North · coastal · ~40 mi from San Juan

Living in Arecibo

Residents live in Puerto Rico's largest town by area, a historic coastal city that anchors its own metropolitan region while remaining connected to the greater San Juan area.

How Arecibo sits among Puerto Rico’s 78 towns: every figure against the median town, with its source. Visiting instead? Things to do in Arecibo.

Housing and money

Median rent in Arecibo sits right at the median of the 78 towns.

Median rent: $531/momedian town $534 · 39th lowest of 78
Median home value: $116,700median town $115,700 · 37th highest of 78
Median household income: $23,635/yrmedian town $24,070 · 37th lowest of 78
Income per person: $15,244median town $14,811
Homes owner-occupied: 65%median town 71.1%
Homes vacant: 23%median town 20.3%
Below the poverty line: 41%median town 44.1%
Typical home built: 1978median year

For scale: the U.S. median rent is $1,413 and household income $80,734; Puerto Rico's, island-wide, are $578 and $26,297. Full cost-of-living comparison.

Work and getting around

The typical commute is 26 minutes, 2 minutes shorter than the median of the 78 towns.

Typical commute: 26 minmedian town 27 min · 23rd shortest of 78
Work from home: 5.1%median town 4.5%
Commute by transit: 0.6%median town 0.3%
Unemployment: 14.5%median town 10.5%
Households with broadband: 77%median town 80.6% · 29th lowest of 78
To San Juan: ~40 miNext door: Hatillo, Barceloneta, Florida, Utuado and Ciales

People

Population: 86,467Census estimate, 2020–2024 · 125.9 sq mi (326.2 km²)
Residents per sq mi: 686median town 763 · 33rd least dense of 78
Median age: 45.5median town 44.9
Bachelor's degree or higher: 28%median town 24.1% · 23rd highest of 78

Daily life

What is mapped in Arecibo today: counts, then per 10,000 residents so a small town and San Juan read on the same scale.

Schools: 313.6 per 10k · median town 6.3
Supermarkets: 30.3 per 10k · median town 0.7
Parks: 374.3 per 10k · median town 4.3
Restaurants: 151.7 per 10k · median town 2.4
Beaches: 6coastal town

Counts from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL): what volunteers have mapped, not an official register. Places our guide recommends in Arecibo.

Water, power and safety

Water. Arecibo is not on an AAA rationing calendar. Reservoir levels & the rationing calendar
Power. LUMA reports outages by sector; the live tracker shows how many sectors in Arecibo are out right now. Outages by town
Safety. 17.1 reported violent crimes per 10,000 residents in 2025, middle of the island of the 78 towns (10 homicides that year). Every town, with context
Hurricanes. Every town prepares the same way; the Puerto Rico version of the checklist starts from a grid and water system that take longer to come back. Prepare

Beach water

Within limits: Poza del Obispo. Last tested Oct 6, over 2 weeks ago.

Beach water quality

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates, 2020–2024 (small towns carry wide margins of error); OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), mapped as of Oct 4, 2026; Puerto Rico Police Bureau, SAEC Type I, 2025 full year; AAA: Plan de Interrupciones Programadas.

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