Puerto Rico’s overall manufacturing sector reported $76.6 billion in total value of shipments for 2012, down 4.5 percent from $80.2 billion in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 Economic Census of Island Areas.

The total number of manufacturing establishments in Puerto Rico in 2012 was 1,653, down 23.2 percent from 2,151 establishments in 2007. Similarly, the number of manufacturing employees fell 24.3 percent, from 110,691 in 2007 to 83,830 in 2012. Payroll also decreased 16.8 percent, from $3.5 billion to $2.9 billion, over the same period.

Chemical manufacturing (NAICS 325) remained the leading manufacturing subsector in Puerto Rico, rising from 64.9 percent of total manufacturer’s shipments in 2007 to 68.1 percent in 2012. The value of chemical shipments increased only 0.1 percent to $52.1 billion in 2012. However, employment decreased 43.4 percent, from 30,841 in 2007 to 17,466 in 2012. This employment decline was driven primarily by the drop in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing (NAICS 3254), the largest of the subsectors within the chemical manufacturing sector. It had an employment decrease of 44.8 percent, from 25,550 employees in 2007 to 14,097 employees in 2012, as the number of establishments in this industry declined from 65 to 46.

As in previous censuses, San Juan-Carolina led the island’s combined statistical areas with $69.4 billion in manufacturer’s shipments in 2012, an increase of 6.7 percent from $65.0 billion in 2007.

The five-year Economic Census of Island Areas provides the most authoritative and comprehensive source of information about Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories’ economy. Today’s release includes statistics for Puerto Rico manufacturing by combined and metropolitan statistical areas and municipios (county equivalents). Later in the year, similar data will be published for the other sectors of Puerto Rico’s economy.

Other findings:

• Miscellaneous manufacturing (NAICS 339) was the second leading subsector, with $9.1 billion in shipments in 2012, up 23.4 percent from $7.4 billion in 2007. The medical equipment and supplies manufacturing industry accounted for most of this subsector’s value of shipments, $8.8 billion in 2012, rising 21.2 percent from $7.3 billion in 2007.  The industries in miscellaneous manufacturing are defined by what is made rather than how it is made. Establishments in this subsector manufacture products as diverse as medical equipment and supplies, jewelry, sporting goods, toys and office supplies.
  

• The petroleum and coal products (NAICS 324) subsector declined in sales, payroll and employment from 2007 to 2012. The decreases consisted of a drop of 52.8 percent in value of shipments, from $3.9 billion in 2007 to $1.9 billion in 2012; a decline of 51.7 percent in payroll, from $38.0 million in 2007 to $18.4 million in 2012; and an employment decline of 22.6 percent, from 952 employees in 2007 to 737 employees in 2012.
  

• Between 2007 and 2012, the largest percentage increase in manufacturing subsector employment and payroll belonged to textile product mills (NAICS 314).  In 2012, it had 1,144 employees, an increase of 105.8 percent from 556 employees in 2007, and reported payroll of $19.4 million, up 159.2 percent from $7.5 million in 2007. The textile mills subsector had $94.8 million in value of shipments for 2012, up 161.7 percent from $36.2 million in 2007. The number of establishments for this subsector declined 10.9 percent, however, from 46 to 41.
  

• Puerto Rico had 36 manufacturing establishments with 500 or more employees, representing 2.2 percent of all manufacturing businesses. Their $39.8 billion of shipments accounted for 51.9 percent of total manufacturing shipments in 2012, and 30,796 employees represented 36.7 percent of manufacturing employees.
  

• The economic census also collects information on manufacturers’ value added, cost of materials, capital expenditures and rental payments. The manufacturing sector reported value added of $52.6 billion in 2012, a decrease of 23.3 percent from $68.6 billion in 2007. Cost of materials increased 18.1 percent, from $12.5 billion in 2007 to $14.8 billion in 2012. Capital expenditures decreased 28.2 percent, from $4.9 billion in 2007 to $3.5 billion in 2012. Rental payments decreased 10.5 percent, from $187.0 million in 2007 to $167.4 million in 2012.
  

The data for Puerto Rico and other U.S. Island Areas are available through the Census Bureau’s American FactFinder (decomissioned in 2019), an online data access tool. Statistics were previously released for the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam in April 2014, American Samoa in May 2014 and for the U.S. Virgin Islands in July 2014. Later this year, additional data for Puerto Rico will be released separately for the construction sector and, through the geographic area series, the remaining sectors. 

More information about the Economic Census of Island Areas is available here. For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error and definitions, see the methodology section.

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts an economic census every five years and provides a comprehensive and detailed profile of the U.S. economy, covering millions of businesses representing more than 1,400 detailed industries and providing unique portraits of American industries and local communities. 

The County Business Patterns also provides Puerto Rico statistics. County Business Patterns is an annual series that provides subnational economic data by industry. Data from the 2012 County Business Patterns is available here.

The Puerto Rico Community Survey provides data every year — giving communities the current information they need to manage change. It is part of the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, customized for Puerto Rico.  Data from the Puerto Rico Community Survey is available here.