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USDA eligibility map: Puerto Rico

About 91.7% of Puerto Rico's area is in USDA-eligible rural areas, by HeritageDeed's estimate from USDA Rural Development's published eligibility map, the 40th highest share among the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico. 59 of 78 municipios have no ineligible area at all, and Cataño Municipio is entirely ineligible. 38 Census places in Puerto Rico lie mostly inside ineligible areas, including Cataño zona urbana, San Juan zona urbana, Candelaria comunidad, Carolina zona urbana and Bayamón zona urbana.

91.7%
of the area is USDA eligible (estimate)
287
square miles mapped ineligible
59 of 78
municipios with no ineligible area
38
Census places mostly ineligible

Check a Puerto Rico address

USDA eligible area by municipio

The share of each municipio's area that is USDA eligible, and the places (cities, towns and census-designated places) at least half inside ineligible areas. These are estimates; check any single property with the lookup.

USDA eligible share of area and mostly ineligible places by municipio in Puerto Rico
municipioArea eligibleMostly ineligible places
Adjuntas Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Aguada Municipio99.9%None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible
Aguadilla Municipio66.4%Aguadilla zona urbana
Aguas Buenas Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Aibonito Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Añasco Municipio99.9%None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible
Arecibo Municipio87.8%Arecibo zona urbana
Arroyo Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Barceloneta Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Barranquitas Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Bayamón Municipio39.1%Bayamón zona urbana
Cabo Rojo Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Caguas Municipio79.5%Caguas zona urbana
Camuy Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Canóvanas Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Carolina Municipio37.5%Carolina zona urbana
Cataño Municipio0%Cataño zona urbana
Cayey Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Ceiba Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Ciales Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Cidra Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Coamo Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Comerío Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Corozal Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Culebra Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Dorado Municipio83.4%Dorado zona urbana
Fajardo Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Florida Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Guánica Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Guayama Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Guayanilla Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Guaynabo Municipio47.1%Guaynabo zona urbana
Gurabo Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Hatillo Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Hormigueros Municipio99.7%None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible
Humacao Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Isabela Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Jayuya Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Juana Díaz Municipio99.9%None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible
Juncos Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Lajas Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Lares Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Las Marías Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Las Piedras Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Loíza Municipio99.9%None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible
Luquillo Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Manatí Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Maricao Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Maunabo Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Mayagüez Municipio66.8%Mayagüez zona urbana
Moca Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Morovis Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Naguabo Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Naranjito Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Orocovis Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Patillas Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Peñuelas Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Ponce Municipio57.9%Ponce zona urbana, Quebrada del Agua comunidad, Coto Laurel comunidad, Calzada comunidad
Quebradillas Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Rincón Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Río Grande Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Sabana Grande Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Salinas Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
San Germán Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
San Juan Municipio0.1%San Juan zona urbana, Caño Martin Peña comunidad
San Lorenzo Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
San Sebastián Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Santa Isabel Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Toa Alta Municipio69.8%Pájaros comunidad, Mucarabones comunidad
Toa Baja Municipio0.5%Candelaria comunidad, Mansión del Mar comunidad, San José comunidad, Sabana Seca comunidad, Candelaria Arenas comunidad, Toa Baja zona urbana, Ingenio comunidad, Campanilla comunidad, and 12 more
Trujillo Alto Municipio56.1%Trujillo Alto zona urbana
Utuado Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Vega Alta Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Vega Baja Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Vieques Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Villalba Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Yabucoa Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible
Yauco Municipio100%None: the whole municipio is eligible

How USDA decides what is rural

The rural-area definition is section 520 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490): open country and places not part of or associated with an urban area with up to 2,500 people, up to 10,000 if rural in character, or up to 20,000 outside a metropolitan statistical area with a serious lack of mortgage credit for lower and moderate-income families. Areas that lost rural status in the 1990 to 2020 censuses stay rural until 2030 census data arrive if they have 10,000 to 35,000 people and meet the same conditions. Income is a separate test, applied to the household by the lender and USDA.

For other address-level designations in Puerto Rico, the free census tract lookup shows the income level and QCT and DDA status, and Puerto Rico has 863 designated Opportunity Zone tracts (Opportunity Zone lookup).

Questions

Is Puerto Rico eligible for USDA loans?

Much of it is. About 91.7% of the state's area is outside USDA's ineligible areas (287 of about 3,458 square miles are ineligible). 59 municipios are entirely eligible. Most people live in the larger towns, which are often ineligible, so check the specific address.

Which Puerto Rico municipios have the least USDA eligible area?

Cataño Municipio (0% eligible), San Juan Municipio (0.1% eligible), Toa Baja Municipio (0.5% eligible), Carolina Municipio (37.5% eligible), Bayamón Municipio (39.1% eligible). The share is of land area, by HeritageDeed's estimate from USDA's map; eligibility is decided for each property.

Which Puerto Rico towns are not eligible for USDA loans?

Places USDA's map shows as mostly inside an ineligible area include Cataño zona urbana, San Juan zona urbana, Candelaria comunidad, Carolina zona urbana, Bayamón zona urbana, Guaynabo zona urbana, Trujillo Alto zona urbana and Ponce zona urbana. The county table on this page lists every place that is mostly ineligible. Edges matter: part of a town, or land just outside it, can be on the other side of the line, so check the address.

How do I check a Puerto Rico address for USDA eligibility?

Enter the street address in the lookup on this page. It locates the address and checks it against USDA's published rural eligibility map. It is a screening: Rural Development makes the final determination on a complete application, and household income is a separate test (USDA's income eligibility tool).

When was the USDA eligibility map for Puerto Rico last updated?

The ineligible areas on USDA's map for Puerto Rico carry an effective date of July 25, 2023. USDA updates the map from ineligible-area changes sent in by its state offices. The statute keeps formerly rural areas of 10,000 to 35,000 people rural until data from the 2030 census arrive, if they still meet its conditions.

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Legal references

Areas are computed by HeritageDeed: estimates, not USDA figures. USDA's map is not a final determination; Rural Development decides on a complete application. HeritageDeed is not affiliated with USDA.

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