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U.S. Census survey gauges Puerto Rico’s schooling, jobs, housing

In Punta Santiago, Salinas, 11.8 percent of children were enrolled in school, among the highest level in Puerto Rico. (Credit: U.S. Census Bureau, Public Information Office)

Salinas is the town with the highest level of preschool or nursery school enrollment, while Dorado has Puerto Rico’s highest level of residents holding at least a bachelor’s degree, according to the recent American Community Survey released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The survey provides the most detailed portrait of America’s towns and neighborhoods — even for the smallest communities within a metro area — for the combined years from 2007 to 2011. The study allows communities to monitor the composition of their population, from preschool to the oldest ages and milestones in between, including college, work and marriage.

“The American Community Survey provides the only statistics on school enrollment, jobs, housing and many other measures for all towns and neighborhoods,” said Thomas Mesenbourg, the Census Bureau’s acting director. “The results are used by everyone from retailers, homebuilders and police departments, to town and city planners. The numbers permit them to examine demographic patterns within metropolitan areas.”

In its findings, the agency concluded that there are wide variations in the languages spoken at home, educational attainment, the share of persons working in manufacturing, marital status and living arrangements, and many other measures across the San Juan metropolitan area.

Selected highlights from the 2007-2011 estimates show the wide variation in conditions in Puerto Rico:

  • About 5.8 percent of the enrolled population 3 and older in the San Juan metropolitan area attended preschool or nursery school. In Punta Santiago, Salinas, 11.8 percent were enrolled, among the highest in the area. Among towns at the other end of the spectrum was Las Piedras, where 0.6 percent were enrolled.
  • In Dorado, 32.3 percent of people 25 and older had at least a bachelor’s degree, among the highest in the metro area. Among the lowest was San Isidro at 7.5 percent. For the metro area as a whole, 23.6 percent had a bachelor’s degree.
  • In Aibonito, 22.4 percent of the civilian employed population 16 and older worked in the manufacturing industry, among the highest in the area. Among the places at the opposite end of the spectrum was Campanilla, where 2.8 percent did so. Area-wide, the corresponding rate was 8.8 percent.
  • The percentage of males 15 and older who were married (not including those who were separated) was 50.6 percent in San Antonio (in Dorado) and the corresponding percentage for females was 44.8 percent in San Antonio. Both were among the highest in the metro area. The percentages were not significantly different from one another. In Las Piedras, 31.2 percent of males were married while in San Lorenzo, 25.6 percent of females were married. Both were among the lowest in the metro area. The percentages were not significantly different from one another.
  • In Manatí, 15.4 percent of households had a person 65 and older who lived alone, among the highest in the metro area. In Pájaros, the corresponding percentage was 4.6 percent, among the lowest. Area-wide, the corresponding rate was 9.5 percent.
Author Details
Author Details
Business reporter with 30 years of experience writing for weekly and daily newspapers, as well as trade publications in Puerto Rico. My list of former employers includes Caribbean Business, The San Juan Star, and the Puerto Rico Daily Sun, among others. My areas of expertise include telecommunications, technology, retail, agriculture, tourism, banking and most other segments of Puerto Rico’s economy.
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1 Comment

  1. Javier Méndez July 16, 2013

    Creo que esa noticia tiene un error,, Punta Santiago no es en Salinas

    Reply

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