Municipalities of Puerto Rico

The municipalities of Puerto Rico are the second-order administrative divisions in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. There are 78 such administrative divisions covering all 78 incorporated towns and cities. Each municipality is led by a mayor and divided into barrios, though the latter are not vested with any political authority. Every municipality is governed by the Autonomous Municipalities Act of 1991, which establishes that every municipality must have an elected strong mayor with a municipal legislature as the form of government. Each legislature must be unicameral, with the number of members related to adequate representation of the total municipality's population. In contrast to other jurisdictions, both the mayors and the municipal legislators are elected on the same date and for the same term of office.

Municipalities of Puerto Rico
Location	Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Number	78
Populations	1,818 (Culebra) – 395,326 (San Juan)
Areas	4.84 square miles (12.5 km^2) (Cataño) – 125.95 square miles (326.2 km^2) (Arecibo)
Government	Mayor–council government
Subdivisions	Barrio

From a political and urban design perspective, several differences and similarities exist among municipalities of differing sizes. For instance, municipalities with 50,000 inhabitants or more are considered incorporated cities, while those with fewer than 50,000 are considered incorporated towns.[1] Size affects the autonomy exercised by the jurisdiction: cities provide and manage their own services, while towns typically depend on nearby cities for certain services. All municipalities have a barrio called pueblo proper (English: 'town'), which typically is the site of that municipality's historic Spanish colonial settlement. With development over time, it typically has become that municipality's urban core. Municipalities with large populations, however, may have an urban core that consist of several barrios.

Other differences exist among the municipalities. Economic activity, for example, tends to be concentrated in the metropolitan areas surrounding the cities of San Juan, Ponce, Arecibo, Caguas, Mayaguez, Aguadilla, and Humacao, and most towns are commuter towns. Statistically, the municipality with the largest number of inhabitants is San Juan, with around 400,000, while Culebra is the smallest, with around 1,800. Arecibo is the largest in terms of geography, with around 125 mi², and Cataño the smallest, with around 4.8 mi².

Overview

See also: Puerto Rico statistical areas

Because Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony until 1898, its system of local government bears more resemblance to that of the Hispanophone nations of the Americas than to local government in the United States and some other Anglophone countries. Thus, there are no first-order administrative divisions akin to counties, as defined by the United States Government; instead, Puerto Rico has 78 municipalities or "municipios" as the secondary unit of administration. For U.S. Census purposes, the municipalities are considered county equivalents. The municipalities are grouped into eight electoral districts, but these do not possess administrative functions. In 1991, the Autonomous Municipalities Act was passed, which slightly modified the rights and responsibilities of Puerto Rican municipalities with the aim of decentralizing control and improving government services.[2]

Every municipality is composed of several barrios, except for Florida, which has only one barrio. The municipality of Ponce has the largest number of barrios, 31.[3][4][5][6][7]

Every municipality (except San Juan) also has an urban area made up of one or more barrios.[8] When the urban area is made up of only one barrio, it is called "Barrio Pueblo". Some urban areas are made up of multiple barrios: Ponce's urban area, for example, is made up of 12 barrios. All of San Juan's barrios are urban barrios, and the municipality of San Juan is composed of urban barrios only - thus, the entire municipality of San Juan consists of one large urban zone only.[9]

Every municipality's urban zone is named by the same name as the municipality. For example, the municipality of Caguas has an urban zone called Caguas - just like the municipality. Some municipalities' urban zones are termed "pueblo" (town) while others are termed "ciudad" (city). The difference resides in the population of the municipality: if the municipality has an urban zone below 50,000 inhabitants, then its urban zone is called a pueblo. If a municipality has a population above 50,000 inhabitants in its urban zone, then its urban zone is called a ciudad.[1]

Politics

The municipalities elect a Mayor and a Municipal Legislature in the general elections every four years.

Demographics

Municipality	FIPS code[10]	Founded	Population (2010)[11]	% of Population	Area[12]
Adjuntas	001	1815	19,483	0.52%	66.69 sq mi (172.73 sq km)
Aguada	003	1639	41,959	1.12%	30.85 sq mi (79.90 sq km)
Aguadilla	005	1775	60,949	1.62%	36.53 sq mi (94.61 sq km)
Aguas Buenas	007	1838	28,659	0.76%	30.08 sq mi (77.92 sq km)
Aibonito	009	1824	25,900	0.69%	31.31 sq mi (81.10 sq km)
Añasco	011	1733	29,261	0.78%	39.29 sq mi (101.75 sq km)
Arecibo	013	1616	96,440	2.57%	125.95 sq mi (326.20 sq km)
Arroyo	015	1855	19,575	0.52%	15.01 sq mi (38.87 sq km)
Barceloneta	017	1881	24,816	0.66%	18.69 sq mi (48.41 sq km)
Barranquitas	019	1803	30,318	0.81%	34.25 sq mi (88.71 sq km)
Bayamón	021	1772	208,116	5.54%	44.32 sq mi (114.80 sq km)
Cabo Rojo	023	1771	50,917	1.36%	70.37 sq mi (182.27 sq km)
Caguas	025	1775	142,893	3.81%	58.60 sq mi (151.77 sq km)
Camuy	027	1807	35,159	0.94%	46.35 sq mi (120.06 sq km)
Canóvanas	029	1909	47,648	1.27%	32.87 sq mi (85.12 sq km)
Carolina	031	1816	176,762	4.71%	45.32 sq mi (117.38 sq km)
Cataño	033	1927	28,140	0.75%	4.84 sq mi (12.55 sq km)
Cayey	035	1773	48,119	1.28%	51.93 sq mi (134.51 sq km)
Ceiba	037	1838	13,631	0.36%	29.04 sq mi (75.20 sq km)
Ciales	039	1820	18,782	0.50%	66.53 sq mi (172.31 sq km)
Cidra	041	1809	43,480	1.16%	36.02 sq mi (93.29 sq km)
Coamo	043	1579	40,512	1.08%	78.10 sq mi (202.27 sq km)
Comerío	045	1826	20,778	0.55%	28.40 sq mi (73.56 sq km)
Corozal	047	1795	37,142	0.99%	42.57 sq mi (110.26 sq km)
Culebra	049	1880	1,818	0.05%	11.62 sq mi (30.10 sq km)
Dorado	051	1842	38,165	1.02%	23.09 sq mi (59.80 sq km)
Fajardo	053	1772	36,993	0.99%	29.86 sq mi (77.34 sq km)
Florida	054	1971	12,680	0.34%	15.21 sq mi (39.39 sq km)
Guánica	055	1914	19,427	0.52%	37.05 sq mi (95.96 sq km)
Guayama	057	1736	45,362	1.21%	64.99 sq mi (168.32 sq km)
Guayanilla	059	1833	21,581	0.57%	42.27 sq mi (109.48 sq km)
Guaynabo	061	1769	97,924	2.61%	27.58 sq mi (71.43 sq km)
Gurabo	063	1815	45,369	1.21%	27.89 sq mi (72.23 sq km)
Hatillo	065	1823	41,953	1.12%	41.78 sq mi (108.21 sq km)
Hormigueros	067	1874	17,250	0.46%	11.34 sq mi (29.37 sq km)
Humacao	069	1722	58,466	1.56%	44.75 sq mi (115.90 sq km)
Isabela	071	1819	45,631	1.22%	55.30 sq mi (143.23 sq km)
Jayuya	073	1911	16,642	0.44%	44.53 sq mi (115.33 sq km)
Juana Díaz	075	1798	79,897	2.13%	60.28 sq mi (156.12 sq km)
Juncos	077	1797	40,290	1.07%	26.49 sq mi (68.61 sq km)
Lajas	079	1883	25,753	0.69%	59.95 sq mi (159.15 sq km)
Lares	081	1827	30,753	0.82%	61.45 sq mi (159.15 sq km)
Las Marías	083	1871	9,881	0.26%	46.36 sq mi (120.07 sq km)
Las Piedras	085	1773	38,675	1.03%	33.88 sq mi (87.75 sq km)
Loíza	087	1719	30,060	0.80%	19.37 sq mi (50.17 sq km)
Luquillo	089	1797	20,068	0.53%	25.81 sq mi (66.85 sq km)
Manatí	091	1738	44,113	1.17%	46.13 sq mi (119.48 sq km)
Maricao	093	1874	6,276	0.17%	36.62 sq mi (94.85 sq km)
Maunabo	095	1799	12,225	0.33%	21.07 sq mi (54.57 sq km)
Mayagüez	097	1760	89,080	2.37%	77.65 sq mi (201.11 sq km)
Moca	099	1772	40,109	1.07%	50.34 sq mi (130.38 sq km)
Morovis	101	1818	32,610	0.87%	38.87 sq mi (100.67 sq km)
Naguabo	103	1821	26,720	0.71%	51.66 sq mi (133.80 sq km)
Naranjito	105	1824	30,402	0.81%	27.40 sq mi (70.97 sq km)
Orocovis	107	1772	23,423	0.62%	63.62 sq mi (164.78 sq km)
Patillas	109	1811	19,277	0.51%	46.7 sq mi (120.95 sq km)
Peñuelas	111	1793	24,282	0.65%	44.62 sq mi (115.57 sq km)
Ponce	113	1692	166,327	4.43%	114.76 sq mi (297.23 sq km)
Quebradillas	115	1823	25,919	0.69%	22.68 sq mi (58.74 sq km)
Rincón	117	1771	15,200	0.40%	14.29 sq mi (37.01 sq km)
Río Grande	119	1840	54,304	1.45%	60.62 sq mi (157.01 sq km)
Sabana Grande	121	1813	25,265	0.67%	35.83 sq mi (92.80 sq km)
Salinas	123	1851	31,078	0.83%	69.37 sq mi (179.67 sq km)
San Germán	125	1573	35,527	0.95%	54.50 sq mi (141.15 sq km)
San Juan	127	1519[13]	395,326	10.53%	47.85 sq mi (123.93 sq km)
San Lorenzo	129	1811	41,058	1.09%	53.11 sq mi (137.55 sq km)
San Sebastián	131	1752	42,430	1.13%	70.42 sq mi (182.39 sq km)
Santa Isabel	133	1842	23,274	0.62%	34.02 sq mi (88.119 sq km)
Toa Alta	135	1751	74,066	1.97%	27.02 sq mi (69.98 sq km)
Toa Baja	137	1745	89,609	2.39%	23.24 sq mi (60.19 sq km)
Trujillo Alto	139	1801	74,842	1.99%	20.76 sq mi (53.77 sq km)
Utuado	141	1739	33,149	0.88%	113.53 sq mi (294.04 sq km)
Vega Alta	143	1775	39,951	1.06%	27.73 sq mi (71.82 sq km)
Vega Baja	145	1776	59,662	1.59%	45.86 sq mi (118.78 sq km)
Vieques	147	1852	9,301	0.25%	50.77 sq mi (131.49 sq km)
Villalba	149	1917	26,073	0.69%	35.64 sq mi (92.31 sq km)
Yabucoa	151	1793	37,941	1.01%	55.21 sq mi (142.99 sq km)
Yauco	153	1756	42,043	1.12%	68.19 sq mi (176.61 sq km)

Racial composition

The following is an alphabetical list of the municipalities and their population together with a breakdown of their racial composition.

Municipality (2010)	White (both Hispanic and Non-Hispanic)[14][15]	Black (Both Hispanic and Non-Hispanic)[16]	Amerindian (Both Hispanic and Non-Hispanic)	Asian (Both Hispanic and Non-Hispanic)	Multiracial (Both Hispanic and Non-Hispanic)	Hispanic (Of any Race)
Adjuntas	93.1	3.1	0.3	0.0	3.4	99.6
Aguada	86.6	5.3	0.3	0.1	7.7	99.4
Aguadilla	83.0	7.4	0.3	0.2	8.2	98.5
Aguas Buenas	72.5	12.6	0.6	0.1	14.2	99.5
Aibonito	83.5	7.3	0.2	0.0	9.0	99.3
Añasco	82.0	7.2	0.4	0.1	10.3	99.2
Arecibo	84.5	6.1	0.4	0.1	7.9	99.2
Arroyo	53.5	32.5	0.9	0.2	13.0	99.1
Barceloneta	80.7	7.6	0.3	0.1	11.2	99.4
Barranquitas	86.0	5.4	0.3	0.0	8.3	99.3
Bayamón	78.3	10.3	0.6	0.2	10.7	99.0
Cabo Rojo	84.1	5.4	0.3	0.1	10.1	98.9
Caguas	76.1	11.0	0.6	0.2	12.1	99.1
Camuy	87.9	4.1	0.3	0.1	7.6	99.4
Canóvanas	61.2	21.6	0.9	0.2	16.1	99.2
Carolina	64.3	22.8	0.9	0.4	11.7	98.6
Cataño	70.7	14.4	1.0	0.3	13.7	99.0
Cayey	79.9	8.3	0.4	0.1	11.3	99.3
Ceiba	70.6	16.5	0.7	0.1	12.0	98.8
Ciales	89.5	4.2	0.1	0.0	6.2	99.7
Cidra	76.6	8.3	0.4	0.1	14.6	99.4
Coamo	76.8	10.4	0.3	0.1	12.3	99.6
Comerío	78.6	8.6	0.6	0.1	12.1	99.6
Corozal	85.4	5.3	0.2	0.1	9.0	99.4
Culebra	56.9	26.6	0.9	0.2	15.4	91.7
Dorado	69.5	15.7	0.7	0.2	13.9	98.0
Fajardo	64.8	18.6	0.7	0.3	15.7	98.2
Florida	90.4	4.6	0.3	0.1	4.5	99.6
Guánica	79.9	7.7	0.5	0.0	11.8	99.4
Guayama	68.2	18.5	0.8	0.1	12.3	99.1
Guayanilla	81.9	8.3	0.4	0.1	9.3	99.5
Guaynabo	79.4	9.8	0.4	0.2	10.1	98.2
Gurabo	72.5	14.6	0.4	0.1	12.5	99.2
Hatillo	87.3	4.4	0.2	0.1	8.0	99.2
Hormigueros	81.2	8.3	0.4	0.1	10.0	99.5
Humacao	66.1	18.5	0.8	0.2	14.3	99.0
Isabela	83.4	7.5	0.3	0.1	8.6	99.0
Jayuya	90.7	3.4	0.4	0.1	5.5	99.6
Juana Díaz	75.3	14.3	0.5	0.1	9.9	99.4
Juncos	71.7	13.7	0.5	0.1	14.1	99.3
Lajas	80.6	5.2	0.2	0.1	13.9	99.3
Lares	91.1	3.0	0.2	0.1	5.6	99.3
Las Marías	86.3	5.3	0.4	0.0	8.0	99.4
Las Piedras	70.5	11.8	0.5	0.1	17.1	99.4
Loíza	26.5	64.3	0.5	0.1	8.6	99.4
Luquillo	65.5	20.8	0.9	0.2	12.6	97.9
Manatí	81.8	8.7	0.5	0.1	8.9	99.2
Maricao	89.2	4.8	0.4	0.0	5.3	99.4
Maunabo	47.9	30.4	0.8	0.1	20.8	99.2
Mayagüez	78.7	8.2	0.8	0.2	12.1	98.9
Moca	89.5	4.5	0.2	0.1	5.8	99.4
Morovis	88.4	5.2	0.2	0.1	6.1	99.4
Naguabo	71.1	15.9	0.4	0.2	12.4	99.2
Naranjito	84.2	6.0	0.5	0.1	9.4	99.5
Orocovis	86.7	6.2	0.4	0.1	6.6	99.6
Patillas	61.7	19.9	0.6	0.1	17.7	99.3
Peñuelas	81.8	9.2	0.4	0.2	8.4	99.4
Ponce	82.0	9.0	0.5	0.2	8.3	99.2
Quebradillas	89.2	3.7	0.1	0.1	6.9	99.3
Rincón	85.7	5.3	0.5	0.2	8.2	96.4
Río Grande	61.9	24.6	0.7	0.2	12.6	99.0
Sabana Grande	85.3	5.5	0.4	0.0	8.8	99.5
Salinas	67.4	16.4	0.6	0.1	15.5	99.3
San Germán	83.4	5.6	0.4	0.1	10.5	99.2
San Juan	68.0	18.6	0.8	0.4	12.2	98.2
San Lorenzo	76.1	9.9	0.8	0.1	13.2	99.5
San Sebastián	88.5	3.0	0.3	0.1	8.1	99.3
Santa Isabel	73.0	15.6	0.5	0.1	10.9	99.6
Toa Alta	76.3	9.6	0.4	0.1	13.5	99.3
Toa Baja	70.2	16.8	0.6	0.3	12.1	99.0
Trujillo Alto	72.1	14.6	0.7	0.2	12.3	98.9
Utuado	92.7	2.7	0.2	0.1	4.3	99.4
Vega Alta	71.2	14.9	0.7	0.2	13.1	98.7
Vega Baja	77.3	11.5	0.5	0.1	10.6	99.3
Vieques	58.7	28.1	0.7	0.1	12.5	94.3
Villalba	82.1	8.5	0.2	0.0	9.1	99.7
Yabucoa	65.6	14.1	0.5	0.2	19.8	99.3
Yauco	83.0	5.9	0.3	0.1	9.6	99.5
Puerto Rico	75.8	12.4	0.5	0.2	11.1	99.0

Finances

In 2012, 36 of the 78 municipalities (46%) were experiencing a budget deficit.[17] In total, the combined debt carried by the municipalities stands at about US$590 million.[lower-alpha 1]

  Surplus    Deficit

Municipality	Mayor's party	Population[11]	Surplus or deficit[19]	Surplus or deficit per capita[19]	Public debt[19]	Public debt per capita[19]
Adjuntas	PNP	19,483	$ 525,858	$ 26.99	$	$
Aguada	PPD	41,959	$ 2,209,807	$ 52.67	$	$
Aguadilla	PNP	60,949	$ 10,220,728	$ 167.69	$	$
Aguas Buenas	PPD	28,659	$ (1,638,355)	$ (57.17)	$ 9,183,000	$ 320.42
Aibonito	PNP	25,900	$ 681,875	$ 26.33	$	$
Añasco	PPD	29,261	$ 2,074,042	$ 70.88	$	$
Arecibo	PNP	96,440	$ (17,784,327)	$ (184.41)	$ 63,403,451	$ 657.44
Arroyo	PPD	19,575	$ (390,219)	$ (19.93)	$ 10,521,000	$ 537.47
Barceloneta	PPD	24,816	$ (8,833,426)	$ (355.96)	$ 59,354,780	$ 2,391.79
Barranquitas	PNP	30,318	$ 6,673,615	$ 220.12	$	$
Bayamón	PNP	208,116	$ 4,179,967	$ 20.08	$ 243,233,534	$ 1,168.74
Cabo Rojo	PPD	50,917	$ (60,841)	$ (1.19)	$ 35,561,000	$ 698.41
Caguas	PPD	142,893	$ 16,938,668	$ 118.54	$ 267,248,251	$ 1,870.27
Camuy	PNP	35,159	$ (1,810,542)	$ (51.50)	$ 11,603,000	$ 330.02
Canóvanas	PNP	47,648	$ 203,324	$ 4.27	$	$
Carolina	PPD	176,762	$ 32,757,250	$ 185.32	$ 350,605,890	$ 1,983.49
Cataño	PPD	28,140	$ (11,320,761)	$ (402.30)	$ 47,386,000	$ 1,683.94
Cayey	PPD	48,119	$ 7,544,584	$ 156.79	$	$
Ceiba	PNP	13,631	$ 1,833,525	$ 134.51	$	$
Ciales	PPD	18,782	$ (5,465,145)	$ (290.98)	$ 9,829,100	$ 523.33
Cidra	PNP	43,480	$ (1,053,391)	$ (24.23)	$ 29,445,000	$ 677.21
Coamo	PPD	40,512	$ 1,672,291	$ 41.28	$	$
Comerío	PPD	20,778	$ 188,417	$ 9.07	$	$
Corozal	PPD	37,142	$ 854,163	$ 23.00	$	$
Culebra	PPD	1,818	$ 802,707	$ 441.53	$	$
Dorado	PPD	38,165	$ 2,620,615	$ 68.67	$	$
Fajardo	PNP	36,993	$ 17,821,689	$ 481.76	$	$
Florida	PNP	12,680	$ (1,619,740)	$ (127.74)	$ 3,702,000	$ 291.96
Guánica	PNP	19,427	$ (5,319,384)	$ (273.81)	$ 8,815,000	$ 453.75
Guayama	PPD	45,362	$ 1,987,097	$ 43.81	$	$
Guayanilla	PPD	21,581	$ (2,706,166)	$ (125.40)	$ 16,818,000	$ 779.30
Guaynabo	PNP	97,924	$ 8,216,448	$ 83.91	$ 290,116,691	$ 2,962.67
Gurabo	PNP	45,369	$ (5,797,927)	$ (127.79)	$ 46,390,045	$ 1,022.51
Hatillo	PPD	41,953	$ (1,024,986)	$ (24.43)	$ 15,456,830	$ 368.43
Hormigueros	PPD	17,250	$ 1,288,509	$ 74.70	$	$
Humacao	PPD	58,466	$ 11,360,216	$ 194.30	$	$
Isabela	PPD	45,631	$ 24,738,813	$ 542.15	$ 16,397,000	$ 359.34
Jayuya	PPD	16,642	$ 629,946	$ 37.85	$	$
Juana Díaz	PPD	79,897	$ 32,789,400	$ 97.89	$ 22,005,000	$ 433.62
Juncos	PPD	40,290	$ (2,994,898)	$ (74.33)	$ 44,404,819	$ 1,102.13
Lajas	PPD	25,753	$ (1,988,168)	$ (77.20)	$ 11,075,000	$ 430.05
Lares	PNP	30,753	$ (3,361,629)	$ (109.31)	$ 5,339,000	$ 173.61
Las Marías	PPD	9,881	$ 660,746	$ 66.87	$	$
Las Piedras	PNP	38,675	$ 362,063	$ 9.36	$	$
Loíza	PNP	30,060	$ (3,171,401)	$ (105.50)	$ 9,207,000	$ 306.29
Luquillo	PPD	20,068	$ 1,646,739	$ 82.06	$	$
Manatí	PNP	44,113	$ (12,622,526)	$ (286.14)	$ 52,688,487	$ 1,194.40
Maricao	PNP	6,276	$ (1,812,106)	$ (288.74)	$ 10,928,300	$ 1,741.28
Maunabo	PPD	12,225	$ (2,678,351)	$ (219.09)	$ 8,600,000	$ 703.48
Mayagüez	PPD	89,080	$ 10,816,117	$ 121.42	$	$
Moca	PNP	40,109	$ 632,570	$ 15.77	$	$
Morovis	PNP	32,610	$ (3,742,360)	$ (114.76)	$ 20,239,020	$ 620.64
Naguabo	PNP	26,720	$ (3,737,140)	$ (139.86)	$ 7,905,100	$ 295.85
Naranjito	PNP	30,402	$ 1,581,161	$ 52.01	$	$
Orocovis	PNP	23,423	$ 367,461	$ 15.69	$	$
Patillas	PPD	19,277	$ (6,001,248)	$ (311.32)	$ 17,179,000	$ 891.17
Peñuelas	PPD	24,282	$ 4,106,788	$ 169.13	$	$
Ponce	PNP	166,327	$ (18,480,789)	$ (111.11)	$ 190,625,905	$ 1,146.09
Quebradillas	PPD	25,919	$ 2,327,410	$ 89.80	$	$
Rincón	PPD	15,200	$ 1,992,326	$ 131.07	$	$
Río Grande	PPD	54,304	$ (4,147,852)	$ (76.38)	$ 32,059,000	$ 590.36
Sabana Grande	PPD	25,265	$ (2,835,535)	$ (112.23)	$ 10,176,423	$ 402.79
Salinas	PPD	31,078	$ (8,546,853)	$ (275.01)	$ 14,650,000	$ 471.39
San Germán	PPD	35,527	$ 760,077	$ 21.39	$	$
San Juan	PPD	395,326	$ (45,455,571)	$ (114.98)	$ 668,238,329	$ 1,690.35
San Lorenzo	PPD	41,058	$ (2,998,994)	$ (73.04)	$ 27,034,000	$ 658.43
San Sebastián	PNP	42,430	$ 2,296,524	$ 54.13	$	$
Santa Isabel	PNP	23,274	$ (3,900,907)	$ (167.61)	$ 23,273,736	$ 999.99
Toa Alta	PPD	74,066	$ (3,387,399)	$ (45.73)	$ 33,140,000	$ 447.44
Toa Baja	PNP	89,609	$ (10,543,311)	$ (117.66)	$ 116,363,919	$ 1,298.57
Trujillo Alto	PPD	74,842	$ (1,736,394)	$ (23.20)	$ 55,516,000	$ 741.78
Utuado	PPD	33,149	$ (3,007,984)	$ (90.74)	$ 8,174,000	$ 246.58
Vega Alta	PNP	39,951	$ 3,408,501	$ 85.32	$	$
Vega Baja	PPD	59,662	$ (1,849,612)	$ (31.00)	$ 44,303,000	$ 742.57
Vieques	PPD	9,301	$ (6,672,774)	$ (717.43)	$ 12,420,100	$ 1,335.35
Villalba	PPD	26,073	$ (2,228,520)	$ (85.47)	$ 9,969,216	$ 382.36
Yabucoa	PPD	37,941	$ (2,216,509)	$ (58.42)	$ 17,394,380	$ 458.46
Yauco	PNP	42,043	$ (5,049,263)	$ (120.10)	$ 39,904,000	$ 949.12

Amalgamation

In October 2009, a Puerto Rican legislator proposed a bill that would reduce the current 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico down to 20. The bill called for a referendum to take place on June 13, 2010, which would let the people decide on the matter.[20] However, the bill never made into law.[21]

It was not the first time that an attempt to consolidate municipalities had failed. In 1902 the Puerto Rico legislature, under pressure from the US.-appointed governor of Puerto Rico, passed a law consolidating the then-76 municipalities of Puerto Rico into 46.[22] The law was repealed three years later.[23][24]

With the serious fiscal crisis that emerged in the first half of 2010s, a new plan to consolidate municipalities was again circulated in the legislature in 2017 as a way to alleviate the government debt crisis, but even that plan was also ultimately defeated.[25] In March 2019 Governor Ricardo Rosello created an initiative which would preserve the existing municipalities but create regional consolidation by sharing service overhead in the form of counties.[26]

A legislator's 2009 proposal of Puerto Rico's future set of municipalities and their boundaries

List of proposed municipalities

The 20 new municipalities of the 2009 amalgamation proposal (in bold) and the existing municipalities that would have made them up:

• North Puerto Rico
  • Arecibo: Arecibo, Camuy, Hatillo, Quebradillas
  • Bayamón: Bayamón, Cataño, Guaynabo
  • Manatí: Manatí, Barceloneta, Ciales, Florida
  • San Juan: San Juan, Trujillo Alto
  • Toa Baja: Toa Baja, Dorado, Naranjito, Toa Alta
  • Vega Baja: Vega Baja, Corozal, Morovis, Orocovis, Vega Alta
• South Puerto Rico
  • Cayey: Cayey, Aibonito, Barranquitas, Cidra, Comerío
  • Guayama: Guayama, Arroyo, Patillas, Salinas
  • Juana Díaz: Juana Díaz, Coamo, Santa Isabel, Villalba
  • Ponce: Ponce, Guayanilla, Peñuelas
  • Utuado: Utuado, Adjuntas, Jayuya
• East Puerto Rico
  • Caguas: Caguas, Aguas Buenas, Gurabo, Juncos, San Lorenzo
  • Carolina: Carolina, Canóvanas, Loíza, Río Grande
  • Fajardo: Fajardo, Ceiba, Culebra, Luquillo, Vieques
  • Humacao: Humacao, Las Piedras, Maunabo, Naguabo, Yabucoa
• West Puerto Rico
  • Aguadilla: Aguadilla, Aguada, Isabela, Moca, Rincón
  • Mayagüez: Mayagüez, Añasco, Hormigueros
  • San Germán: San Germán, Cabo Rojo, Lajas
  • San Sebastián: San Sebastián, Lares, Las Marías
  • Yauco: Yauco, Guánica, Maricao. Sabana Grande

See also

• es:Organización territorial de Puerto Rico

Notes

1. WAPA-TV (2014; in Spanish) "El informe sobre la medida señala que al presente los municipios arrastran una deuda agregada de aproximadamente $590 millones [...]"[18]

References

1. Sánchez Martínez, Héctor (October 10, 2012). "Puerto Rico: la isla de los 900 barrios". La Perla del Sur (in Spanish) (1506). p. 36.
2. An Act: To amend Sections 1 and 2 of Act No. 100 of June 27, 1956 Act No. 81 of August 30, 1991: Autonomous Municipalities Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In An Act: To amend Sections 1 and 2 of Act No. 100 of June 27, 1956, Act No. 66, 3rd Session of the 13th Legislature of Puerto Rico. April 14, 1998. Retrieved November 22, 2009.
3. Historia de Nuestros Barrios: Portugués, Ponce. Rafael Torrech San Inocencio. El Sur a la Vista. elsuralavista.com. 14 February 2010. Accessed 12 February 2011.
4. Ponce. Proyecto Salon Hogar. Map of Barrios of Ponce. (Map with fully urbanized barrios conglomerated and merged as "Zona Urbana". Barrio not labeled is named "Machuelo Abajo".) Retrieved November 30, 2009.
5. "Ponce: General Information." Archived 2012-07-07 at the Wayback Machine Puerto Rico Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
6. Ponce Puerto Rico. AreciboWeb. (Map showing the 31 geo-numbered barrios of Ponce.) Retrieved November 30, 2009.
7. Un Acercamiento Sociohistorico y Linguistico a los Toponimos del Municipio de Ponce, Puerto Rico. Amparo Morales, María T. Vaquero de Ramírez. "Estudios de lingüística hispánica: homenaje a María Vaquero". Page 113. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
8. Cartographic Boundary Files. U. S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
9. AREAS IN PUERTO RICO ELIGIBLE FOR RURAL HOUSING LOANS: BARRIOS, TOWNS AND VILLAGES. Archived 2014-05-31 at the Wayback Machine U.S. Department of Agriculture. Rural Development. Page 8. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
10. "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". EPA.gov. Archived from the original on 2013-07-21. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
11. 
    "U.S. Census Bureau". Retrieved July 26, 2013.
12. "U.S. Census Bureau geography". Retrieved August 31, 2011.
13. El Morro. United States National Park Service. Accessed 6 October 2019.
14. "2010 Census". Medgar Evers College. Archived from the original on 2010-06-11. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
15. US Census Bureau: Table QT-P10 Hispanic or Latino by Type: 2010 retrieved January 22, 2012 - select state from drop-down menu
16. United States Census
17. Vázquez, Brenda (November 16, 2012). "Extensa la lista de los municipios con déficit". Metro Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Metro International. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
18. "Nace la Corporación de Financiamiento Municipal" (in Spanish). WAPA-TV. January 23, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
19. "Indicadores Socioeconómicos Municipales" (in Spanish). Puerto Rico Ombudsman. August 12, 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-09-25. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
20. Legislador propone reducir a 20 los 78 municipios de Puerto Rico en PrimeraHora.com (In Spanish)
21. Los municipios autónomos llegan a la mayoría de edad (documento). Cristina del Mar Quiles. Noticel. 3 June 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
22. Historia de Nuestros Barrios: Barrio Lapa, Salinas. Page 4. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
23. Guayanilla. Encyclopedia Puerto Rico. Archived 2010-12-15 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved April 28, 2010.
24. Historia de Nuestros Barrios: Lapa, Salinas. Accessed February 13, 2011.
25. Líderes legislativos ponen freno a la eliminación de municipios. Nydia Bauzá. Primerahora.com 31 July 2017. 31 July 2017.
26. Puerto Rico governor to introduce measure to consolidate Puerto Rico into Counties Maria Miranda. CaribbeanBusiness.com March 15, 2019

External links

• CIA World Factbook - Puerto Rico
• Municipalities on the west coast of Puerto Rico
• Diario de Puerto Rico official website