Discrimination Against Puerto Ricans in the United States

Puerto Ricans—U.S. citizens since 1917—face systemic discrimination across key domains:

• Employment: Lower employment rates, occupational segregation, wage gaps.
• Housing: Higher poverty, segregation, mortgage denial rates.
• Education: Higher dropout rates, lower college completion.
• Health: Uninsured rates double whites; higher chronic disease mortality.
• Criminal Justice: Disproportionate arrests, convictions, incarceration.

Consequences include intergenerational poverty, health disparities, political marginalization. Remedies: enforcement of civil-rights laws, targeted investment, Puerto Rican political representation, public education on bias.