Study: Amidst Battle for Paradise, Residents of Puerto Rico Worry About Losing Home
Puerto Ricans are deeply concerned about displacement, rising housing costs and the future of land ownership across the archipelago, according to a new report from the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research.
The findings from a recent report from El Laboratorio Puertorriqueño de Opinión Pública (Puerto Rican Public Opinion Lab, or PR-POL)-a partnership between the Center for Political Studies at ISR and la Universidad de Puerto Rico-show a sharp disconnect between residents' priorities and government actions that many perceive as favoring tourism, development and outside investment over local housing needs.
"The vast majority of Puerto Rico residents (86%) think that U.S. mainlanders will own half or more of all land in Puerto Rico within the next 50 years," said Ignangeli Salinas Muñiz, U-M doctoral candidate in political science, PR-POL fellow and author of the report.
The study draws on data from 1,284 Puerto Rico residents surveyed by PR-POL, between May and November 2025. The survey was weighted to reflect Puerto Rico's population.
The report also includes findings from an online survey of 660 residents conducted by TGM Research in February-March 2026 across different regions of Puerto Rico's main island.
The findings come as Puerto Rico experiences record tourism alongside population loss and rising housing costs. In 2025, Puerto Rico marked its fifth consecutive year of breaking tourism records. At the same time, from 2016 to 2025, the territory lost about 295,000 residents-roughly 9% of its 2016 population. The average cost of single-family housing rose around 68% over the past decade, while 37% of the population remains below the poverty line.
The concern over future land ownership is especially noticeable among younger residents and women. More than three-quarters of residents ages 30 to 45 believe U.S. mainlanders will own most or all land in Puerto Rico in the next 50 years.
The report also finds that many residents are thinking about leaving. More than one-third of Puerto Rico residents said they considered moving to the United States in the past year. Younger residents were far more likely to say they had considered relocating: 56% of residents, ages 18 to 29, and 45% of residents, ages 30 to 45, reported considering a move.
The findings also point to broad opposition to legislation that would restrict public access to coastal land. Puerto Rico House Bill 25, known as PC 25, seeks to reduce the Maritime-Terrestrial Zone, currently public coastal land reached by tides and waves from tropical cyclones. In the TGM Research survey, 65% of respondents opposed passing PC 25, while less than 12% approved of it.
Other development-related measures have also drawn scrutiny. Act 60 offers tax exemptions to foreign investors, while Law 82-2026 requires anyone seeking to legally challenge and halt an approved construction project to post a bond equivalent to 10% of the project's total value.
The report also highlights Esencia, a luxury development in Cabo Rojo, as a major flashpoint. The government approved about $497 million in tax exemptions for the project, which would include multimillion-dollar housing units and hotels across more than 1,500 acres of land. Experts, including Puerto Rico's environmental and natural resource agency, have raised concerns about risks to the local environment and water supply.
Residents' priorities are clear, according to the study: 74% said the government should prioritize Puerto Ricans' access to affordable housing. Only 2% said the government should prioritize tourism and foreign investment, while about 24% said both should receive equal priority.
"The findings in this report demonstrate that concerns about displacement or gentrification are highly salient among residents of Puerto Rico," said Salinas Muñiz. "This concern is especially high among younger residents, who are also the most likely to consider moving to the United States."
