In 1899, the United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Plata barrio was 1,554.

Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions)[16] in turn are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores (sectors in English).

Since 2001 when law 1-2001 was passed,[21] measures have been taken to identify and address the high levels of poverty and the lack of resources and opportunities affecting specific communities in Puerto Rico.

[22] By 2008, there were 742 places on the list of Comunidades especiales de Puerto Rico.

[22] In 2017, Jesus Velez Vargas, the director of the Special Communities of Puerto Rico program stated that the program was evolving with more ways to help the residents of these so-called marginal communities.