San Juan · coastal · the capital
Living in San Juan
Residents live in Puerto Rico's capital and most populous town, a coastal urban center at the heart of the San Juan metro area with centuries of history behind it.
How San Juan sits among Puerto Rico’s 78 towns: every figure against the median town, with its source. Visiting instead? Things to do in San Juan.
Housing and money
Median rent in San Juan runs 15% above the median of the 78 towns (16th highest of 78 towns).
- Median rent
- $611/momedian town $534 · 16th highest of 78
- Median home value
- $171,200median town $115,700 · 2nd highest of 78
- Median household income
- $27,992/yrmedian town $24,070 · 17th highest of 78
- Income per person
- $25,758median town $14,811
- Homes owner-occupied
- 53%median town 71.1%
- Homes vacant
- 24%median town 20.3%
- Below the poverty line
- 39%median town 44.1%
- Typical home built
- 1967median 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 24 minutes, 3 minutes shorter than the median of the 78 towns.
- Typical commute
- 24 minmedian town 27 min · 15th shortest of 78
- Work from home
- 8.2%median town 4.5%
- Commute by transit
- 3.4%median town 0.3%
- Unemployment
- 12.3%median town 10.5%
- Households with broadband
- 74%median town 80.6% · 20th lowest of 78
- Next door
- 5 townsGuaynabo, Trujillo Alto, Carolina, Aguas Buenas and Caguas
People
- Population
- 336,160Census estimate, 2020–2024 · 47.9 sq mi (124 km²)
- Residents per sq mi
- 7,021median town 763 · densest of 78
- Median age
- 45.8median town 44.9
- Bachelor's degree or higher
- 43%median town 24.1% · 2nd highest of 78
Daily life
What is mapped in San Juan today: counts, then per 10,000 residents so a small town and San Juan read on the same scale.
- Schools
- 2336.9 per 10k · median town 6.3
- Supermarkets
- 511.5 per 10k · median town 0.7
- Parks
- 1955.8 per 10k · median town 4.3
- Restaurants
- 70120.9 per 10k · median town 2.4
- Beaches
- 20coastal town
Counts from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL): what volunteers have mapped, not an official register. Places our guide recommends in San Juan.
Water, power and safety
- Water. Sectors of San Juan are on AAA's Carraízo rationing calendar (zones 1 and 2), with interruptions currently paused. Reservoir levels & the rationing calendar
- Power. LUMA reports outages by sector; the live tracker shows how many sectors in San Juan are out right now. Outages by town
- Safety. 35.9 reported violent crimes per 10,000 residents in 2025, among the highest of the 78 towns (82 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: Playa Ocean Park, Balneario El Escambrón, Playa Isla Verde and 2 more. Last tested Oct 6, over 2 weeks ago.
Beach water qualitySources: 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.