Employment in Puerto Rico’s only large municipio, San Juan, increased 0.8 percent from December 2022 to December 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (Large counties and county-equivalent entities, like municipios in Puerto Rico, are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2022.) Regional Commissioner William J. Sibley noted that in December 2023, San Juan’s employment level of 266,000 accounted for 27.3 percent of total employment in the commonwealth. (See table 1.)

National employment increased 1.5 percent over the year, with 318 of the 360 largest U.S. counties reporting gains. Hays, TX, had the largest increase in employment (+5.0 percent). Elkhart, IN, had the largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment (-6.9 percent). Nationwide, the 360 largest counties made up 73.0 percent of total U.S. employment.

The average weekly wage in San Juan Municipio was $839 in the fourth quarter of 2023, a 4.5-percent increase over the year. In the United States, the average weekly wage increased 3.6 percent to $1,435. Among the largest U.S. counties, 85 reported average weekly wages at or above the U.S. average in the fourth quarter of 2023. Santa Clara, CA, had the highest average weekly wage ($3,699). Average weekly wages were below the national average in the remaining 275 counties. Hidalgo, TX, had the lowest average weekly wage ($842).

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 77 municipios in Puerto Rico with employment below 75,000. All 77 municipios had wages below the national average of $1,435 in the fourth quarter of 2023 (See table 2.) Juncos, located on the eastern part of the island, had the highest average weekly wage at $941. Sixteen municipios had average weekly wages below $500, with the lowest wages reported in Guánica ($403). (See map 1.)