00728 — Ponce, Puerto Rico
Area Profile
Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 00728. Its median household income runs 18% above Ponce as a whole, which is why this ZIP carries a profile of its own.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 10 sourcesEmployment conditions sit below most comparable ZIP areas measured: unemployment is 10.6% and the Opportunity signal places 00728 in the bottom 25%. The unemployment rate is published for Ponce, PR, which contains 00728, rather than for 00728 alone.
Public schools test above most of the state: 45% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 9% of published profiles for schools. Math proficiency is published for Ponce, PR, which contains 00728, rather than for 00728 alone.
Rent takes 36% of renter income here, above the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 3.9 times what its owners earn.
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 across Ponce, PR, which contains 00728, is 10.6% — higher than in all but 1% of the 3,127 measured US ZIP areas.
Employment across Ponce, PR, which contains 00728, grew 2.6% over the past year, to 38,678 employed residents.
Median household income of $23,031 is lower than in 99% of measured US ZIP areas.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income ±$1,8882024 ACS 5-Year | $23,031 | Bottom 1%of 31,049 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$1,0082024 ACS 5-Year | $13,920 | Bottom 2%of 32,822 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 48.4% | Bottom 2%of 32,846 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.4 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 25.8 min | Top 39%of 32,887 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 27.2% | Top 40%of 33,193 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 84.6% | 81st percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentPonce, PR’s figureJuly 2026 | 38,678 | Bottom 41%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Ponce, PR’s figureJuly 2026 | +5.6% | Top 5%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Ponce, PR’s figureJuly 2026 | +2.6% | Top 6%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Labor forcePonce, PR’s figureJuly 2026 | 43,247 | 44th percentileof 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 52.8% | Bottom 6%of 32,883 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wagePonce, PR Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $35,310 | Bottom 1%of 2,760 | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wagePonce, PR Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $26,940 | Bottom 1%of 2,760 | 2025 OEWS |
| Public transit to work ±0.1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.1% | 62nd percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Ponce, PR’s figureJuly 2026 | +2.3% | Bottom 1%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment ratePonce, PR’s figureJuly 2026 | 10.6% | Bottom 1%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 5.5% | 27th percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
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.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish labor-force data for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Ponce, PR, the city containing this ZIP code.
45% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 49% in reading, across the schools here that reported results. Math proficiency and 1 other measure here are published for Ponce, PR, which contains 00728, rather than for 00728 alone.
There are 7.9 students for every full-time teacher across 1 public school, fewer than in most measured places. The student-teacher ratio is published for Ponce, PR, which contains 00728, rather than for 00728 alone.
The proficiency and staffing figures above are for Ponce, PR: too few schools in 00728 reported a usable figure on their own to weight one honestly. The schools listed below are this place’s own.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Librado Net | PUERTO RICO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | 136 | 7.6 | 67% | 67% |
85.3% 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 $613 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.55% 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 $568 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 93% of the median household income here of $23,031.
The typical renter household here spends 36% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $568 a month.
A median home at $111,000 costs 3.9 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $28,138, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.
The figures above are measured against 00728’s median household income of $23,031, 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 ±0.42024 ACS 5-Year | 3.9 | Bottom 19%of 29,275 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 75.6% | 41st percentileof 32,750 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±7612024 ACS 5-Year | 16,569 | 94th percentileof 33,460 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $491 | Top 1%of 3,031 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $748 | Top 1%of 3,031 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $538 | Top 1%of 3,031 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$512024 ACS 5-Year | $568 | Top 4%of 26,396 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$2,8932024 ACS 5-Year | $111,000 | 14th percentileof 30,812 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$1892024 ACS 5-Year | $613 | 7th percentileof 28,935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$2,8152024 ACS 5-Year | $28,138 | Bottom 1%of 29,802 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.17%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.55% | 18th percentileof 24,099 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 36.1% | Bottom 15%of 26,247 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±1262024 ACS 5-Year | 330 | 91st percentileof 33,772 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 2.0% | 59th percentileof 32,961 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 13.9% | 80th percentileof 32,788 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±4142024 ACS 5-Year | 2,629 | 98th percentileof 33,772 | 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.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 49 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes. The multifamily share is published for Ponce, PR, which contains 00728, rather than for 00728 alone.
At 0.4 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US ZIP areas. The permit rate is published for Ponce, PR, which contains 00728, rather than for 00728 alone.
The Building Permits Survey is not published for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Ponce, PR, the city containing this ZIP code.
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.
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). FEMA publishes at county level. ZIP values are the land-area-weighted mean of the counties the ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersects. Expected annual loss is not allocated below county level. 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. A ZIP area is not a jurisdiction, so no department reports for one. Ponce carries the figure where its 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 7 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year | 86.1% | Bottom 35%of 32,663 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 7 mi | Top 13%of 3,127 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 2 | Bottom 9%of 3,127 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 12.5% | Bottom 28%of 32,663 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedita | PSE | 7 mi | 8,002 ft |
| Luis Munoz Marin Intl | SJU | 53 mi | 10,400 ft |
| Henry E Rohlsen | STX | 124 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 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 2025 calendar 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.
00728 vs Ponce
How this ZIP area compares with Ponce as a whole. Both figures come from the same ACS release, so the comparison is like for like — a gap here is a real difference between the two places, not two surveys disagreeing.
Some demographic statistics use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but do not exactly match USPS ZIP delivery geography. See the methodology for how AreaProfile maps between them.