Economics
Puerto Ricans Are Ignoring the Census, Risking Future Funding
Ahead of a door-to-door campaign, the territory lags all U.S. states in census responses. An incomplete count could affect debt negotiations and social programs.
A census packet at an abandoned house in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Photographer: Jim Wyss/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
As Americans are being asked to stand up and be counted in the 2020 Census, Puerto Ricans are taking a pass.
The U.S. commonwealth has a census self-response rate of just 27%—the lowest of any U.S. jurisdiction and well behind the national average of 63%. Alaska, the other national laggard, has a comparatively robust response rate of 49%.