #4/5 | $104,034 #1/5 | 22.0 min #2/5 |
| Barceloneta Municipio, PR | 22,487 | $24,614 | $89,790 | 20.8 min |
| Hatillo Municipio, PR | 38,157 | $27,776 | $84,445 | 22.3 min |
| Utuado Municipio, PR | 27,621 | $20,983 | $82,222 | 27.5 min |
| Camuy Municipio, PR | 32,735 | $27,566 | $94,411 | 23.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico.
What is the population of Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico?
About 86,478 people live in Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico, in 33,406 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 46.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 9 years.
Is Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico has 505 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 5.8 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico?
The median home costs 4.4 times the median household income ($104,034 against $23,823), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $530 a month takes about 27% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico?
Unemployment in Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico is 14.4%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
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