Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is an island located between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic. It is a commonwealth of the United States, and its residents are U.S. citizens.

Puerto Rico has a landmass of 3,423 square miles. The 2021 estimated population is 3,263,584, with a rural population of 136,992 (USDA-ERS, 2022). The 2021 unemployment rate in rural areas is 10.4% compared to an urban rate of 7.8% (USDA-ERS, 2022). According to 2020 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 98.9% of the population is Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% of the total population are white, 7.0% are Black or African American, 0.1% are Asian, and 0.5% are American Indian and Alaska Native.

The median household income for residents of Puerto Rico in 2021 was $21,967, 78.4% of residents completed high school.

Puerto Rico faces both the health concerns in treating malnutrition and infectious diseases, as well as the chronic health problems, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Data Sources
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts; USDA Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets