Ponce Municipio, PR
County Profile
132,760 residents. Jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Ponce Municipio, PR.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 9 sourcesEmployment conditions sit below most comparable counties measured: unemployment is 10.6% and the Opportunity signal places Ponce Municipio in the bottom 28%.
In the public schools here, 28% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 10.3 students for every teacher.
Rent takes 32% of renter income here, at or above the threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, while buying strains owner incomes less — the median home is 4.1 times what its owners earn, against a historic benchmark near three.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 10.6% — higher than in all but 1% of the 1,467 measured US counties.
Unemployment has been rising for 4 consecutive months, most recently 10.6%.
Employment grew 2.6% over the past year, to 38,678 employed residents.
30% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 75% of measured US counties.
Median household income of $19,877 is lower than in 99% of measured US counties.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income ±$8262024 ACS 5-Year | $19,877 | Bottom 1%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$7502024 ACS 5-Year | $14,625 | Bottom 1%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 49.3% | Bottom 1%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±0.8 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 25.1 min | Top 46%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 29.6% | Top 25%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 85.3% | 94th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 38,678 | Top 47%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | +5.6% | Top 7%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | +2.6% | Top 8%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 43,247 | 55th percentileof 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 60.0% | Bottom 7%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.2% | 52nd percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | +2.3% | Bottom 1%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 10.6% | Bottom 1%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year | 5.9% | 25th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
Median household income, successive ACS releases
Largest occupations — Ponce, PR
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 3,580 | $22,030 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 2,940 | $21,840 |
| Cashiers | 2,320 | $21,840 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,100 | $21,840 |
| Registered Nurses | 1,980 | $38,570 |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,560 | $23,070 |
Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
28% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 47% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 10.3 students for every full-time teacher across 37 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernardino Cordero Bernard | PUERTO RICO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | 1,323 | 14.1 | 2% | 47% |
| Superior Jardines De Ponce | PUERTO RICO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | 509 | 14.5 | 3% | 42% |
| Lucy Grillasca | PUERTO RICO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | 497 | 9.9 | 42% | 32% |
| Herminia Garcia | PUERTO RICO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | 467 | 12.6 | 71% | 80% |
| Ponce High School | PUERTO RICO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | 441 | 10.5 | 3% | 37% |
| Angela Cordero Bernard | PUERTO RICO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | 433 | 9.8 | 44% | 52% |
| Fernando Luis Malave Oliveras | PUERTO RICO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | 426 | 10.7 | 37% | 48% |
| Juan Cuevas Aboy | PUERTO RICO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | 371 | 13.3 | 67% | 77% |
| Eduardo Neumann Gandia | PUERTO RICO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | 325 | 10.2 | 14% | 34% |
| Superior Juan Serralles | PUERTO RICO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | 316 | 12.6 | 3% | 42% |
| Jardines De Ponce | PUERTO RICO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | 309 | 11.9 | 5% | 36% |
| Intermedia Juan Serralles | PUERTO RICO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | 300 | 10.7 | 6% | 44% |
87.7% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Puerto Rico’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $655 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.59% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $538, close to the $536 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $538 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $21,500 a year, about 108% of the median household income here of $19,877.
The typical renter household here spends 32% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $536 a month.
A median home at $110,200 costs 4.1 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $26,951, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.
The figures above are measured against Ponce Municipio’s median household income of $19,877, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year | 4.1 | Bottom 10%of 3,217 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 67.3% | 21st percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±8122024 ACS 5-Year | 69,741 | 87th percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $491 | Top 1%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $748 | Top 1%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $538 | Top 1%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$212024 ACS 5-Year | $536 | Top 2%of 3,215 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$2,0982024 ACS 5-Year | $110,200 | 11th percentileof 3,219 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$1012024 ACS 5-Year | $655 | 9th percentileof 3,172 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$1,2362024 ACS 5-Year | $26,951 | Bottom 1%of 3,218 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.09%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.59% | 28th percentileof 3,126 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 32.4% | Bottom 12%of 3,216 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±2292024 ACS 5-Year | 1,137 | 77th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.6% | 37th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 18.3% | 93rd percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±7382024 ACS 5-Year | 13,911 | 94th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Permitting has turned upward after moving the other way the year before: 49 units authorized in 2025, up 26% on the prior year.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 49 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.
At 0.4 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US counties.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
8 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 92°F and January a low of 63°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 37.5 inches.
Air quality measures a median index of 3, in the Good band, and no day in the year passed 100.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 38 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 37.5" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 0.0" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 63°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 92°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 8 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 0 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 3 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 6°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are hurricane, earthquake and inland flooding, with hurricane alone responsible for 56% of it. Inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.
Low or minimal exposure: avalanche, coastal flooding, cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, ice storm, inland flooding, lightning, strong wind, tornado, tsunami, volcanic activity, wildfire, winter weather.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). These are FEMA’s own figures for this county rather than a value derived from surrounding geographies. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Cost of living
- Regional price parities are published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for the fifty states, the District of Columbia and their metropolitan areas. Puerto Rico is outside that program.
- Death-certificate rates
- The CDC provisional county file covers the fifty states and the District of Columbia. Puerto Rico is not in it, so the homicide, firearm, overdose and suicide rates shown elsewhere on this site have no counterpart here.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Mercedita at 3 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 86.2% | Bottom 45%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 3 mi | Top 1%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 2 | Bottom 15%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year | 12.3% | Bottom 34%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedita | PSE | 3 mi | 8,002 ft |
| Luis Munoz Marin Intl | SJU | 50 mi | 10,400 ft |
| Henry E Rohlsen | STX | 120 mi | 10,002 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 2025 calendar year |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
Cities in Ponce Municipio, PR
ZIP areas
Only ZIP areas whose income or home value differ from their city’s by at least ten percent get a profile of their own, so this is a selection rather than every ZIP code in the county.