San Juan metropolitan area Área metropolitana de San Juan | ||
|---|---|---|
.jpg) NASA image of urban core of San Juan metro area in northeastern Puerto Rico, 2024 | ||
| Nicknames: Área Metro (Metro Area); La Losa ("the slab") | ||
 Map of Puerto Rico with urbanized areas demarcated in orange to yellow, 2017 | ||
 Statistical areas in Puerto Rico
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| Country |  United States | |
| Territory |  Puerto Rico | |
| Principal cities | San Juan,Bayamón,Caguas, andGuaynabo | |
| Population (2023) | ||
| • MSA | 2,035,733 | |
| • CSA | 2,360,082 | |
| Time zone | UTC−4 | |
TheSan Juan–Bayamón–Caguas metropolitan area, most commonly known as theSan Juan metropolitan area (Spanish:área metropolitana de San Juan), is the largest and most populousmetropolitan statistical area (MSA) inPuerto Rico, concentrated in the capital ofSan Juan and surroundingmunicipalities, includingBayamón,Caguas, andCarolina, on the northeasterncoastal plain of themain island.[1][2] One of6 metropolitan statistical areas in Puerto Rico, it is within theSan Juan–Bayamóncombined statistical area (CSA), which is one of3 combined statistical areas in thearchipelago as defined by theUnited States Census Bureau. As of 2023, the estimated population of the San Juan–Bayamón–Caguas metropolitan area is 842,535 in municipalities in theconurbation and 1,193,198 in municipalities outside theurban core, making it thefourth largest in theinsularCaribbean.
Consisting of 40municipalities in the eastern half of themain island ofPuerto Rico, the San Juan–Bayamón–Caguas metropolitan area covers 1,438square miles (3,725km2)[3][4] of land. With an estimated population of 842,535 in municipalities in theconurbation and 1,193,198 in municipalities outside theurban core, it is the largest and most populousstatistical area in Puerto Rico.San Juan,Bayamón,Caguas, andGuaynabo are considered to be itsprincipal cities.[5][1][6] As of 2023, the San Juan–Bayamón–Caguas metropolitan area is the36th most populated in theUnited States andterritories, ranked between theNashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN MSA and theSan Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA MSA.
Forming a continuousconurbation on the northeasterncoastal plain of themain island ofPuerto Rico, theSan Juan metropolitan area (Spanish:área metropolitana de San Juan), also simply known as theárea metro (metro area), is theurban core and greater area of the San Juan–Bayamón–Caguas metropolitan area (MSA). This highly urbanized,sprawling zone is concentrated in the capital municipality ofSan Juan, and the surroundingmunicipalities ofBayamón,Carolina,Guaynabo,Trujillo Alto, andCataño. Occasionally, the suburb ofLevittown in the municipality ofToa Baja is included within the urban core, which is also commonly referred to as theárea metropolitana de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico metropolitan area), as it is the primary urban region in thearchipelago and island. However, along withAguadilla,Arecibo,Guayama,Mayagüez, andPonce, it is only one ofsix metropolitan areas in Puerto Rico.[7]
The region outside the San Juan metropolitan area, the conurbation and greater area of the San Juan–Bayamón–Caguas metropolitan area (MSA), is made up of 34municipalities, each containing small urban zones, of which the most populous is located in theprincipal city ofCaguas on theCaguas Valley in eastern-central Puerto Rico. These urbanized, densely populated commercial and residential zones usually concentrate around the downtown area and administrative center of the municipality, which is categorized as abarrio and known as apueblo.
The San Juan–Bayamón–Caguas metropolitan area (MSA) varies in topography. While municipalities along the coastline have flat, low-lying terrain, most municipalities are located on elevated, hilly and mountainous terrain.
ComprisingSan Juan,Bayamón,Carolina,Guaynabo,Trujillo Alto, andCataño, theconurbation orurban core of the San Juan metropolitan area is generally on the eastern part of the northerncoastal plain of themain island ofPuerto Rico. However, of the six municipalities within the urban area, only Cataño is completely situated on the coastal plain. In contrast, only the northern parts of San Juan, Bayamón, Carolina, Guaynabo, and Trujillo Alto are on the coastal plain, as the southern parts of Bayamón and Guayabo are on the hilly terrain of theNorthern Karst Belt, and those of Carolina and Trujillo Alto are on the mountainous terrain of theSierra de Luquillo. Less populated and restricted by ruggedtopography, these outer areas are mostly rural.
Roughly covering the eastern half of the main island of Puerto Rico, the topography of the 34 municipalities outside the urban core of the San Juan metropolitan area varies between the eastern and southern coastal plains, theCaguas Valley, theYabucoa Valley, the North Karst Belt, and theCordillera Central,Sierra de Cayey, andSierra de Luquillo mountainsubranges.
Aside from an urbanized, densely populated downtown area and administrative center, categorized as abarrio and known as apueblo, and concentrated urbanized residential areas with large populations, these municipalities are mostly rural, particularly those furtherest way, indistance andelevation, from the inner urban core around the capital,San Juan. Generally, low-lying areas along or near the shoreline in coastal municipalities, like those found inVega Baja andHumacao, are greatly more urbanized and populated than inland,karstic, and mountainous areas, especially in elevated and interior municipalities likeOrocovis, which is strictly rural and sparsely populated.
TheSan Juan–Bayamón combined statistical area (CSA) comprises themetropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) ofSan Juan–Bayamón–Caguas,Arecibo, andGuayama, and themicropolitan statistical areas (μSAs) ofCoco,Utuado, andLares. It is the largest and most populous of threecombined statistical areas in Puerto Rico.
The San Juan–Bayamón combined statistical area includes threemetropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), threemicropolitan statistical areas (μSAs), covering 50 of 78municipalities in eastern and central of themain island ofPuerto Rico.
In 2009, the San Juan–Bayamón combined statistical area comprised 68.9% of total population in Puerto Rico. The2010 census placed the population at 2,728,791, a 4.16% increase over the2000 census figure of 2,622,876.[9] The2020 census placed the population at 2,414,593, a 11.51% decrease over the2010 census figure of 2,728,791.
With an estimated population of 2,360,082 as of 2023, the San Juan–Bayamón combined statistical area is themost populous CSA in Puerto Rico and the32nd most populous CSA in theUnited States between theRaleigh–Durham–Cary, NC CSA and theNashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro, TN CSA.
ComprisingArecibo,Hatillo,Camuy, andQuebradillas, theArecibo metropolitan area is completely situated on theNorthern Karst Belt in the northwestern region of themain island ofPuerto Rico. The 3 municipalities in theGuayama metropolitan area–Patillas,Arroyo, andGuayama–are situated between the southern coastal plain and theSierra de Cayey mountain subrange in the southeastern region of the main island. Both theLares andUtuado micropolitan areas are situated between the Northern Karst Belt and theCordillera Central mountain subrange in the western central region of the main island, while theCocos micropolitan area ofSalinas is situated between the southern coastal plain and the Sierra de Cayey mountain subrange in the southeastern region of the main island.
All municipalities have an urbanized, densely populated downtown area and administrative center, categorized as abarrio and known as apueblo, and concentrated urbanized residential areas with large populations, which lie on low-lying regions along the coastline. The inland and mountainous parts of the municipalities are strictly rural and sparsely populated.
In addition to the San Juan–Bayamón combined statistical area (CSA), Puerto Rico has two more combined statistical areas: theMayagüez–Aguadilla CSA and thePonce–Coamo CSA. The first is divided into two metropolitan statistical areas, the Mayagüez MSA and the Aguadilla MSA, while the second is divided into one metropolitan statistical area, the Ponce MSA, and one micropolitan statistical area, the Coamo μSA. These statistical areas cover 22 of 78municipalities inPuerto Rico.
As of 2023, there are 6 of 78municipalities with less than 15,000 inhabitants that are not part of anystatistical area in Puerto Rico.
Media related toSan Juan-Bayamón-Caguas metropolitan area at Wikimedia Commons