Arecibo, PR

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

Add Comparison

2023 Population

181,380

0.242% 1-year decline

2023 Median Age

1.12% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

41.1%

5.15% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$24,436

9.25% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$111,700

4% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

58,929

2.69% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Arecibo, PR had a population of 181k people with a median age of 45 and a median household income of $24,436. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Arecibo, PR declined from 181,820 to 181,380, a −0.242% decrease and its median household income grew from $22,368 to $24,436, a 9.25% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Arecibo, PR are White (Hispanic) (47.2%), Two+ (Hispanic) (26.8%), Other (Hispanic) (22%), Black or African American (Hispanic) (2.58%), and White (Non-Hispanic) (0.543%).

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 Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo (593 degrees awarded in 2023), University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo (553 degrees), and ICPR Junior College-Arecibo (139 degrees).

In 2023, the median property value in Arecibo, PR was $111,700, and the homeownership rate was 68.3%.

Most people in Arecibo, PR drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.7 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 2023, there were 1.76 times more White (Hispanic) residents (85.7k people) in Arecibo, PR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 48.6k Two+ (Hispanic) and 39.9k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Arecibo, PR

White (Hispanic)
85.7k ± 2.57k
Two+ (Hispanic)
48.6k ± 2.44k
Other (Hispanic)
39.9k ± 1.94k

99.2%

Hispanic Population

180k people

99.2% of the people in Arecibo, PR are hispanic (180k 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
51,093 ± 5,506 people
Cuba
9,583 ± 2,400 people
Colombia
4,347 ± 1,618 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Puerto Rico was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 51,093 Puerto Rico residents, followed by Cuba with 9,583 and Colombia with 4,347.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,345 ± 328
Gulf War (2001-)
600 ± 224
Korea
488 ± 176

Arecibo, PR has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.24 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Arecibo, PR employs 58.9k people. The largest industries in Arecibo, PR are Retail Trade (8,486 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (7,772 people), and Manufacturing (7,267 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($34,917), Wholesale Trade ($32,103), and Finance & Insurance ($29,006).

Males in Puerto Rico have an average income that is 1.12 times higher than the average income of females, which is $34,367. The income inequality in Puerto Rico (measured using the Gini index) is 0.457, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

58.9k

2023 Value

± 2,244

2.69%

1 Year growth

± 5.26%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Arecibo, PR grew at a rate of 2.69%, from 57.4k employees to 58.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Arecibo, PR, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (9,322 people), Sales & Related Occupations (6,103 people), and Production Occupations (5,300 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.

View Full Dashboard

Industries

Employment by Industries

58.9k

2023 Value

± 2,244

2.69%

1 Year growth

± 5.26%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Arecibo, PR grew at a rate of 2.69%, from 57.4k employees to 58.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Arecibo, PR, are Retail Trade (8,486 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (7,772 people), and Manufacturing (7,267 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

$19,286

Median earning men ± $526

$19,342

Median earning women ± $758

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($33,690), Wholesale Trade ($32,480), and Information ($30,071).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Wholesale Trade ($29,010), Public Administration ($27,386), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($25,259).

Establishments by Size

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

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Education

In 2023, universities in Arecibo, PR awarded 1,603 degrees. The student population of Arecibo, PR in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 2,389 male students and 4,402 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Arecibo, PR are Hispanic or Latino (1,600 and 99.8%), followed by Unknown (2 and 0.125%), White (1 and 0.0624%), and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders (0 and 0%).

The largest universities in Arecibo, PR by number of degrees awarded are Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo (593 and 37%), University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo (553 and 34.5%), and ICPR Junior College-Arecibo (139 and 8.67%).

The most popular majors in Arecibo, PR are Registered Nursing (214 and 13.3%), General Microbiology (116 and 7.24%), and General Biological Sciences (70 and 4.37%).

The median tuition costs in Arecibo, PR are $5,184 for private four year colleges, and $5,024 and $5,024 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Arecibo, PR, the percentage of applicants admitted was 54.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 78.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 6,791 (35.2% men and 64.8% 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 2023 there were 6,791 students enrolled in Arecibo, PR, 35.2% men and 64.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 6,776 records, of which 64.8% were women and 35.2% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Microbiology
116 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
70 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
189 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Arecibo, PR was General Microbiology with 116 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

Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
593 degrees awarded
University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo
553 degrees awarded
ICPR Junior College-Arecibo
139 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo with 593 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 471 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Arecibo, PR, which is 0.416 times less than the 1,132 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 1,600 degrees mean that there were 800 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 2 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 ($7,879) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($725) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

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 2022, 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 2022 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 $111,700 in 2023, which is 0.368 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $107,400 to $111,700, a 4% increase. The homeownership rate in Arecibo, PR is 68.3%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Arecibo, PR have an average commute time of 26.7 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 $24,436. In 2023, the county with the highest Median Household Income in Arecibo, PR was Guaynabo Municipio, PR with a value of $46,048, followed by Gurabo Municipio, PR and Trujillo Alto Municipio, PR, with respective values of $39,532 and $38,773.

Housing

Property

$111,700

Median Property Value 2023

±$2,378

$44,643

Median Property Taxes

±$1,424

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

2023

72.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 68.3% of the housing units in Arecibo, PR were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 68%.

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 2023, the county with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Arecibo, PR was Guaynabo Municipio, PR with a value of $46,048, followed by Gurabo Municipio, PR and Trujillo Alto Municipio, PR, with respective values of $39,532 and $38,773.

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.

$24,436

Median Household Income

± $758

65.3k

Number of Households

± 2,041

In 2023, the median household income of the 65.3k households in Arecibo, PR grew to $24,436 from the previous year's value of $22,368.

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.

0.457

2022 Wage GINI in Puerto Rico

0.456

2021 Wage GINI in Puerto Rico

In 2022, the income inequality in Puerto Rico was 0.457 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.209% growth from 2021 to 2022, 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 2023

Drove Alone (89.4%)
Worked At Home (5.8%)
Carpooled (3.15%)

In 2023, 89.4% of workers in Arecibo, PR drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (5.8%) and those who carpooled to work (3.15%).

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

26.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Arecibo, PR have a longer commute time (26.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 4.41% 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

41.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Arecibo, PR (73.9k out of 180k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 75+.

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

93.9% of the population of Arecibo, PR has health coverage, with 21.4% on employee plans, 48.8% on Medicaid, 15% on Medicare, 7.71% on non-group plans, and 1.01% on military or VA plans.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 17.5% under 18 years, 20.8% between 18 and 34 years, 38.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 22.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.6% were men and 53.4% were women.

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

Uninsured People

6.1%

Uninsured

21.4%

Employer Coverage

48.8%

Medicaid

15%

Medicare

7.71%

Non-Group

1.01%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Arecibo, PR declined by 4.27% from 6.37% to 6.1%.

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.

Keep Exploring

San Juan-Carolina-Caguas, PR

MSA

Puerto Rico

State

Aguadilla-Isabela, PR

MSA

United States

Nation