Puerto Rico Population by Race & Ethnicity

Racial distribution of Puerto Rico population: 51.15% are White, 9.96% are Black or African American, 0.16% are American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.19% are Asian, 0.01% are Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 21.59% are some other race and 16.95% are multiracial.
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Updated Aug 31, 2023

Puerto Rico population by race

The table below shows Puerto Rico's population by race.

Race Population % of Total Population
White 1,693,651 51.15%
Black or African American 329,651 9.96%
American Indian and Alaska Native 5,407 0.16%
Asian 6,263 0.19%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 245 0.01%
Some other race 714,904 21.59%
Two or more races (multiracial) 561,153 16.95%
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Puerto Rico population by race

Of the 5 race categories (excluding ethnicity) identified by the Census Bureau, namely American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander and White; Puerto Rico has a population in all of the race categories.

This confirms that Puerto Rico's population has become increasingly diverse.

The percent distribution of Puerto Rico population by race (across all racial categories recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau): 51.15% are White, 9.96% are Black or African American, 0.16% are American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.19% are Asian, 0.01% are Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 21.59% are some other race and 16.95% are multiracial.

The bar chart shows Puerto Rico population by race, in percentage. The numbers shown are based on the American Community Survey respondents self identified race. The Hispanic and Latino population is spread across the races identified and not as a separate race category.
Puerto Rico population by race. The largest racial group in Puerto Rico is White with a population of 1.69 million (51.15% of the total population). Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2017-2021 5-Year Estimates.

Puerto Rico's racial breakdown clearly shows that there is an absolute majority (i.e. more than 50% of the population belong to one particular race) of White population in the state.

As per the latest data estimates from American Community Survey's 5-year estimates:

1. The largest racial group in Puerto Rico is White with a population of 1.69 million (51.15% of the total population).

2. The multiracial population, i.e. population that identify themselves with two or more races, is 561,153 (16.95% of the total population).

Racial / Ethnic makeup of Puerto Rico

By ethnicity, 3.27 million (98.76% of the total population) is Hispanic or Latino (of any race), and 40,913 (1.24% of the total population) is Non-Hispanic.

The pie chart shows racial / ethnic makeup of  Puerto Rico. The numbers shown are based on the American Community Survey respondents self identified race and ethnicity. The Hispanic or Latino population is excluded from the other identified racial categories and shown as one single group as Hispanic or Latino population.
Racial / Ethnic makeup of Puerto Rico. By ethnicity, 3.27 million (98.76% of the total population) is Hispanic or Latino (of any race) and 40,913 (1.24% of the total population) is Non-Hispanic. Please note that all Hispanic or Latino population are shown as one single group and the other racial categories are Non-Hispanic population percentages. Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2017-2021 5-Year Estimates.

Of the Non-Hispanic population in Puerto Rico, the largest racial group is White alone with a population of 28,414 (69.45% of the total Non-Hispanic population).

Puerto Rico Non-Hispanic population by race

The distribution of the Non-Hispanic population across various race categories

Race Population % of Total Non-Hispanic Population
White alone 28,414 69.45%
Black or African American alone 3,698 9.04%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone 124 0.30%
Asian alone 2,316 5.66%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone 0 0.00%
Some other race alone 3,800 9.29%
Two or more races (multiracial) 2,561 6.26%
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Among the Hispanic population in Puerto Rico, regardless of the race, the largest group is of Puerto Rican origin, with a population of 3.16 million (96.74% of the total Hispanic population).

Puerto Rico Hispanic or Latino population

The distribution of the Hispanic or Latino population by their ancestries

Origin Population % of Total Hispanic Population
Mexican 7,900 0.24%
Puerto Rican 3,163,894 96.74%
Cuban 12,216 0.37%
Other Hispanic or Latino 86,351 2.64%
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Things to know

What percentage of Puerto Rico is Hispanic?

As per the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates, 98.76% of Puerto Rico population is Hispanic.

Among the Hispanic population in Puerto Rico, regardless of the race, the largest group is of Puerto Rican origin, with a population of 3.16 million (96.74% of the total Hispanic population).

How many Black people does Puerto Rico have?

Puerto Rico has 329,651 Black or African American population as per the estimates from the latest American Community Survey 5-Year estimates. Overall 9.96% of the total population (excluding multiracial) in Puerto Rico is Black.

What is the largest minority group in Puerto Rico?

With 1.24% of the total population, Non-Hispanics are the largest ethnic minority in Puerto Rico.

That being said, with a 9.96% of the total population, Black or African Americans are the largest racial minority in Puerto Rico.

What is the majority race in Puerto Rico?

With a population of 1.69 million (51.15% of the total population), Whites are the largest racial majority in Puerto Rico.

Black or African Americans are second largest race in Puerto Rico, with 9.96% of the total population.

References

Datasets

Explore datasets by year of publication.
2023
Puerto Rico Population Breakdown by Race
Last updated August 18, 2023
ACS
Free
Neilsberg
CSV, JSON
2017-2021
CC BY 4.0
About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the population of Puerto Rico by race. It includes the population of Puerto Rico across racial categories (excluding ethnicity) as identified by the Census Bureau. The dataset can be utilized to understand the population distribution of Puerto Rico across relevant racial categories.

Key observations

The percent distribution of Puerto Rico population by race (across all racial categories recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau): 51.15% are white, 9.96% are Black or African American, 0.16% are American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.19% are Asian, 0.01% are Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 21.59% are some other race and 16.95% are multiracial.

Puerto Rico population by race

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2017-2021 5-Year Estimates.

Racial categories include:

  • White
  • Black or African American
  • American Indian and Alaska Native
  • Asian
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
  • Some other race
  • Two or more races (multiracial)

Variables / Data Columns

  • Race: This column displays the racial categories (excluding ethnicity) for the Puerto Rico
  • Population: The population of the racial category (excluding ethnicity) in the Puerto Rico is shown in this column.
  • % of Total Population: This column displays the percentage distribution of each race as a proportion of Puerto Rico total population. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for Puerto Rico Population by Race & Ethnicity. You can refer the same here

Puerto Rico Non-Hispanic Population Breakdown by Race
Last updated August 18, 2023
ACS
Free
Neilsberg
CSV, JSON
2017-2021
CC BY 4.0
About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the Non-Hispanic population of Puerto Rico by race. It includes the distribution of the Non-Hispanic population of Puerto Rico across various race categories as identified by the Census Bureau. The dataset can be utilized to understand the Non-Hispanic population distribution of Puerto Rico across relevant racial categories.

Key observations

Of the Non-Hispanic population in Puerto Rico, the largest racial group is White alone with a population of 28,414 (69.45% of the total Non-Hispanic population).

Puerto Rico Non-Hispanic population by race

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2017-2021 5-Year Estimates.

Racial categories include:

  • White
  • Black or African American
  • American Indian and Alaska Native
  • Asian
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
  • Some other race
  • Two or more races (multiracial)

Variables / Data Columns

  • Race: This column displays the racial categories (for Non-Hispanic) for the Puerto Rico
  • Population: The population of the racial category (for Non-Hispanic) in the Puerto Rico is shown in this column.
  • % of Total Population: This column displays the percentage distribution of each race as a proportion of Puerto Rico total Non-Hispanic population. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for Puerto Rico Population by Race & Ethnicity. You can refer the same here

Puerto Rico Hispanic or Latino Population Distribution by Their Ancestries
Last updated August 18, 2023
ACS
Free
Neilsberg
CSV, JSON
2017-2021
CC BY 4.0
About this dataset

Context

The dataset tabulates the Puerto Rico Hispanic or Latino population. It includes the distribution of the Hispanic or Latino population, of Puerto Rico, by their ancestries, as identified by the Census Bureau. The dataset can be utilized to understand the origin of the Hispanic or Latino population of Puerto Rico.

Key observations

Among the Hispanic population in Puerto Rico, regardless of the race, the largest group is of Puerto Rican origin, with a population of 3.16 million (96.74% of the total Hispanic population).

Puerto Rico Non-Hispanic population by race

Content

When available, the data consists of estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2017-2021 5-Year Estimates.

Origin for Hispanic or Latino population include:

  • Mexican
  • Black or African American
  • Puerto Rican
  • Cuban
  • Other Hispanic or Latino

Variables / Data Columns

  • Origin: This column displays the origin for Hispanic or Latino population for the Puerto Rico
  • Population: The population of the specific origin for Hispanic or Latino population in the Puerto Rico is shown in this column.
  • % of Total Hispanic Population: This column displays the percentage distribution of each Hispanic origin as a proportion of Puerto Rico total Hispanic or Latino population. Please note that the sum of all percentages may not equal one due to rounding of values.

Good to know

Margin of Error

Data in the dataset are based on the estimates and are subject to sampling variability and thus a margin of error. Neilsberg Research recommends using caution when presening these estimates in your research.

Custom data

If you do need custom data for any of your research project, report or presentation, you can contact our research staff at research@neilsberg.com for a feasibility of a custom tabulation on a fee-for-service basis.

Inspiration

Neilsberg Research Team curates, analyze and publishes demographics and economic data from a variety of public and proprietary sources, each of which often includes multiple surveys and programs. The large majority of Neilsberg Research aggregated datasets and insights is made available for free download at https://www.neilsberg.com/research/.

Recommended for further research

This dataset is a part of the main dataset for Puerto Rico Population by Race & Ethnicity. You can refer the same here

If you're looking for datasets from another year, please feel free to contact us at research@neilsberg.com and we'll be happy to assist you further.

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