List of Stateside Puerto Rican communities
There are many states with smaller but fast-growing Puerto Rican populations including Rhode Island, Delaware, and Maryland in the Northeast, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas down south, Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin in the Midwest, and California and Hawaii out west.
There are also large Puerto Rican populations in the cities of Utica, Rome, Syracuse, Geneva, Rochester, Buffalo, and Dunkirk in Western New York.
Cities along this stretch include York, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon, Reading, Fullerton, Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton.
Connecticut has the highest concentration of Puerto Ricans of any state by percentage and has large Puerto Rican populations throughout the state, with the largest in Hartford, East Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven, Meriden, Waterbury, Bristol, Ansonia, Derby, Manchester, New Britain, New London, Windham, Norwich, and Willimantic.
Though, half of the Puerto Rican population in the New England area is situated along the Interstate-91 corridor, extending from New Haven in Connecticut to Holyoke in Massachusetts.
In Massachusetts, the largest Puerto Rican populations are in Holyoke, Springfield, Chicopee, Southbridge, Fitchburg, Leominster, Worcester, Lowell, Lawrence, Methuen, Haverhill, Lynn, Boston, Chelsea, Brockton, Fall River, Taunton, and New Bedford.
The gulf coast of Florida has significant Puerto Rican populations present in scattered areas, in cities such as, Tampa, Town 'n' Country, Brandon, Riverview, Spring Hill, St. Petersburg, Pinellas Park, Lakeland, Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, and Fort Myers.
Cloud, Union Park, Southchase, Four Corners, Casselberry, Clermont, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Apopka, Alafaya, Oak Ridge, Oviedo, Daytona Beach, and Palm Bay, among other cities in the area.
The I-4 corridor is politically considered the swing section of the state, yet Puerto Rican growth has created a Democratic registration advantage.
In North Florida, there are significant Puerto Rican populations in Jacksonville, Orange Park, Ocala, Tallahassee, and Gainesville.
In North Carolina, there are significant and growing Puerto Rican populations in Fayetteville, and the metro areas of Raleigh/Durham and Charlotte.
The remainder is in other areas throughout the state, especially cities like Savannah, Augusta, Hinesville, and Columbus usually with ties to Fort Moore.
In Delaware, the majority of the Puerto Rican population lives in New Castle County, especially Wilmington and Elsmere among other cities.
Maryland's Puerto Rican population is much smaller and more scattered compared to areas further north along the east coast.
In the Dallas area, there are large Puerto Rican populations in Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, and Denton.
Copperas Cove, along with larger neighboring Killeen, has a significant Puerto Rican community with strong ties to the Fort Cavazos military base.
The remaining portion is mostly in southeastern Wisconsin, in areas near Milwaukee and Chicago, such as Kenosha, Racine, West Allis, and Greenfield.
Other nearby areas like Springwells and other parts of SW and South Detroit, Millenium Village, and Corktown also have sizable Puerto Rican populations, clocking over 4% for each of them.
Other areas, like the North Island Naval Air Station, have a large Puerto Rican American military personnel presence.
