FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2002 Robert Bernstein CB02-163 Public Information Office (301) 763-3030/457-3670 (fax) (301) 457-1037 (TDD) e-mail: pio@census.gov Census Bureau Releases 2001 Population Estimates for Puerto Rico The Commerce Department's Census Bureau today released population estimates as of July 1, 2001, for Puerto Rico's 78 municipios (county equivalents), including percentage changes, births, deaths and net migration from Census Day, April 1, 2000, to July 1, 2001, for each municipio. The municipio of Toa Alta (total population 66,388) posted the largest percentage increase in population between 2000 and 2001, 3.8 percent; followed by Florida (12,819), at 3.7 percent; Gurabo (37,672), at 2.5 percent; and Las Piedras (35,235) and Trujillo Alto (77,394), at 2.2 percent each. San Juan, the island's most populous municipio (433,872), experienced a 0.1 percent decline in population between 2000 and 2001. The estimates are consistent with the 2001 population estimate for the entire commonwealth released by the Census Bureau in December 2001. Puerto Rico's population then was estimated at 3.84 million, an increase of 31,200 people since April 1, 2000.