Employment decreased 0.2 percent in Puerto Rico from December 2023 to December 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Mark J. Maggi noted that employment decreased 0.8 percent in Puerto Rico’s only large municipio, San Juan, over the same period.

Employment in San Juan stood at 264,200 in December 2024, accounting for 27.1 percent of total employment in Puerto Rico. (See table 1.) Nationwide, the 369 largest counties comprise 73.3 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2023.)

The average weekly wage in San Juan increased 3.9 percent over the year to $871. The average weekly wage in Puerto Rico was $718 in the fourth quarter of 2024, a 4.5-percent increase over the year. The United States average was $1,507, up 5.0 percent over the year.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 77 small municipios in Puerto Rico, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2023. (See table 2.) Wage levels for all 77 smaller counties were below the national average. Juncos reported the highest average weekly wage ($991). Adjuntas reported the lowest average weekly wage ($455) in the commonwealth.

Among all 78 Puerto Rico municipios, 25 reported average weekly wages of less than $550, 17 registered wages from $550 to $599, 13 had wages from $600 to $649, and 23 had average weekly wages of $650 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)