The PRCS is a significant source of annual social, economic, housing and demographic characteristics. It’s part of the ACS that is customized for Puerto Rico and provides critical data covering more than 40 topics across different geographies.

The PRCS was implemented for the household population in 2005 and expanded to cover the full population (including people living in group quarters) the following year.

The annual sample size in Puerto Rico is approximately 36,000 addresses. The questionnaire and the data collection process are similar to those of the ACS, save for a few differences including:

• Initial ACS mailings are printed in English and Spanish language materials are available upon request. In contrast, initial PRCS mailings are in Spanish and English-language materials can be requested. Sample PRCS questionnaires in both English and Spanish are available each year.
• Several ACS questions are modified in the PRCS to account for cultural and geographic differences between Puerto Rico and the rest of the United States. For example, housing questions that ask the amount of land where a house or mobile home is located are changed from “acre” to “cuerda” — a traditional unit of land equivalent to 0.971 acres that is sometimes referred to as a “Spanish acre.”
• Other changes reflect the unique infrastructure of Puerto Rico. For example, while the ACS asks if respondents have “hot and cold running water,” the PRCS asks if they have “running water” and “a water heater,” because hot water heaters are less common in Puerto Rico.

The PRCS has also been adapted to incorporate differences in geographies between Puerto Rico and the rest of the United States.

For example, the municipio is Puerto Rico’s county equivalent. Other geographies like metropolitan and micropolitan areas and census tracts are the same. The Geography Boundaries by Year page highlights vintages (the latest geographic boundaries) used in the estimates and specifies different names for Puerto Rico geographies.

Figure 1 illustrates the differences between geographies tabulated in the ACS and the PRCS. The geographies in parentheses refer to the PRCS geographic counterparts.

For example, some geographies like barrios and barrios-pueblo are equivalent to U.S. minor civil divisions and fit neatly within municipio boundaries. Communidades and zonas urbanas fit with the commonwealth boundary but may not fit neatly within municipio boundaries.

The Census Bureau does not release any estimates specifically labeled “Puerto Rico Community Survey” estimates because all of the data collected through the PRCS are part of the broader ACS data releases.

Because 11 of the Puerto Rico’s municipios have populations of 65,000 or more, data on those communities are available in the ACS 1-year estimates. Data on the 73 municipios with populations of 20,000 or more are available in the 1-year Supplemental Estimates. The 5-year estimates provide data for all 78 municipios, including the five with populations under 20,000.

You can find data about Puerto Rico at data.census.gov, the Census Bureau’s primary tool for accessing population, housing and economic data.

To start, select the Advanced Search option and, within the Geographies filter, navigate to State to select Puerto Rico. Click “search” to view tables across various Census Bureau programs and surveys published about Puerto Rico.

The Information for Puerto Rico webpage is specifically dedicated s for data users and enthusiasts interested in learning more about the PRCS. Resources available include the:

• PRCS Overview Flyer (available in English and Spanish)
• PRCS Handbook
• Puerto Rico and the American Community Survey webinar

Have you or your organization accessed Puerto Rico data to support a project, improve your community, or enhance your business? If so, Share Your ACS Data Story with us. We post stories to our webpage so people can learn the creative ways data enthusiasts are using ACS data.