- Immigration status. Most Puerto Ricans in the United States—3.2 million in all—were born inthe 50 states or the District of Columbia. Additionally, one-third of the Puerto Rican population in the U.S.—1.4 million—was born in Puerto Rico.
- Language. More than eight-in-ten (82%) Puerto Ricans ages 5 and older speak English proficiently. The other 18% of Puerto Ricans report speaking English less than very well, compared with 35% of all Hispanics.
- Age. Puerto Ricans are younger than the U.S. population but the same median age as Hispanics overall. The median age of Puerto Ricans is 27; the median ages of the U.S. population and all Hispanics are 37 and 27, respectively.
- Marital status. Puerto Ricans are less likely than Hispanics overall to be married—36% versus 44%
- Fertility. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Puerto Rican women ages 15 to 44 who gave birth in the 12 months prior to the survey were
unmarried. That was greater than the rate for all Hispanic women—45%—and the overall rate for U.S. women—38%. - Regional dispersion. Puerto Ricans are concentrated in the Northeast (52%), mostly in New York (23%), and in the South (30%), mostly in Florida (18%).
- Educational attainment. Puerto Ricans have higher levels of education than the Hispanic population overall. Some 16% of Puerto Ricans ages 25 and older—compared with 13% of all U.S. Hispanics—have obtained at least a bachelor’s degree.
- Income. The median annual personal earnings for Puerto Ricans ages 16 and older were $25,000 in 2010; the median earnings for all U.S. Hispanics were $20,000.
- Poverty status. The share of Puerto Ricans who live in poverty, 27%, is higher than the rate both for the general U.S. population (15%) and for Hispanics overall (25%).
- Health Insurance. Fully 15% of Puerto Ricans do not have health insurance compared with 31% of all Hispanics and 16% of the general U.S. population. Additionally, 5% of Puerto Ricans younger than 18 are uninsured.
- Homeownership. The rate of Puerto Rican homeownership (38%) is lower than the rate for all Hispanics (47%) and lower than the 65% rate for the U.S. population as a whole.
(Seth Motel and Eileen Patten, Hispanics of Puerto Rican Origin in the United States, 2010, http://www.pewhispanic.org/2012/06/27/hispanics-of-puerto-rican-origin-in-the-united-states-2010/ (June 2012))
