States / Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
66.7%
Population of State Living in Coastal Areas
$20.2 Billion
Coastal Employment
Annual Wages
2
Climate and Weather Disasters
(Affecting Puerto Rico 2010 to 2018)*
Coastal Demographics
Of the total population of 3.6 million in Puerto Rico, 2.4 million people live in coastal portions of the territory.
Coastal Economy
Coastal Puerto Rico employs almost 696,000 people annually, earning a total of almost $20 billion.
Natural Hazards
Two billion-dollar weather disasters affected Puerto Rico between 2010 and 2018. Hurricanes Irma and Maria both hit Puerto Rico in 2017. Hurricane Maria was the strongest hurricane to make landfall there since 1928. It caused over 2,900 fatalities and widespread devastation to the island’s transportation, agriculture, communication, and energy infrastructure. Maria’s total costs were over $92 billion.*
Coastal Resources
Puerto Rico’s coral reefs provide millions of dollars in protection to buildings and the local economy every year—over $183.7 million every year (including Culebra and Vieques, Puerto Rico).**
Sources:
American Community Survey Five-Year Estimates (NOAA Data)
*Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (NOAA Website)
**Report: Rigorously Valuing the Role of U.S. Coral Reefs in Coastal Hazard Risk Reduction (U.S. Geological Survey)
(All economic and demographic facts represent the latest data available [2015] and are regularly updated as new data become available)
Making a Difference
in Puerto Rico
NOAA Aids Exploration of Macroalgae as Renewable Energy Source
The Takeaway: The cultivation of marine macroalgae, such as seaweed and kelp, could benefit both human energy needs and ocean ecology.
Learn MoreNOAA Blue Carbon Enterprises Lessen Climate Change Damage
The Takeaway: Coastal wetlands research, restoration, tools, data, workshops, and partners—NOAA brings every blue carbon asset to the fight against climate-change-related hazards and harm.
Learn MoreNOAA Boosts Coastal Hardiness
The Takeaway: The agency and its partners help coastal communities lessen hazard dangers, curb carbon emissions, and protect the coast’s environmental and economic assets.
Learn MoreNOAA Expands Coastal Opportunities for People with Disabilities
The Takeaway: Creating sign language for “estuary” and other coastal terms, and trails that accommodate wheelchairs and the needs of the visually impaired—these are just two of the contributions from research reserves and coastal zone management programs.
Learn MoreNOAA Helps Protect Reefs That Boost Resilience and the Economy
The Takeaway: A road improvement partnership on Puerto Rico’s Culebra Island lessens sediment and pollutants that harm this irreplaceable resource.
Learn MoreNOAA Rehabs Puerto Rico Reefs,Trails, and Flood Maps
The Takeaway: The agency joined with partners to reattach more than 7,000 coral reef fragments, restore a research reserve’s entire trail system, and provide flood-risk maps and training.
Learn MoreNOAA Reserve Hosts First-Ever Carbon-Offset Initiative by U.S. Pro Football Team
The Takeaway: The Philadelphia Eagles football team will expand mangrove and seagrass restoration efforts at Puerto Rico’s Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in order to offset travel-related emissions, in a partnership with the Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Foundation.
Learn MoreNOAA Strengthens Resilience Before, During, and After Disasters
The Takeaway: NOAA initiatives and state partnership programs are making a difference throughout the nation’s coastal zone.
Learn MoreNew Policies Please Hunters and the Reserves
The Takeaway: Hunting grounds are clearly marked, and hunting passes are required.
Learn MoreResearch Reserve Adds Emotional Health Outreach after Hurricane
The Takeaway: Local Hurricane Maria survivors can receive expert help for their trauma and stress, because the Jobos Bay Research Reserve connects them with appropriate resources.
Learn MoreVeterans Benefit from Nature’s Power to Heal and Teach
The Takeaway: Programs help military veterans adjust to civilian life through on-the job training and outdoor activities.
Learn MoreWade into Estuary Recreation at a NOAA Research Reserve
The Takeaway: Paddling azure waterways. Casting a line for that delectable campsite dinner. Spying an elusive warbler in a birder’s paradise. These adventures and many more await.
Learn More