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Puerto Rican Population Declines on Island, Grows on U.S. Mainland

Puerto Rico Lost More Migrants to Mainland Since 2010 Than During 1980s or 1990s
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The Pew Research Hispanic Trends Project publicized a report on the declining levels of Puerto Rico’s population with extensive details on where Puerto Ricans are headed to in the mainland. As part of the report there are several graphics and interactive charts that highlight the population losses experienced since 2009, as well as the destinations for the thousands leaving the territory every year.

To note:

Puerto Ricans who arrived from the island since 2000 are different from earlier waves of Puerto Rican migrants. For example, recent migrants are less likely than earlier migrants were to settle in traditional Northeast communities and more likely to live in the South, especially in Florida. More recent Puerto Rican arrivals from the island are also less well off than earlier migrants, with lower household incomes and a greater likelihood of living in poverty. 

The report is exhaustive, with 3 chapters covering Puerto Ricans on the US Mainland, Island Hispanics of Puerto Rican Origin, and Recent and Previous Puerto Rican Migrants, but it’s worth a read to anyone looking to understand the dynamics of Puerto Rico’s declining population, and the behavior of those leaving the territory to settle in the mainland. Actually, it should be a mandatory reading for policymakers in the islands.