Puerto Rico Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Puerto Rico Population Density Map and Area Scores
State 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 averageLeast wealthy state in the US
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D
Education Well below averageAmong the 3 least educated states in the US
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Puerto Rico | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,229,809 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 605.9 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.09% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 1,288,628 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Puerto Rico declined by 18.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 3,229,809 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Puerto Rico is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.3% of residents. That is 0.1 points below the US as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 687,469 21.3% -0.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 627,700 19.4% -2.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 651,704 20.2% +0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 649,723 20.1% +3.2 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 the US, 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 52.3% of the people living in Puerto Rico and men 47.7%.
- Women 52.3% the US 50.5%
- Men 47.7% the US 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Puerto Rico
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Puerto Rico has a the economy index of F, which means it scores poorly in the economy.
| Metric | Puerto Rico | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $26,331 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.76% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 10.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Puerto Rico is about 67% lower than in US.
Housing
| Metric | Puerto Rico | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $138,158 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $578 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Puerto Rico is about 19.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $578 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Puerto Rico spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 196 hours, about 8.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Puerto Rico | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 196 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,063 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 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 Puerto Rico is 23 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in US.
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
Puerto Rico has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Puerto Rico | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 26.2% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 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 | Puerto Rico | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | — | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | — | 16.3% |
| Smokers | — | 19.0% |
Puerto Rico Compared With Nearby States
Puerto Rico is the smallest of the 5 states compared here, 3,229,809 residents against a local median of 10,832,120. The measure that sets Puerto Rico apart most is median household income: $26,331, 64% below the local median of $73,509. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $138,158 against a local median of $267,637, 48% below it. The states themselves sit within $8,140 of each other on median household income, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Puerto Rico, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Puerto Rico has the 5th highest median household income of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico | 3,229,809 | $26,331 #5/5 | $138,158 #5/5 | 23.5 min #3/5 |
| Florida | 22,388,905 | $74,580 | $311,338 | 24.0 min |
| South Carolina | 5,295,781 | $69,383 | $239,609 | 22.3 min |
| North Carolina | 10,724,323 | $72,438 | $278,288 | 21.9 min |
| Georgia | 10,939,918 | $77,523 | $256,986 | 23.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Puerto Rico.
How big is Puerto Rico by population?
About 3,229,809 people live in Puerto Rico, in 1,288,628 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 43.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Puerto Rico mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Puerto Rico has 606 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 7.0 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Puerto Rico?
The median home costs 5.2 times the median household income ($138,158 against $26,331), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $578 a month takes about 26% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Puerto Rico?
Unemployment in Puerto Rico is 10.7%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
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