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Tenth census of Puerto Rico
← 1887 10 November 1899; 125 years ago (1899-11-10) 1910 →
Group of supervisors for the census.
General information
Country	Puerto Rico
Topics	Census topics Situation Relationship Personal description Nativity Citizenship Race Occupation Schooling, literacy Sanitary
Authority	Census Bureau for the U.S. War Department
Website	census.gov
Results
Total population	953,243 ( 16.0%)
Most populous department	Ponce (203,191)
Least populous department	Aguadilla (99,645)

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. 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.

Population schedule

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

• Color.
• Sex.
• Age at last birthday.
• Status.

Nativity

• Native country of this person.

Citizenship

• Cuban, Spaniard, or in suspense.

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.

Population and dwellings

Department	Total population	Increase (%)
Humacao (with Río Grande)	100,866	8.2
Mayagüez	127,566	10.0
Guayama	111,986	15.5
Aguadilla	99,645	15.7
Bayamón (less Rio Grande)	147,681	20.2
Ponce	203,191	27.5
Arecibo	162,308	30.7
Puerto Rico	953,243	19.4

Population by municipal districts

Age

Data of the total population by median age.

Nativity

Birthplace

% of foreign-born.

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.

Birthplace	Number	%
Puerto Rico	939,371	98.5
Foreign-born	13,872	1.5
Europe	-	-
Spain	7,690
Spanish America	1,542	0.2
West India islands	1,194	-
Africa	427	-
United States	1,069	0.1
China	68	-
Puerto Rico	953,243	100

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:

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 negro or Black. By the 1899 census five-sixths (83.6 per cent) of the total colored were returned as of mixed blood.

Gallery

Supervisors and enumerators of different departments.

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

See also

• United States Census
• Puerto Rican citizenship
• Demographics of Puerto Rico
• 1890 United States census
• 1931 Cuba census

References

This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Report on the census of Porto Rico, 1899

1. "Report on the census of Porto Rico 1899". 1900. p. 40. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
2. "When was Puerto Rico first included in a census of the United States?". United States Census Bureau. 1900. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
3. "Report on the census of Porto Rico 1899". 1900. p. 40. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
4. "Report on the census of Porto Rico Population schedule". p. 37. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
5. "1899 census of Puerto Rico: Method of Tabulation". p. 38. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
6. "Report on the census of Porto Rico 1899". p. 40. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
7. "Report on the census of Porto Rico 1899". p. 156. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
8. "Report on the census of Porto Rico 1899 Census of "Porto Rico"". p. 47. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
9. "Report on the census of Porto Rico 1899". p. 63. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
10. "Report on the census of Porto Rico 1899". p. 63. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
11. "Report on the census of Porto Rico 1899". p. 62. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
12. "Report on the census of Porto Rico, 1899 Census of "Porto Rico"". p. 57. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
13. "Report on the census of Porto Rico 1899". p. 56. Retrieved November 26, 2023.

• Censuses by country
• United States census
• 1899 censuses
• 1899 in Puerto Rico
• Demographics of Puerto Rico