Employment declined 1.9 percent in Puerto Rico’s only large municipio, San Juan, from September 2024 to September 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Michael G. Phinney noted that employment in San Juan stood at 252,300 in September 2025, accounting for 26.7 percent of total employment in Puerto Rico. (See table 1.) Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.2 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 2024.)

The average weekly wage in San Juan increased 2.7 percent over the year to $836. The average weekly wage in Puerto Rico was $687. The national average was $1,459, up 4.7 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 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels for all 77 smaller counties were below the national average. Juncos reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,112). Las Marías reported the lowest average weekly wage ($407) in the commonwealth.

Among all 78 Puerto Rico municipios, 19 reported average weekly wages of less than $500, 26 registered wages from $500 to $574, 18 had wages from $575 to $649, and 15 had average weekly wages of $650 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)