Economic censuses were conducted in Puerto Rico beginning with a census of manufactures for 1909 and continuing at 10-year intervals through 1949, excepting 1929. Wholesale and retail trades and service industries were included as part of the economic censuses for 1939. Starting with 1949 through 1992, the censuses of wholesale and retail trades and service industries have been conducted concurrently with the census of manufactures. The census of construction industries has been included since 1967. Congress has authorized the economic censuses to be taken at 5-year intervals covering years ending in 2 and 7.

Data from the 1992 Economic Censuses of wholesale trade, retail trade, and service industries have been tabulated for nine commercial regions, and the legally constituted units (municipios) into which Puerto Rico is divided. A commercial region is an entity delineated by the Puerto Rico Department of Commerce. Each commercial region is named after the principal municipio in the area. A municipio is entirely included in a commercial region; it does not cross boundaries to form part of any broader geographic area.

This report presents data for the wholesale and retail trades and service industries. It includes varied kind-of-business detail on number of establishments, sales or receipts, payroll, employment, proprietors and partners working, legal form of organization, and type of firm. Data are presented for Puerto Rico, commercial regions, and municipios. Retail trade data include total and selling floor space, franchise holders, and class of customer for selected kinds of business. Wholesale trade data on inventories, operating expenses, class of customer, and employment by principal activity are presented by kind of business. Data for hotels and motels by type of receipts and number of rooms are published for service industries.