Puerto Rico, municipality by municipality
Puerto Rico has 78 municipalities: 76 on the main island plus Vieques and Culebra. Tap any town on the map, or pick it from the list, to see its 2020 Census population, density and free-flow drive time from San Juan.
Quick answer
Puerto Rico has 78 municipalities (76 on the main island plus Vieques and Culebra). Tap any town for 2020 Census population, density and free-flow drive time from San Juan.
Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files (2023). Population: 2020 Census. Drive times: OSRM on OpenStreetMap data. Base map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
How to read the map
- Color is density. Darker blue means more people per square mile. Uncheck the density box if you only want the municipal outlines.
- Each town has a card. Tap a municipality for its 2020 Census population, density and drive time from San Juan — or the ferry note for Vieques and Culebra.
- Red pins are destination guides. They mark places we cover in depth, such as Old San Juan, El Yunque and Rincón. Tap one to open its guide.
What stands out
- People cluster in the metro. San Juan is the most populous municipality (342,259 in the 2020 Census) and among the densest. Neighboring Carolina, Bayamón and Guaynabo fill much of the northeast coastal plain.
- Mountains and islands have room. Interior and island municipalities are far less dense than the metro. Culebra and Vieques are full municipalities with no road bridge to the main island.
- Biggest land is not always most people. Some large municipalities inland or on the south coast have far fewer residents than compact metro towns.
- End to end from the capital. Free-flow drives from San Juan reach Caguas in under an hour and the far southwest in a little over two hours; rush hour adds more. Use our driving distances tool for any pair of mainland towns.
The 78 municipalities together held 3,285,874 residents in the 2020 Census.
Vieques, Culebra and islands without their own town
Vieques and Culebra are municipalities, but there is no bridge to the main island. Ferries leave from Ceiba. Crossings take about an hour to Vieques and about 90 minutes to Culebra; small planes also fly from Isla Grande and Ceiba. Check the ferry schedule and our how-to guides before you go.
Mona, Monito and Desecheo, in the Mona Passage, are not separate municipalities — they belong to Mayagüez. Those islands and the cays are covered in our island guide.
Frequently asked questions
How many municipalities does Puerto Rico have?
78: 76 on the main island plus Vieques and Culebra. The 2020 Census counted 3,285,874 residents across them.
What is the most populous municipality?
San Juan, with 342,259 residents in the 2020 Census. Neighboring Carolina, Bayamón and Guaynabo fill much of the northeast metro.
How long does it take to drive from San Juan to the far southwest?
A little over two hours free-flow; rush hour adds more. Use our driving-distances tool for any mainland pair.
Are Vieques and Culebra on the map?
Yes — both are municipalities. There is no bridge; ferries leave from Ceiba (about an hour to Vieques, about 90 minutes to Culebra).
Keep exploring
- Driving distances between towns: kilometers and minutes between any mainland pair.
- How long to drive around Puerto Rico
- Places in Puerto Rico: essential destinations with guides.
- Where to live in Puerto Rico: what each coast offers.
- Spanish twin: mapa interactivo de Puerto Rico.