2019 State Report for County-Level Data: Poverty

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the following individuals who have contributed to the success of this effort: Deb Brucker, Erin Dame, Ferris Al Kurabi, Kate Filanoski, Kim Phillips, Karen Volle, Romy Eberle and Toni Sumner-Beebe.

Funding for this publication is made possible by:

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC), funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), grant number 90RTGE0001; and the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Policy and Measurement (EPM-RRTC), also funded by NIDILRR, grant number 90RT5037. The information developed by the StatsRRTC and EPM-RRTC does not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government (Edgar, 75.620 (b)).

The StatsRRTC and EPM-RRTC are part of the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. The Institute on Disability/UCED (IOD) was established in 1987 to provide a university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of people with disabilities and their families and is New Hampshire’s University Center for Excellence in Disability (UCED). Located within the University of New Hampshire, the IOD is a federally designated center authorized by the Developmental Disabilities Act. Through innovative and interdisciplinary research, academic, service, and dissemination initiatives, the IOD builds local, state, and national capacities to respond to the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families.

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2019 Puerto Rico Report for County-Level Data: Poverty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on

Disability Statistics and Demographics

A NIDILRR-Funded Center

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Introduction

The State Reports for County-Level Data on Poverty are designed to provide the users of disability statistics with the number and percentage in poverty for civilians with disabilities, ages 18 to 64 years and living in the community, for any given state and county in the United States (U.S.). This report is intended to be an online complement to Section 3: Poverty of the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium and Annual Disability Statistics Supplement, providing greater detail within each state. The State Reports for County-Level Data on Poverty can be used to compare county-level statistics between counties in any given state or states. The following report provides county-level statistics for Puerto Rico.

The proportion of the civilian non-institutionalized population with disabilities in poverty, also called the poverty rate, presented in the State Reports for County-Level Data is a useful tool for advocates, researchers, and policy-makers to plan and provide services and supports for people with disabilities experiencing poverty. In this report, poverty of people with disabilities is presented as the number of civilians with disabilities, ages 18 to 64 years and living in the community, in a given state and county per total state and county populations, respectively. Counts and percentages (the poverty rate) are provided in tables and maps.

The data for this report come from the American Community Survey 5-year data. The American Community Survey (ACS) is a national survey developed by the U.S. Census Bureau to provide information on a number of topics about social, economic, and demographic characteristics of the U.S. population. ACS 5-year data is collected over a longer period of time than 1-year data, providing larger sample sizes and increased reliability for less populated areas and small population subgroups. All of the statistics in this report use the ACS 5-year data which includes data from the year of this report and data from the four previous years. In the ACS, people are identified as having a disability based on responses to a series of six questions asking about having difficulties with vision, hearing, ambulation, cognition, self-care, and independent living (see glossary for further details). 

Poverty is defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and set as a dollar threshold by the U.S. Census Bureau (see the glossary for further details).

 

Specific to Puerto Rico, the state chosen for this report, sentences providing interpretation and context for poverty statistics are included on the following page. A short glossary of terms is also provided at the end of the report explaining the statistics that are illustrated in each sentence.

Additional Resources. The Annual Disability Statistics Compendium and its complement, the Annual Disability Statistics Supplement, are summaries of statistics about people with disabilities, available both in hard copy and online at https://www.disabilitycompendium.org

Help navigating any of the resources described here can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section at https://www.disabilitycompendium.org/faq. Assistance interpreting and locating additional statistics is available via our toll-free number, 866-538-9521, or by email, disability.statistics@unh.edu. For more information about our research projects, please visit https://www.researchondisability.org.

Suggested Citation. Paul, S., Rafal, M., & Houtenville, A. (2020). 2019 State Report for Puerto Rico County-Level Data: Poverty. Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability.

Interpretation

The following statements are designed to help understand the 2019 county-level poverty statistics from Puerto Rico that are presented:

 

  • For people with disabilities: 

    • The poverty rate for people with disabilities in Puerto Rico was 51.4%.
    • The range, also known as the difference between largest and smallest values, of poverty rates for people with disabilities across Puerto Rico counties was 78.4%.
      • The county with the greatest poverty rate for people with disabilities was Vieques (85.9%).
      • The county with the smallest poverty rate for people with disabilities was Culebra (7.5%).
    • The median, also known as the middle-most, poverty rate for people with disabilities across all counties in Puerto Rico was 53.3%.

 

  • For people without disabilities: 
    • The poverty rate for people without disabilities in Puerto Rico was 39.4%.
    • The range, also known as the difference between largest and smallest values, of poverty rates for people without disabilities across Puerto Rico counties was 48.5%.
      • The county with the greatest poverty rate for people without disabilities was Maricao (67.7%).
      • The county with the smallest poverty rate for people without disabilities was Guaynabo (19.2%).
    • The median, also known as the middle-most, poverty rate for people without disabilities across all counties in Puerto Rico was 42.8%.
Civilians with and without Disabilities in Poverty Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Puerto Rico, by County: 2019
County Disability No Disability   County Disability No Disability
Total Count % [1] Total Count % [2] Total Count % [1] Total Count % [2]
 Puerto Rico   341,055 175,357 51.4 1,655,935 652,260 39.4     Dorado       2,933   1,561 53.2    19,536   5,519 28.3
   Adjuntas      2,094   1,367 65.3     8,756   5,031 57.5    Fajardo       2,867   1,482 51.7    15,248   5,958 39.1
    Aguada       5,727   3,250 56.7    18,375   8,615 46.9    Florida       1,190     535 45.0     6,008   2,923 48.7
  Aguadilla      6,003   3,649 60.8    24,225  11,503 47.5    Guayama       4,711   2,420 51.4    18,636   8,508 45.7
 Aguas Buenas    4,032   2,021 50.1    11,751   4,845 41.2   Guayanilla     1,208     699 57.9     9,727   5,136 52.8
   Aibonito      3,384   1,575 46.5    10,576   4,143 39.2    Guaynabo      9,179   3,421 37.3    44,375   8,506 19.2
   Arecibo       8,424   4,565 54.2    42,359  18,144 42.8     Gurabo       5,536   2,252 40.7    24,428   6,409 26.2
    Arroyo       2,197   1,379 62.8     8,384   4,981 59.4    Guánica      3,189   2,221 69.6     6,023   3,681 61.1
   Añasco       3,337   1,754 52.6    13,213   5,493 41.6    Hatillo       2,378   1,011 42.5    22,215   9,374 42.2
 Barceloneta     2,281   1,204 52.8    12,334   5,903 47.9  Hormigueros     1,464     619 42.3     7,419   2,964 40.0
 Barranquitas    3,845   2,307 60.0    13,686   6,912 50.5    Humacao       2,685   1,091 40.6    28,561  11,696 41.0
   Bayamón     22,613   9,870 43.6    81,252  22,847 28.1    Isabela       5,845   3,733 63.9    19,857  10,119 51.0
  Cabo Rojo      3,132   1,837 58.7    25,464  12,292 48.3     Jayuya       1,645   1,062 64.6     7,057   4,089 57.9
    Caguas      15,106   7,516 49.8    63,329  20,014 31.6  Juana Díaz     4,894   2,432 49.7    23,077   9,806 42.5
    Camuy        3,069   1,620 52.8    16,335   7,381 45.2     Juncos       3,867   2,104 54.4    20,537   8,788 42.8
  Canóvanas     3,983   2,231 56.0    24,347   9,229 37.9     Lajas        2,786   1,993 71.5    10,529   6,309 59.9
   Carolina     14,304   5,473 38.3    77,339  19,905 25.7     Lares        2,369   1,576 66.5    13,163   6,938 52.7
   Cataño       2,581   1,587 61.5    12,061   4,885 40.5  Las Marías       174      45 25.9     4,777   2,314 48.4
    Cayey        8,131   3,804 46.8    18,592   6,487 34.9  Las Piedras     1,700     767 45.1    21,673   8,141 37.6
    Ceiba          395     172 43.5     6,310   2,395 38.0     Loíza       2,336   1,185 50.7    13,643   5,635 41.3
    Ciales       2,524   1,415 56.1     7,474   3,966 53.1    Luquillo      2,198   1,172 53.3     8,532   3,185 37.3
    Cidra        6,474   3,698 57.1    18,378   6,973 37.9    Manatí       3,527   1,769 50.2    19,413   8,305 42.8
    Coamo        5,917   2,793 47.2    18,360   7,975 43.4    Maricao         213     124 58.2     3,533   2,392 67.7
   Comerío      2,674   1,509 56.4     9,238   5,117 55.4    Maunabo         761     323 42.4     5,628   2,673 47.5
   Corozal       4,618   2,664 57.7    15,802   8,303 52.5   Mayagüez      7,637   4,378 57.3    36,345  19,085 52.5
   Culebra          53       4  7.5       697     221 31.7      Moca        3,546   2,400 67.7    19,000   9,293 48.9
Civilians with and without Disabilities in Poverty Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Puerto Rico, by County: 2019
County Disability No Disability   County Disability No Disability
Total Count % [1] Total Count % [2] Total Count % [1] Total Count % [2]
   Morovis       4,364   2,182 50.0    15,283   6,164 40.3     Yauco        5,422   2,928 54.0    15,671   6,693 42.7
   Naguabo       1,119     576 51.5    14,593   6,381 43.7                                                           
  Naranjito      4,375   1,866 42.7    12,854   5,569 43.3                                                           
   Orocovis      3,555   2,194 61.7     9,505   4,936 51.9                                                           
   Patillas        842     468 55.6     9,333   4,966 53.2                                                           
  Peñuelas      1,597     906 56.7    10,852   5,965 55.0                                                           
    Ponce       12,207   6,808 55.8    67,759  32,907 48.6                                                           
 Quebradillas    1,998   1,160 58.1    12,345   5,877 47.6                                                           
   Rincón       1,553     575 37.0     6,660   2,486 37.3                                                           
 Río Grande     5,414   2,708 50.0    24,659   8,154 33.1                                                           
Sabana Grande    3,247   1,811 55.8     9,851   4,117 41.8                                                           
   Salinas       3,315   1,722 51.9    13,248   5,783 43.7                                                           
 San Germán     1,283     853 66.5    16,224   8,138 50.2                                                           
   San Juan     27,236  14,532 53.4   171,033  61,228 35.8                                                           
 San Lorenzo     3,298   2,022 61.3    20,025   7,497 37.4                                                           
San Sebastián   3,881   2,096 54.0    17,668   8,457 47.9                                                           
 Santa Isabel    2,888   1,316 45.6    10,599   4,246 40.1                                                           
   Toa Alta      6,064   2,228 36.7    41,508   9,903 23.9                                                           
   Toa Baja      7,200   3,230 44.9    40,422  12,378 30.6                                                           
Trujillo Alto    5,328   2,462 46.2    35,509   8,319 23.4                                                           
    Utuado       3,007   1,675 55.7    14,014   6,965 49.7                                                           
  Vega Alta      3,477   1,902 54.7    18,586   7,944 42.7                                                           
  Vega Baja      5,870   2,818 48.0    25,746  10,610 41.2                                                           
   Vieques         170     146 85.9     4,927   1,743 35.4                                                           
   Villalba      2,784   1,471 52.8    10,951   4,556 41.6                                                           
   Yabucoa       1,825   1,063 58.2    18,533   8,972 48.4                                                           
Count of Civilians in Poverty with Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Puerto Rico, by County: 2019

Poverty Rate for Civilians with Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Puerto Rico, by County: 2019

Discussion

There are a number of concepts and factors which complicate the interpretation of the estimates presented in this report. These concerns affect all statistics from population-based surveys. The estimates included in this document should be interpreted the following limitations in mind and generalized with caution. In each point, a link to the U.S. Census Bureau website describing the limitation or concept in greater detail in the ACS has been provided.

Additional links to resources for the ACS:

Glossary

American Community Survey (ACS) — The American Community Survey is a large, continuous demographic survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that will provide accurate and up-to-date profiles of America’s communities every year. Annual and multiyear estimates of population and housing data are generated for small areas, including tracts and population subgroups. This information is collected by mailing questionnaires to a sample of addresses. See the U.S. Census Bureau website for additional details.

The Six Disability Questions in the American Community Survey:

  1. Is this person deaf or does he/she have serious difficulty hearing? (yes or no)
  2. Is this person blind or does he/she have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses? (yes or no)
  3. (If person 5 years old or over) Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions? (yes or no)
  4. (If person 5 years or old over) Does this person have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs? (yes or no)
  5. (If person 5 years old or over) Does this person have difficulty dressing or bathing? (yes or no)
  6. (If person 15 years old or over) Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping? (yes or no)

Average — The sum of all of the values in a sample divided by the number of values in the sample.

Civilian — A person not in active-duty military.

Living in the Community – A person lives in the community, if the person is not living in an institution, such as jail, prison, nursing home, and hospital. A college dormitory is not considered an institution.

Median — The middle-most value of a sample that separates the upper half of the values from the lower half of the values. 

Non-Institutionalized Population — Describes individuals who are residing in the community and who are not living in institutions such as jails, prisons, nursing homes, hospitals, etc.

 

Population — The total number of inhabitants in a defined geographic area including all races, classes, and groups.

Poverty — The U.S. Office of Management and Budget in Statistical Policy, Directive 14 sets the standards for which poverty is calculated. The U.S. Census Bureau uses a set of dollar value thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family’s total income is less than the dollar value of the appropriate threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered to be in poverty.

Poverty Rate — Percent of the population who are determined to be in poverty.

Range — The difference between the largest and smallest values in a sample. In a sample, when the smallest value is subtracted from the largest value the resulting value is called the range. 

Sampling Variability — The variation of a statistic when estimated from repeated samples.

United States Census Bureau — An agency within the United States Federal Statistical System tasked with producing data about the American people and economy. Their primary task is to conduct the United States Census every ten years.

About the Center

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC)

Led by the University of New Hampshire, the StatsRRTC is a collaborative effort involving the following partners: American Association of People with Disabilities, Center for Essential Management Services, Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, Kessler Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and Public Health Institute.

The StatsRRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research under grant number 90RTGE0001, from 2018–2023.

Employment Policy and Measurement Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (EPM-RRTC)

Led by the University of New Hampshire, the EPM-RRTC is a collaborative effort involving the following partners: Association of University Centers on Disability, Hunter College, Kessler Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and the University of Chicago.

The EPM-RRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research under grant number 90RT503701, from 2015–2020.

Contact Information
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