1899 Puerto Rico census

First US census in Puerto Rico From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1899 Puerto Rico census (Porto Rico was also used) was a national population census held in Puerto Rico and first under U.S. control by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. War Department.[2] It was the tenth census combined with the nine previous censuses taken by Spain. The day used for the census was Friday November 10, 1899 with a total population counted as 953,243 - an increase of 154,678 or 16% over the previous 1887 census taken by the Spanish government.[3]

CountryPuerto Rico
Topics
Census topics
  • Situation
  • Relationship
  • Personal description
  • Nativity
  • Citizenship
  • Race
  • Occupation
  • Schooling, literacy
  • Sanitary
AuthorityCensus Bureau for the U.S. War Department
Websitecensus.gov
Quick facts Tenth census of Puerto Rico, General information ...
Tenth census of Puerto Rico
← 1887
10 November 1899; 126 years ago (1899-11-10)
1910 â†’
Group of supervisors for the census.
General information
CountryPuerto Rico
Topics
Census topics
  • Situation
  • Relationship
  • Personal description
  • Nativity
  • Citizenship
  • Race
  • Occupation
  • Schooling, literacy
  • Sanitary
AuthorityCensus Bureau for the U.S. War Department
Websitecensus.gov
Results
Total population953,243 (Increase 16.0%[1])
Most populous departmentPonce (203,191)
Least populous departmentAguadilla (99,645)
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Population schedule

Enumerators of Arecibo.

The population schedule used in the census, translated into English and reduced in size is as follows:[4]
Situation

  • Street.
  • Number of house.
  • Number of house or building in the order of visitation.
  • Number of family in the order of visitation.
  • Name of every person residing with this family or in this house

Relationship

  • Relationship of each person to the head of the family.

Personal description

Nativity

  • Native country of this person.

Citizenship

Occupation

  • Occupation, trade or profession of every person 10 years of age and over.

Instruction

  • Months of attendance at school during the last school year.
  • Can read. (primary)
  • Can write. (primary)
  • Higher.

Sanitary conditions

  • Source of water used.
  • Disposition of garbage.
  • Latrine system.

Method of tabulation

It was taken that to save time, the tabulation should be done by machine and not by the old hand-tally system. As the machines invented by Mr Herman Hollerith were successfully used in the earlier eleventh and were to be used for the twelfth U.S. census, it was adopted.[5]

Population and dwellings

More information Department, Total population ...
Department[6]Total populationIncrease (%)
Humacao (with Río Grande)100,8668.2
Mayagüez127,56610.0
Guayama111,98615.5
Aguadilla99,64515.7
Bayamón (less Rio Grande)147,68120.2
Ponce203,19127.5
Arecibo162,30830.7
Puerto Rico953,24319.4 Increase
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Population by municipal districts

Aguadilla department[7]99,645Guayama department-continued
     Aguada10,581     Cidra7,552
     Aguadilla17,830     Comerío8,249
     Isabela14,888     Guayama12,749
     Lares20,883     Gurabo8,700
     Moca12,410     Juncos8,429
     Rincón6,641     Salinas5,731
     San Sebastian16,412     San Lorenzo13,433
Arecibo department162,308Humacao department88,501
     Arecibo36,910     Fajardo16,782
     Barceloneta9,357     Humacao14,313
     Camuy10,887     Maunabo6,221
     Ciales18,115     Naguabo10,873
     Hatillo10,449     Patillas11,163
     Manati13,989     Piedras8,602
     Morovis11,309     Vieques6,642
     Quebradillas7,432     Yabucoa13,905
     Utuado43,860Mayagüez department127,566
Bayamon department160,046     Añasco13,311
     Bayamon19,940     Cabo Rojo16,154
     Carolina11,965     Hormigueros3,215
     Corozal11,508     Lajas8,789
     Dorado3,804     Las Marias11,279
     Loiza12,522     Maricao8,312
     Naranjito8,101     Mayagüez35,700
     Rio Grande12,365     Sabana Grande10,560
     Rio Piedras13,760     San German20,246
     San Juan32,048Ponce department203,191
     Toa Alta7,908     Adjuntas19,484
     Toa Baja4,030     Aibonito8,596
     Trujillo Alto5,683     Barranquitas8,103
     Vega Alta6,107     Barros14,845
     Vega Baja10,305     Coamo15,144
Guayama department111,986     Guayanilla9,540
     Aguas Buenas7,977     Juana Diaz27,896
     Arroyo4,867     Peñuelas12,129
     Caguas19,857     Ponce55,477
     Cayey14,442     Santa Isabel4,858
--     Yauco27,119

Age

Puerto Rican enumerators of Ponce, the most populous department.

Data of the total population by median age.[8]

More information Department, Median age ...
Department Median age
Guayama17.3
Arecibo17.6
Humacao17.7
Aguadilla17.9
Bayamon18.2
Ponce18.5
Mayaguez19.1
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Nativity

Birthplace

% of foreign-born.[9]
  1. Spain (55.5%)
  2. Spanish America (11.0%)
  3. United States (7.50%)
  4. Others (26.1%)

The number of foreign-born returned by the census is 13,872 or about 1.5% of the total population. There were few regions in the Western Hemisphere in which the proportion of natives is so high and that of the foreign-born so low. Of the total number of foreigners 5,935 or 43 per cent were found in the three cities of San Juan, Ponce and Mayagüez. Of the total foreign-born, 7,690 or 55% were born in Spain.[10]

More information Birthplace, Number ...
Birthplace[11] Number
 %
Puerto Rico939,37198.5
Foreign-born13,8721.5
Europe--
Spain7,690
Spanish America1,5420.2
     West India islands1,194-
Africa427-
United States United States1,0690.1
China68-
Puerto Rico953,243100
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Race

With reference to race, the population of Porto Rico is divided by the census into two main classes - those who are and those who are not White. The number belonging to each of these classes is as follows:[12]

More information Race, Population ...
Race Population %
White589,42661.8
Colored*363,81738.2
     (Persons of mixed blood)304,35283.6
Puerto Rico953,243100.0
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The colored in the table includes very few (75) Chinese and many persons of mixed white and Black African blood as well as pure Black. Somewhat more than three-fifths of the population of Porto Rico are white and nearly two-fifths are partly or entirely African or Black. By the 1899 census five-sixths (83.6 per cent) of the total colored were returned as of mixed blood.[13]

Gallery

Supervisors and enumerators of different departments.

  • Aguadilla
    Aguadilla
  • Humacao
    Humacao
  • Mayaguez
    Mayaguez
  • San Juan
    San Juan
  • Full report on the census (press to read)
    Full report on the census (press to read)

See also

References

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