The Pew Research Center has reported some new information on the economic reality of life for Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico and in the States. Currently, more Puerto Ricans live on the U.S. mainland than in Puerto Rico.
But the financial position of people from Puerto Rico is different depending where they live.
The Pew Center’s figures date from 2015, the most recent available information. They show that the median annual income for Puerto Ricans living on the Island is $18,626, and that 58% of children in Puerto Rico live in poverty.
More recent estimates say that the poverty rate for children may now be nearer to 60%.
The Pew Center compares the situation in Puerto Rico not with the average data for the U.S. as a whole, but with people from Puerto Rico who live in a State.
Those who were born in Puerto Rico and have moved to the mainland have an average annual income of $33,000, nearly double the average income in Puerto Rico, even though they are less likely to have a college education than those who still live in Puerto Rico.
People of Puerto Rican heritage born on the mainland have an average annual income of $47, 000. Among this group, only 30% of children experience poverty — about half the rate seen in Puerto Rico.
Since 2015, the financial situation has gotten worse in Puerto Rico and better in the U.S. as a whole.
Puerto Ricans appear to be better off economically when they live in one of the States than when they live in Puerto Rico. It remains to be seen how and whether this data will impact the upcoming plebiscite in Puerto Rico, which provides voters with an opportunity to choose to to live in the State of Puerto Rico.
