Central region · Puerto Rico
Utuado
~41 mi from San JuanInland
Utuado is a town in Puerto Rico’s central mountainous Cordillera Central region, about 41 miles inland from San Juan. Founded in 1739, it is the third-largest town in Puerto Rico by land area, with a population of 27,621 spread across 24 barrios and the Utuado pueblo.
- Cordillera Central mountain setting
- Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Caguana
- Monumento al Comandante Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci
- Bosque Estatal de Río Abajo
For visitors
- Hiking
- Outdoors
- Fiestas patronales
For living hereResidents live across a large, mountainous town organized into 24 barrios plus the town center, situated inland roughly 41 miles from San Juan.Living in Utuado: rent, commute, schools & safety
At a glance
- Region
- Central
- Setting
- Inland
- Distance
- ~41 mi from San Juan
- Population
- 27,621 (Census estimate, 2020–2024)
- Founded
- 1739
- Median rent
- $476/mo
- Median income
- $20,800/yr
- Area
- 113.5 sq mi (294.0 km²)
- Fiestas patronales
- Saint Michael the Archangel · September 29
- Guide spots
- 3
- Stories, last 30 days
- 6
- Water & power
- Water by sector · Power outages
- Living here
- Rent, commute, schools & safety
Right now in Utuado
Road closures in Utuado
No closures reported in Utuado as of 12:02 AM AST on Sun, Nov 15.
Water rationing in Utuado
No rationing plan names Utuado. None of the plans the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) has published includes the town, as of Nov 14. Repairs and breaks cut service sector by sector: search your sector
Power outages in Utuado
3 sectors out on LUMA’s morning reading of Nov 14, among the 10 towns with the most interruptions. Utuado was on that list on 2 of the last 7 mornings. Outages right now, town by town
News from Utuado
Latest stories
Utuado Police Honor 11-Year-Old Boy Who Called 9-1-1 During Machete Attack
Puerto Rico’s Adriana Díaz Wins Seventh Pan American Table Tennis Title in Lima
Adriana Díaz Advances to Round of 16 at Pan American Table Tennis Championship in Chile
Utuado Top-10 Most Wanted Suspect Arrested in Puerto Rico
Foiled Escape at Utuado Court: Bailiffs Arrest Inmates Who Broke Out of Cell
Our analysis
- Weekend WatchPuerto Rico This Weekend: Twenty Events and Surf at Culebra / Flamenco Beach
- Utility Watch · Last quarterLUMA’s Worst Year Yet for Outages and for Waiting
- Town of the Week · EarlierAdjuntas, Where Rent Runs 20% Below the Island Median
Every Weekend Watch Every Utility Watch Every Town of the Week
Things to do in Utuado
Nature spots
Bosque Estatal de Río Abajo
Nature reserve
Bosque Estatal de Río Abajo is a nature reserve and forest preserve with subtropical wet and moist karst forest. It contains archaeological sites and is located in the municipalities of Arecibo and Utuado. The forest is a National Natural Landmark.
Culture & Events
Monumento al Comandante Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci
Monument to Comandante Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci
The Monumento al Comandante Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci is a monument located in Utuado, Puerto Rico. It honors the memory of Comandante Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci. The monument is situated in the Central region of the island.
Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Caguana
Ceremonial ball courts
Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Caguana is a Taíno archaeological site in Utuado, considered one of the largest and most important Pre-Columbian sites in the West Indies. The grounds hold a set of bateyes, the ceremonial ball courts, which are estimated to be more than 700 years old and remain well preserved. Monoliths carved with petroglyphs stand along the courts. The site carries heritage listing and protected-area status, and it gives a direct look at how the Taíno laid out spaces for ceremony and gathering in the island's interior.
Outdoors and sports
Trails in and near Utuado
1 trail starts in Utuado; the nearest three in other towns are within 10 mi of the town center, as the crow flies.
- In UtuadoCañón BlancoEasy 0.3 mi each way, 20 to 30 minWhite CanyonWalk inCommunity-mapped
- In Adjuntas, 9 mi awayCamino al Charco El MangóEasy 0.5 mi each way, 25 to 35 minPath to the El Mangó swimming holeWalk inCommunity-mappedSwimming hole
- In Adjuntas, 10 mi awayVereda Puente de Hamaca del Lago GarzasEasy 0.4 mi each way, 25 to 35 minLago Garzas suspension bridge trailWalk in, no bookingCommunity-mapped
- In Ponce, 10 mi awayCamino Cerro de PuntaModerate 0.7 mi each way, 45 min to 1 h 10 minCerro de Punta pathWalk in, no bookingCommunity-mapped
Bills and recovery money
Bills about Utuado
- RS 626Order Senate Committees to Investigate Dual Education ModelPassed a chamber, Nov 5
- RCC 339Order Department of Agriculture to Lift Restrictions on Arenas Project Lot 2-APassed a chamber, Oct 15
Recovery money in Utuado
$357 million committed by FEMA to 1,034 projects filed under Utuado since 2001: $12,926 per resident, 5th of 78 towns.
Every project located in Utuado, the island-wide agencies’ included
24% paid out: Puerto Rico's Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3), which pays out the federal disaster recovery money, has paid $93.3 million of the $390 million committed.
24%23.5% paid out on the town government’s own rebuilding: $77.1 million of $328 million, the projects it runs itself, as of Oct 14, 2026. Our FEMA story charts this figure for every town.
23.5%- Bo Vivi Abajo Sector La MulaRoads and bridges$15.8 million
- Carr 10 Sector El RoblegarRoads and bridges$7.9 million
- Carr. 111 Avenida Ribas Dominichi-Urb. Jose Celso Barbosa (Storm Drainage Water Pipe).Water control$7.1 million
The town government’s largest projects in implementation, and what has been paid
- Project PW-02540$1.2M of $2.8M43%
- Debris Alternative Procedures, Public Assistance Alternative Procedures$2.4M of $2.4M100%
- Project PW-02918$487K of $1.9M26%
Every town and the island-wide agencies
FEMA Public Assistance data, as of Nov 11, 2026. Obligated by FEMA: committed to the project and drawn as the work is done. Paid out: COR3’s transparency portal, as of Nov 4, 2026.
Living in Utuado
Crime in Utuado
25 violent crimes and 0 homicides reported to the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPD) in Utuado, January 1 – September 30, 2026; in 2025, 15.9 violent crimes per 10,000 people, in the middle fifth of towns.
- Homicides
- 0 YTD
- Violent crimes
- 25 YTD
- All serious crimes
- 68 YTD
- Violent crimes per 10,000 people (2025)
- 15.9
Flood zones in Utuado
FEMA’s flood map sets who must carry flood insurance, street by street. Check an address in Utuado
Phone alerts for Utuado
Our weekly reads: Daily Water Watch · Grid Watch · Safety Watch
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