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Benefits in Puerto Rico
How to apply for food, health care, energy and housing assistance in Puerto Rico, with links to official agencies.
- People below poverty
- 1,299,426
- 40.5% of residents (ACS 2020-2024)
- Median household income
- $26,297
- ACS 2020-2024
Income limits in Puerto Rico
HHS poverty guidelines are not defined for Puerto Rico, and programs there set their own income standards. Puerto Rico receives a federal nutrition assistance block grant instead of SNAP, so food assistance rules differ from the states. Contact the local agencies below for current limits.
Where to apply in Puerto Rico
Official finders that list the agency for your state
- State agencies
- Puerto Rico on USA.gov
- Medicaid
- Apply through HealthCare.gov
- SSDI
- Apply at SSA.gov
- LIHEAP
- Find your LIHEAP office
- Unemployment
- Find your state unemployment office
- Pell Grant
- Start the FAFSA
- Section 8
- Find your public housing agency
Food
- SNAP: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ProgramSNAP, once called food stamps, gives monthly benefits on an EBT card to buy groceries at authorized stores.
- WIC: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and ChildrenWIC provides healthy foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support and referrals for pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children under 5.
Health care
- MedicaidMedicaid provides free or low-cost health coverage to people with low incomes, including children, pregnant women, parents, seniors and people with disabilities.
- CHIP: Children's Health Insurance ProgramCHIP gives low-cost health coverage to children in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. Some states also cover pregnant women.
Income
- SSI: Supplemental Security IncomeSSI pays monthly benefits to people with limited income and resources who are 65 or older, blind or disabled, including children with disabilities.
- SSDI: Social Security Disability InsuranceSSDI pays monthly benefits to people who cannot work because of a disability expected to last at least a year or result in death, and who have worked long enough in jobs covered by Social Security.
Utilities and phone
Housing
School and work
- Unemployment: Unemployment InsuranceUnemployment insurance replaces part of your wages for a limited time if you lose your job through no fault of your own.
- Pell Grant: Federal Pell GrantsPell Grants help undergraduate students with financial need pay for college. Unlike loans, they usually do not need to be repaid.
Frequently asked questions
- How many people in Puerto Rico live below the poverty line?
- About 1,299,426 people in Puerto Rico, or 40.5% of residents, had incomes below the poverty level in the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.