Puerto Rico

Economy & income

Currency: US Dollar (USD, $)
Puerto Rico uses the US dollar as its official currency (1:1, no local currency)
GDP per capita: ~$39,300 nominal (2024, World Bank)
~$50,156 PPP (2024, World Bank)
Average salary: ~$2,660 net/mo (Numbeo, Jun 2026, self-selected sample)
avg wage ~$12.58/hr → gross ~$2,180/mo full-time (US Census ACS 2024)
Median salary: ~$2,390/mo gross (median full-time earnings $28,729/yr, US Census ACS 2024)
median household ~$27,213/yr (ACS 2024)
Minimum wage: $10.50/hr since Jul 1 2024 (PR statutory min wage)
~$1,820/mo at 40h/wk full-time
Cost of living: Medium-High — single person ~$1,085/mo excl. rent, 1BR city-centre rent ~$900/mo
~8% below US mainland avg (Numbeo, Jun 2026)

Digital landscape

Population: 3.24 million (Jan 2025, DataReportal; slowly declining, -0.1% YoY)
Internet users: 87.3% (~2.83M users, Jan 2025)
Social media users: 73.4% (~2.38M identities, Jan 2025; ~78% of adults 18+)
Mobile connections: 2.85M cellular connections = 88.0% of population (Jan 2025)
Devices: mobile ~54% / desktop ~44% / tablet ~2% (StatCounter, Jun 2026; mobile & desktop near parity, converged over 2025-26)
Ad spend: Digital ad spend ~$416M (2024, Statista) → ~$602M projected 2028
banner ~$192M largest segment, social ad market growing to ~$168M by 2028. DataReportal report carries no ad-spend figure.
Top social platforms: YouTube ~2.38M, 73% — #1 reach

Facebook ~1.95M, 60%

Instagram ~1.65M, 51%

Messenger ~1.30M, 40%

LinkedIn ~1.20M, 37%

Pinterest ~876K, 27%

TikTok — very high organic use esp. under-35; DataReportal ad-reach data understated/unreliable
Messengers: WhatsApp (leading OTT messenger)
Facebook Messenger (~1.3M reach)
Apple iMessage/SMS (heavy — high iOS share)
Instagram Direct
Telegram (niche)

Ad regulations

Gambling & betting Restricted

RESTRICTED — Land-based casinos legal & licensed (Puerto Rico Gaming Commission; Act 221-1948). Sports betting, esports & daily fantasy legalized 2019 (Act 81-2019): online sportsbooks licensed, 18+; online casinos/slots remain unlicensed/illegal. Tax 7% retail / 12% online sports betting.

Crypto Legal

LEGAL — No local ban; regulated federally (SEC, FinCEN) and by PR Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions (OCIF) under Act 273. Act 60 gives bona-fide residents 0% capital-gains tax (new decrees face 4% from 2027); heavy IRS scrutiny.

Adult Legal

LEGAL — Protected as speech under US First Amendment; obscenity & CSAM prohibited; 18+ age-gating; US 18 U.S.C. 2257 recordkeeping applies.

Dating Allowed

ALLOWED — No specific restrictions; US FTC consumer-protection rules (ROSCA auto-renewal, deceptive practices) apply; local DACO handles consumer complaints.

Finance & loans Restricted

RESTRICTED — Licensed & supervised by OCIF; US federal CFPB, TILA/Truth-in-Lending & Reg Z apply; small-loan interest caps; payday-style lending constrained.

Nutra & pharma Restricted

RESTRICTED — Full US FDA + FTC jurisdiction; supplements cannot claim to treat/cure disease, Rx drugs need FDA approval; deceptive health claims actively enforced; DACO polices local advertising.

Regulators

DACO (Departamento de Asuntos del Consumidor) — advertising/consumer protection
Puerto Rico Gaming Commission (gambling)
OCIF (finance/crypto)
US FTC/FDA/FCC federally

Notes

US territory: US federal advertising/consumer law (FTC Act, CAN-SPAM, TCPA, COPPA) applies alongside local DACO rules
Spanish-language disclosures expected
bilingual creatives standard.

Payments & behaviour

Payment methods: Visa/Mastercard credit & debit (dominant)
ATH Móvil (local instant P2P/merchant pay — ubiquitous, must-support)
PayPal
Apple Pay / Google Pay (growing, high iOS)
ACH / bank transfer
E-wallets: ATH Móvil
PayPal
Apple Pay
Google Wallet
Cash App / Venmo (US apps work)
Cash on delivery: Low — card & digital payments standard
COD uncommon (US banking rails, high card penetration)
E-commerce: High — 1.5M+ shoppers (~56.5% of internet users) spent ~$1.82B online in 2025
mobile-first checkout critical
Notes: US$ economy on US banking rails
Amazon & US retailers ship/operate normally
BNPL (Klarna/Afterpay) emerging
ATH Móvil is the local method to always support.

Audience & culture

Languages: Spanish (~94%, primary & official)
English (co-official; ~20-40% fluent, business/tourism/diaspora)
Religion: Roman Catholic ~56%, Protestant/Evangelical ~33%, unaffiliated/other ~8-11% (Pew)
some estimates put Catholic ~70%
Median age: ~44-46 years (DataReportal 45.8, Jan 2025; among the oldest in the Americas, youth out-migration)
Key seasons: Christmas & Three Kings (mid-Nov–mid-Jan, longest holiday season incl. Día de Reyes Jan 6, San Sebastián Street Festival — peak spend)
Semana Santa / Easter (Lent)
Summer school break & tourism (Jun-Aug)
Back-to-school (Aug)
Valentine's & Mother's/Father's Day (gifting)
Hurricane season awareness (Jun-Nov)
Cultural notes: Bilingual but Spanish-first creatives convert best
strong reggaeton/urbano culture
family- & community-oriented, brand-loyal
US consumer habits with Latin flavor
mobile & social-commerce heavy
deep diaspora ties to US mainland (esp. Florida & NY)
Where to find creators: Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Facebook
Radio/podcast personalities

Media landscape

Top media outlets

1 El Nuevo Día Spanish daily — newspaper of record, largest circulation & most-visited news site
2 Primera Hora Spanish daily (Guaynabo) — leader in entertainment, lifestyle & sports
3 El Vocero Spanish free daily — strong crime, politics & public affairs
4 Metro Puerto Rico Spanish free daily/digital — youth & urban audience
5 WAPA-TV (Noticentro) Spanish broadcast TV — highest-rated local news
6 Telemundo Puerto Rico (WKAQ) Spanish broadcast TV network — top-rated news & entertainment

Top YouTube channels

1 Bad Bunny ~53M
2 Ozuna ~38M
3 Rauw Alejandro ~15M
4 Arcángel ~14M
5 Daniel El Travieso Videos ~13M
6 Bryant Myers ~10M

Creators & public figures

Top creators

D

Daniel El Travieso (Daniel Ferrer Vázquez) ~13M YouTube (~10M TikTok, ~2M IG)

YouTubecomedy skits, family-friendly — highly brand-safe endorser

M

Molusco (Jorge Pabón Ortiz) ~3M Instagram

Instagramradio/podcast host & celeb interviews — controversy-driven reach, product plugs

Rauw Alejandro ~21M Instagram

Instagramurbano superstar — fashion, fragrance & streetwear collabs

Arcángel ~14M YouTube

YouTubereggaeton veteran — music + brand deals

Eladio Carrión ~5M YouTube

YouTubetrap/hip-hop artist — gym & lifestyle content

Bryant Myers ~10M YouTube

YouTubeLatin trap artist — youth audience

Jay Wheeler ~6.5M YouTube

YouTuberomantic urbano — strong female fanbase

Young Miko ~5M Instagram

Instagramrising queer female trap star — fashion & beauty brand magnet

Celebrities

Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) ~54M Instagram

global reggaeton/Latin-trap superstar & actor, most-streamed artist

Daddy Yankee (Ramón Ayala) ~51M Instagram

reggaeton pioneer ("Gasolina", "Despacito"), retired 2023 to Christian music

Nicky Jam ~42M Instagram

reggaeton star & actor (raised in PR)

Ozuna ~23M Instagram

reggaeton/Latin-trap hitmaker, frequent brand collabs

Ricky Martin ~20M Instagram

global pop icon & LGBTQ+ advocate

Luis Fonsi ~16M Instagram

singer, "Despacito"

Affiliate & traffic

Hot verticals: Sweepstakes & gift-card
Mobile apps & games
E-commerce/retail
Nutra & health/beauty
Sports betting & DFS (legal)
Dating
Financial (cards/loans)
Travel & tourism
Active networks: Amazon Associates
Impact.com
CJ Affiliate
Rakuten Advertising
ShareASale
Mobidea / AdCombo (media buying, nutra/sweeps)
Payouts: US-level payouts in USD: CPL ~$3-15 (dating/finance), sweeps CPA ~$1-5, nutra CPS higher, app installs ~$1-4 — well above mainland LatAm
Competition: Medium — small population (3.2M) but affluent US-territory audience spending in US$
treated as a US/LatAm hybrid geo, less saturated than mainland US
Seasonality: Peak Nov-Jan (extended Christmas/Three Kings season, highest spend)
summer tourism
tax-refund spring
softer Aug-Oct hurricane season
Traffic sources: Meta (Facebook/Instagram) ads
Google & YouTube
TikTok ads
Push/native (Taboola, Outbrain)
Influencer & radio
Programmatic display

Good to know

Capital: San Juan
Major cities: San Juan
Bayamón
Carolina
Ponce
Caguas
Guaynabo
Mayagüez
Arecibo
Time zones: Atlantic Standard Time (AST, UTC-4)
no daylight saving — aligns with US Eastern only during US winter
Android vs iOS: 45% 55%

Android 45% iOS 55%
Phone brands: Apple (~55%)
Samsung (~27%)
Motorola (~6%)
Google (~5%)
Top e-commerce: Amazon
Walmart
eBay
SHEIN
Temu
Best Buy
Peak activity: Evenings ~7-11pm AST and weekends; lunch 12-1pm; post in Spanish
Creative taboos: Avoid politicizing statehood-vs-independence status
Hurricane María trauma sensitivity
respect Spanish language & Puerto Rican identity
largely Christian audience
Also worth knowing: US territory: US$, US banking/shipping & US federal law (FTC/FDA/FCC) — run US-style compliant funnels but in Spanish
No DST (AST/UTC-4) so schedule against local time, not US Eastern
Very high iOS share (~55%) — prioritize Apple Pay & iOS creatives
reggaeton/urbano artists and comedy creators (Daniel El Travieso, Molusco) are the top brand vehicles.