Arecibo, PR

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2021 Population

183,384

3.27% 1-year growth

2021 Median Age

43.7

1.39% 1-year increase

2021 Poverty Rate

45.4%

1.99% 1-year decrease

2021 Median Household Income

$19,752

4.41% 1-year growth

2021 Median Property Value

$96,000

1.27% 1-year growth

2021 Employed Population

54,647

4.82% 1-year growth

About

In 2021, Arecibo, PR had a population of 183k people with a median age of 43.7 and a median household income of $19,752. Between 2020 and 2021 the population of Arecibo, PR grew from 177,570 to 183,384, a 3.27% increase and its median household income grew from $18,917 to $19,752, a 4.41% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Arecibo, PR are White (Hispanic) (68%), Other (Hispanic) (16.6%), Two+ (Hispanic) (11.5%), Black or African American (Hispanic) (2.55%), and White (Non-Hispanic) (0.592%).

None of the households in Arecibo, PR reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

The largest universities in Arecibo, PR are University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo (608 degrees awarded in 2021), Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo (551 degrees), and ICPR Junior College-Arecibo (153 degrees).

In 2021, the median property value in Arecibo, PR was $96,000, and the homeownership rate was 68.3%.

Most people in Arecibo, PR drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Arecibo, PR was 2 cars per household.

Arecibo, PR borders Aguadilla-Isabela, PR and San Juan-Carolina-Caguas, PR.

United States Puerto Rico

Population & Diversity

In 2021, there were 4.11 times more White (Hispanic) residents (125k people) in Arecibo, PR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 30.4k Other (Hispanic) and 21.1k Two+ (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Arecibo, PR

White (Hispanic)
125k ± 2.65k
Other (Hispanic)
30.4k ± 2.12k
Two+ (Hispanic)
21.1k ± 1.95k

99.2%

Hispanic Population

182k people

99.2% of the people in Arecibo, PR are hispanic (182k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Arecibo, PR as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Puerto Rico.

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
53,018 ± 5,608 people
Cuba
10,661 ± 2,531 people
Colombia
3,951 ± 1,542 people

In 2021, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Puerto Rico was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 53,018 Puerto Rico residents, followed by Cuba with 10,661 and Colombia with 3,951.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,167 ± 224
Gulf War (2001-)
681 ± 216
Korea
662 ± 195

Arecibo, PR has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.71 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Arecibo, PR employs 54.6k people. The largest industries in Arecibo, PR are Retail Trade (8,229 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (7,220 people), and Manufacturing (6,031 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($30,887), Public Administration ($25,191), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($24,729).

Males in Puerto Rico have an average income that is 1.12 times higher than the average income of females, which is $32,120. The income inequality in Puerto Rico (measured using the Gini index) is 0.456, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

54.6k

2021 Value

± 2,210

4.82%

1 Year growth

± 5.32%

From 2020 to 2021, employment in Arecibo, PR grew at a rate of 4.82%, from 52.1k employees to 54.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Arecibo, PR, are Sales & Related Occupations (7,323 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (7,268 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (4,402 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Arecibo, PR.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

54.6k

2021 Value

± 2,210

4.82%

1 Year growth

± 5.32%

From 2020 to 2021, employment in Arecibo, PR grew at a rate of 4.82%, from 52.1k employees to 54.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Arecibo, PR, are Retail Trade (8,229 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (7,220 people), and Manufacturing (6,031 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Arecibo, PR, though some of these residents may live in Arecibo, PR and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$16,979

Median earning men ± $502

$16,566

Median earning women ± $543

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2021 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($27,377), Public Administration ($26,889), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($26,328).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2021 are Wholesale Trade ($25,417), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($22,982), and Public Administration ($22,447).

Establishments by Size

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Education

In 2021, universities in Arecibo, PR awarded 1,668 degrees. The student population of Arecibo, PR in 2021 is skewed towards women, with 2,638 male students and 4,912 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Arecibo, PR are Hispanic or Latino (1,654 and 99.2%), followed by Black or African American (4 and 0.24%), American Indian or Alaska Native (4 and 0.24%), and Unknown (4 and 0.24%).

The largest universities in Arecibo, PR by number of degrees awarded are University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo (608 and 36.5%), Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo (551 and 33%), and ICPR Junior College-Arecibo (153 and 9.17%).

The most popular majors in Arecibo, PR are Registered Nursing (211 and 12.6%), General Microbiology (106 and 6.35%), and Radio & Television Broadcasting Technology (91 and 5.46%).

The median tuition costs in Arecibo, PR are $4,740 for private four year colleges, and $4,640 and $4,640 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2021 in Arecibo, PR, the percentage of applicants admitted was 57.5%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 83.1%. The number of students enrolled in 2021 was 7,550 (34.9% men and 65.1% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2021 there were 7,550 students enrolled in Arecibo, PR, 34.9% men and 65.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 7,521 records, of which 65% were women and 35% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
185 degree-majors awarded
General Microbiology
106 degree-majors awarded
Radio & Television Broadcasting Technology
91 degree-majors awarded

In 2021, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Arecibo, PR was Registered Nursing with 185 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Arecibo, PR according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
608 degrees awarded
Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
551 degrees awarded
ICPR Junior College-Arecibo
153 degrees awarded

In 2021, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo with 608 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2021, 542 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Arecibo, PR, which is 0.481 times less than the 1,126 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2021 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 1,654 degrees mean that there were 414 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 4 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private for-profit, 2-year ($6,980) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2021.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($628) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2021.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,168) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for .

Measure

In 2021, NaNN% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while NaNN% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for .

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2021 were N/A.

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Arecibo, PR was $96,000 in 2021, which is 0.392 times smaller than the national average of $244,900. Between 2020 and 2021 the median property value increased from $94,800 to $96,000, a 1.27% increase. The homeownership rate in Arecibo, PR is 68.3%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.6%.

People in Arecibo, PR have an average commute time of 26.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Arecibo, PR is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Arecibo, PR is $19,752. In 2021, the county with the highest Median Household Income in Arecibo, PR was Guaynabo Municipio, PR with a value of $39,176, followed by Gurabo Municipio, PR and Trujillo Alto Municipio, PR, with respective values of $35,470 and $33,948.

Housing

Property

$96,000

Median Property Value 2021

±$1,442

$44,298

Median Property Taxes

±$1,201

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Arecibo, PR the largest share of households pay taxes in the None range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Arecibo, PR compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

68.3%

Homeownership

2021

74.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2021

In 2021, 68.3% of the housing units in Arecibo, PR were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 69.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Arecibo, PR compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

In 2021, the county with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Arecibo, PR was Guaynabo Municipio, PR with a value of $39,176, followed by Gurabo Municipio, PR and Trujillo Alto Municipio, PR, with respective values of $35,470 and $33,948.

The following map shows all of the counties in Arecibo, PR colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$19,752

Median Household Income

± $710

64.9k

Number of Households

± 1,977

In 2021, the median household income of the 64.9k households in Arecibo, PR grew to $19,752 from the previous year's value of $18,917.

The following chart displays the households in Arecibo, PR distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Arecibo, PR is from Puerto Rico.

0.456

2021 Wage GINI in Puerto Rico

0.451

2020 Wage GINI in Puerto Rico

In 2021, the income inequality in Puerto Rico was 0.456 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.25% growth from 2020 to 2021, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Puerto Rico was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Puerto Rico in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Puerto Rico across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2021

Drove Alone (90.8%)
Worked At Home (4.48%)
Carpooled (2.94%)

In 2021, 90.8% of workers in Arecibo, PR drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (4.48%) and those who carpooled to work (2.94%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

26.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Arecibo, PR have a shorter commute time (26.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.8 minutes). Additionally, 4.13% of the workforce in Arecibo, PR have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Arecibo, PR compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Arecibo, PR distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Arecibo, PR have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

45.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Arecibo, PR (82.8k out of 182k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.6%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Arecibo, PR is Hispanic, followed by White and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

93.4% of the population of Arecibo, PR has health coverage, with 20.8% on employee plans, 50% on Medicaid, 14% on Medicare, 7.54% on non-group plans, and 1.17% on military or VA plans.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2021, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.8% under 18 years, 20.5% between 18 and 34 years, 39% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.9% were men and 53.1% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

6.56%

Uninsured

20.8%

Employer Coverage

50%

Medicaid

14%

Medicare

7.54%

Non-Group

1.17%

Military or VA

Between 2020 and 2021, the percent of uninsured citizens in Arecibo, PR grew by 11% from 5.91% to 6.56%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Arecibo, PR changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.