1899 Puerto Rico Census

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

Tenth census of Puerto Rico
General information
CountryPuerto Rico
Results
Total population953,243 ( 16.0%[1])
Most populous ​departmentPonce (203,191)
Least populous ​departmentAguadilla (99,645)

Population schedule
Market in Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populous department in 1899

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
Supervisors. Left - Luis Muñoz Morales, Luis A. Torregrosa, Enrique Colom, Ricardo Hernández, Manuel Badrena, Felix Seijo, Guillermo Riefkohl.
DepartmentTotal 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 Rico953,243 19.4%
Source:[6]Report on the census of Porto Rico - 1899

Population by municipal districts
Aguadilla department99,645Guayama department-continued
     Aguada10,581     Cidra7,552
     Aguadilla17,830     Comerio8,249
     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
Source:[7]Report on the census of Porto Rico - 1899

Age
Department Median age
Guayama17.3
Arecibo17.6
Humacao17.7
Aguadilla17.9
Bayamon18.2
Ponce18.5
Mayaguez19.1
Source: 1899 Census of Porto Rico.[8]

Birthplace

Proportion of foreign-born population. Source:[9]

  Spain (55.45%)
  Spanish America (11.0%)
  United States (7.5%)
  Others (26.05%)

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 per cent were born in Spain.[10]

Country Population
 Percentage
Puerto Rico939,37198.5%
Totals, Foreign-born13,8721.5%
Spain7,690
Spanish America1,5420.2%
     West India islands1,194-
Africa427-
United States1,0690.1%
China68-
Puerto Rico953,243100.0%
Source: 1899 Porto Rico census[11]

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 pure whites, or Caucasians. The number belonging to each of these classes is as follows:

Race Population Percentage
White589,42661.8%
Colored*363,81738.2%
     (Persons of mixed blood)304,35283.6%
Puerto Rico953,243100.00%
Source: 1899 Census of Porto Rico.[12]

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.[13]

See also

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Report on the census of Porto Rico, 1899

  1. "Report on the census of Porto Rico 1899 (P. 40)". 1900. 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 (P. 40)". 1900. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  4. Report on the census of Porto Rico: Population schedule (Page: 37)
  5. Method of Tabulation (Page: 38)
  6. Report on the census of Porto Rico - 1899 (Page: 40)
  7. Report on the census of Porto Rico - 1899 (Page: 156)
  8. Report on the census of Porto Rico, 1899 Census of "Porto Rico" (Old Spelling) (Page 47).
  9. Report on the census of Porto Rico, 1899 (Page: 63)
  10. Report on the census of Porto Rico, 1899 (Page: 63)
  11. Report on the census of Porto Rico, 1899 (Page: 62)
  12. Report on the census of Porto Rico, 1899 Census of "Porto Rico" (Old Spelling) Page 57.
  13. Report on the census of Porto Rico, 1899 (Page: 56)
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