Report: P.R. lost 2.4% of its population in ’17, when 77K people left
During calendar year 2017, an estimated 2.4% of Puerto Rico’s population migrated to other jurisdictions in the United States, resulting in about 77,000in net terms, according to the Migrant Profile report published by the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.
The report presents a snapshot of Puerto Rico’s migratory movement during the 2017 calendar year.
The result represents the peak migration figures for Puerto Rico when considering 13 years of data included in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Community Survey, the Institute confirmed.
The report also relies on information about net passenger movement included in the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the Puerto Rico Ports Authority.
Among its findings, the Institute of Statistics’ research showed that Puerto Rico’s migration indicators for 2017 expanded, to reflect the effect of the impact of Hurricanes Irma and María.
A total of 97,000 people immigrated to the U.S. mainland, beating the record of the data included in the Community Survey during the previous year. Some 77,000 people migrated to the U.S. mainland in net terms, a new record related to the information included in the Community Survey.
Meanwhile, 27,000 people immigrated to the continental U.S. with some post-secondary education on a net basis, according to the Community Survey. There was a total of 294,000 air passengers flying to all destinations on a net basis according to U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
The 10 states with the highest migration from Puerto Rico in 2017 in descending order were Florida, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, New Jersey, Connecticut, Ohio, Georgia, and North Carolina.
According to Community Survey data, occupational and professional management group remained the largest proportion of migrants, followed by service occupations.
“Continuing to publish the Migrant Profile allows us to compare the most recent estimates of the migrant population against the behavior of previous years,” said Alberto L. Velázquez-Estrada, project manager at the Institute.
“The different series expose the trends and changes in the size and characteristics of migrants in demographic and socio-economic aspects. This new publication establishes the immediate effect of the impact of hurricanes through December 2017, increasing the emigration flow to never-before-seen figures recorded in Puerto Rico,” he said.
“In the field of education, for the third consecutive year (2015-2017) more than 50% of migrants ages 25 or older had some postsecondary education. On the other hand, the report exposed that more than one-third of migrants, once residing in any state, live below the poverty level,” Velázquez-Estrada said.
