| Tenth census of Puerto Rico | |
| Country: | Puerto Rico |
| Topic1: | Situation |
| Topic2: | Relationship |
| Topic3: | Personal description |
| Topic4: | Nativity |
| Topic5: | Citizenship |
| Topic6: | Race |
| Topic7: | Occupation |
| Topic8: | Schooling, literacy |
| Topic9: | Sanitary |
| Authority: | Census Bureau for the U.S. War Department |
| Population: | 953,243 |
| Percent Change: | 16.0%[1] |
| Region Type: | department |
| Most Populous: | Ponce (203,191) |
| Least Populous: | Aguadilla (99,645) |
| Previous Census: | 1887 Puerto Rico census |
| Previous Year: | 1887 |
| Next Census: | 1910 Puerto Rico census |
| Next Year: | 1910 |
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.[2] 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.[3]
The population schedule used in the census, translated into English and reduced in size is as follows:[4]
Situation
Relationship
Personal description
Nativity
Citizenship
Occupation
Instruction
Sanitary conditions
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]
| Department[6] | Total population | Increase (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Humacao (with Río Grande) | 100,866 | 8.2 |
| 127,566 | 10.0 | |
| 111,986 | 15.5 | |
| 99,645 | 15.7 | |
| Bayamón (less Rio Grande) | 147,681 | 20.2 |
| 203,191 | 27.5 | |
| 162,308 | 30.7 | |
| Puerto Rico | 953,243 | 19.4 |
| Aguadilla department[7] | 99,645 | Guayama department-continued | ||
| 10,581 | 7,552 | |||
| 17,830 | 8,249 | |||
| 14,888 | 12,749 | |||
| 20,883 | 8,700 | |||
| 12,410 | 8,429 | |||
| 6,641 | Salinas | 5,731 | ||
| San Sebastian | 16,412 | 13,433 | ||
| Arecibo department | 162,308 | Humacao department | 88,501 | |
| 36,910 | 16,782 | |||
| 9,357 | Humacao | 14,313 | ||
| 10,887 | Maunabo | 6,221 | ||
| 18,115 | Naguabo | 10,873 | ||
| 10,449 | Patillas | 11,163 | ||
| 13,989 | Piedras | 8,602 | ||
| 11,309 | Vieques | 6,642 | ||
| Quebradillas | 7,432 | Yabucoa | 13,905 | |
| 43,860 | Mayagüez department | 127,566 | ||
| Bayamon department | 160,046 | Añasco | 13,311 | |
| 19,940 | Cabo Rojo | 16,154 | ||
| 11,965 | Hormigueros | 3,215 | ||
| 11,508 | Lajas | 8,789 | ||
| 3,804 | Las Marias | 11,279 | ||
| 12,522 | Maricao | 8,312 | ||
| 8,101 | Mayagüez | 35,700 | ||
| 12,365 | Sabana Grande | 10,560 | ||
| Rio Piedras | 13,760 | San German | 20,246 | |
| 32,048 | Ponce department | 203,191 | ||
| Toa Alta | 7,908 | Adjuntas | 19,484 | |
| Toa Baja | 4,030 | Aibonito | 8,596 | |
| Trujillo Alto | 5,683 | Barranquitas | 8,103 | |
| Vega Alta | 6,107 | Barros | 14,845 | |
| Vega Baja | 10,305 | Coamo | 15,144 | |
| Guayama department | 111,986 | Guayanilla | 9,540 | |
| 7,977 | Juana Diaz | 27,896 | ||
| 4,867 | Peñuelas | 12,129 | ||
| 19,857 | Ponce | 55,477 | ||
| 14,442 | Santa Isabel | 4,858 | ||
| - | - | 27,119 | ||
Data of the total population by median age.[8]
| Department | Median age |
|---|---|
| Guayama | 17.3 |
| Arecibo | 17.6 |
| Humacao | 17.7 |
| Aguadilla | 17.9 |
| Bayamon | 18.2 |
| Ponce | 18.5 |
| Mayaguez | 19.1 |
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.[9]
| Birthplace[10] | Number | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico | 939,371 | 98.5 | |
| Foreign-born | 13,872 | 1.5 | |
| Europe | - | - | |
| 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 | |
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:[11]
| Race | Population | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 589,426 | 61.8 | ||
| Colored* | 363,817 | 38.2 | |
| (Persons of mixed blood) | 304,352 | 83.6 | |
| Puerto Rico | 953,243 | 100.0 |
Supervisors and enumerators of different departments.