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You are here: Home / History / Did Puerto Rico become richer or poorer under the United States?

Did Puerto Rico become richer or poorer under the United States?

February 11, 2020 by Karen Hill

At first Puerto Rico became poorer when it became a territory of the United States.

In the first few decades after the Spanish American War, American businesses flocked to Puerto Rico to convert much of the agricultural land to sugar production.

Farmers who had been growing their own food now worked at growing sugar. Their employment, and their ability to feed their families depended on the price of sugar, which was subject to drastic change.

Unemployment boomed in Puerto Rico, particularly in the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The problem of poverty was made worse by a population boom. The United States introduced health and sanitation measures that saved children and adults from dying.

But the same measures allowed the population to double from about one million to two million in the early twentieth century.

Related Facts

  • Where Is Puerto Rico Located, How Many People Live There, and Is Puerto Rico Part of the United States?
  • How many Islands does Puerto Rico have and What is the Capital of Puerto Rico?
  • Why isn't Puerto Rico a state and What would statehood mean for Puerto Rico?
  • When Did Puerto Rico Become a United States Territory and When Was the Treaty of Paris Signed?
  • Who was the first Puerto Rican elected to govern Puerto Rico in 1946?
  • Why did the United States invade Puerto Rico in 1898?

Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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