Economic censuses were conducted in Puerto Rico beginning with a census of manufactures for 1909 and continuing at 10-year intervals through 1949, excepting 1929. Wholesale and retail trades and service industries were included as part of the economic censuses for 1939. Starting with 1949 through 1992, the censuses of wholesale and retail trades and service industries have been conducted concurrently with the census of manufactures. The census of construction industries has been included since 1967. Congress has authorized the economic censuses to be taken at 5-year intervals covering years ending in 2 and 7.

Data from the 1992 Economic Censuses of wholesale trade, retail trade, and service industries have been tabulated for nine commercial regions, and the legally constituted units (municipios) into which Puerto Rico is divided. A commercial region is an entity delineated by the Puerto Rico Department of Commerce. Each commercial region is named after the principal municipio in the area. A municipio is entirely included in a commercial region; it does not cross boundaries to form part of any broader geographic area.

This report presents data by kind of business for construction industries, manufactures, retail trade, wholesale trade, and service industries. In addition to data for the Virgin Islands as a whole, data are presented for St. Thomas and St. John (combined to prevent disclosure problems), St. Croix, and the towns of Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, and Frederiksted.