City profile · Puerto Rico · Census ACS 2023

Vega Alta zona urbana, PR

Vega Alta zona urbana's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

8,681
Residents
$23,682
Median income
$125,400
Median home
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Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.

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Starting with Vega Alta zona urbana, PR - add up to three more cities on the compare page.

See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Vega Alta zona urbana.

Place dossier plate

Sheet PR-VEGA-ALTA-ZONA-URBANA-PR · Vega Alta zona urbana, PR 8,681 pop · income 1st pct · 10 tracts

POP-TOWN · INC-LOW · COL-UNK · SAFE-UNK · RANK-BOTTOM · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-MID

  • POP-TOWN 8,681
  • INC-LOW $23,682
  • COL-UNK COL pending
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-BOTTOM 1st
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Cabo Rojo zona…
  • HOME-LOW $125,400
  • BOOK-MID 10 tracts

Nearest income peer: Cabo Rojo zona urbana, PR (+ $7 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Vega Alta zona urbana

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Vega Alta zona urbana on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Vega Alta zona urbana on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 8,681.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $23,682. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Vega Alta zona urbana - the verdict

Vega Alta zona urbana ranks in the 1st percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.

1st
percentile, household income
20th
percentile, home value
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Vega Alta zona urbana, PR

8,681 people live in Vega Alta zona urbana, Puerto Rico - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Vega Alta zona urbana report a median income of $23,682 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 40.8%. Home values in Vega Alta zona urbana run a median of $125,400, and the median resident age is 46.0 years.

Monthly utility costs average around $195 across Puerto Rico, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates.

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Vega Alta zona urbana's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from within-city variation to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Vega Alta zona urbana, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, within-city Census tract profiles. No matched row is reported here for annual population history, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Within-city variation

What can 10 Census tracts reveal inside Vega Alta zona urbana?

That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.

PlainCities matches 10 Census tracts to this city.

Explore Vega Alta zona urbana's tract profiles →

Question 2

Which cities make useful reference points for Vega Alta zona urbana?

Within Puerto Rico, the closest population matches are Aibonito zona urbana (8,642 residents, $18,012 income); Juncos zona urbana (8,927 residents, $23,050 income); Cabo Rojo zona urbana (9,222 residents, $23,689 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Arizona, AZ (8,681 residents); Orosi, CA (8,679 residents); Rock Falls, IL (8,683 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

3. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in Vega Alta zona urbana?

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 78.6%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Compare commute patterns →

Question 4

How far does income reach against housing in Vega Alta zona urbana?

The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 40.8%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Population

8,681 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$23,682 /yr

Lowest-decile income · poverty 40.8% (Highest-decile poverty)

Median Home Value

$125,400

Lower home values

City profile score · Vega Alta zona urbana, PR

0/100

2 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Household income F
$23,682

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Poverty rate F
40.8%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Bachelor's+ share N/A
N/A

No ACS bachelor's-attainment share on file for this place.

Cost of living N/A
N/A

No cost-of-living index on file for this place.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

How does Vega Alta zona urbana compare to other US cities?

Here's how Vega Alta zona urbana stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 1% higher than other cities
Home value 20% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Vega Alta zona urbana against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Puerto Rico only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Puerto Rico-relative analysis

Median Home Value places Vega Alta zona urbana toward the top of Puerto Rico's cities

Among the 274 Puerto Rico cities PlainCities tracks with reported median home value data, Vega Alta zona urbana ranks #52 - the 81st percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Vega Alta zona urbana only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#86 of 268
68th percentile in Puerto Rico
Median Home Value
#52 of 274
81st percentile in Puerto Rico
Poverty Rate
#191 of 286
33rd percentile in Puerto Rico
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Puerto Rico only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

1stIncome percentile
Gauge source note

1st percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Vega Alta zona urbana's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$125,400 Among the most affordable more affordable than 80% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). This entry sits in this band. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Vega Alta zona urbana $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Vega Alta zona urbana's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.3×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,314 of 15,516
More affordable than 14% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#10,003 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 5.3×, Vega Alta zona urbana sits in the pressured band: national rank #13,314 of 15,516 and #10,003 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$23,682 Vega Alta zona urbana, PR median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Vega Alta zona urbana, PR Vega Alta zona urbana, PR's median household income ($23,682) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Vega Alta zona urbana, PR-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Vega Alta zona urbana, PR median $23,682/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Vega Alta zona urbana, PR median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Vega Alta zona urbana, PR.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 40.8%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 36.3%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
8,681
Median Income
$23,682
Median Home Value
$125,400
Median Age
46.0
Poverty Rate
40.8%
Labor force participation
36.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
N/A

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
78.6%
Carpool
8.8%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
6.8%
Work from Home
4.1%
Other
1.7%

Based on 2,804 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

Puerto Rico statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $195

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Puerto Rico at $195 (electricity about $160 , water and sewer about $35 ).

These are Puerto Rico statewide averages, not a meter reading for Vega Alta zona urbana. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

How Vega Alta zona urbana compares to similar-size Puerto Rico cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Vega Alta zona urbana (this city) 8,681 $23,682
Aibonito zona urbana 8,642 $18,012
Juncos zona urbana 8,927 $23,050
Cabo Rojo zona urbana 9,222 $23,689
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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