00979 ZIP Code — Carolina, PR

Carolina County, Puerto Rico

ZIP code 00979 is located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, within Carolina County. It covers approximately 3.89 square miles and serves a population of 16,890 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Atlantic (AT) — no DST timezone, served by area code 787.

About ZIP code 00979

The housing stock consists of a significant share of large multi-unit buildings. Most homes were built in the 1970s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $187,000. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 66%.

Median household income is $34,705. Poverty affects 22% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 17% of households reflects economic stress in the area. 43% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 27 minutes is near the national average.

Overall, ZIP code 00979 reflects a community defined by economic challenges above the national average, a significant Social Security-dependent population, and elevated reliance on food assistance.

16,890

population

3.89

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Atlantic (AT) — no DST

timezone

00979 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 00979

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 00979. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Carolina	Acceptable
Carolina	Preferred
Carolina	Acceptable

Nearby ZIP codes

00915 San Juan (2.2 mi) 00982 Carolina (2.2 mi) 00913 San Juan (2.3 mi) 00923 San Juan (2.4 mi) 00924 San Juan (2.7 mi) 00917 San Juan (2.7 mi) 00983 Carolina (2.7 mi) 00911 San Juan (3.2 mi) 00912 San Juan (3.3 mi) 00925 San Juan (3.4 mi) 00909 San Juan (3.6 mi) 00918 San Juan (3.8 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	16,890
Population density	4,342 / sq mi
State FIPS	72
County FIPS	031

Geography
Land area	3.89 sq mi
Water area	2.77 sq mi
Latitude	18.4384
Longitude	-66.0118
Timezone	Atlantic (AT) — no DST
Area code	787

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	63.5%	72.0%	80.8%
$50k – $100k	23.4%	21.8%	14.5%
$100k – $200k	9.2%	5.1%	3.8%
Over $200k	3.8%	1.1%	1.0%

Demographics & statistics

16,890

Population

4,342

People per sq mi

52.7

Median age

$34,705

Median household income

$31,152

Per capita income

$187,000

Median home value

$976

Median monthly rent

66.1%

Home ownership

21.8%

Poverty rate

10.6%

Unemployment

9,227

Housing units

0.0%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

132

Under 5

133

219

5–9

221

283

10–14

285

289

15–19

292

606

20–24

611

879

25–34

886

971

35–44

978

1,088

45–54

1,097

618

55–59

622

810

60–64

816

1,380

65–74

1,391

774

75–84

781

363

85+

365

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	1,506	8.9%
18 and over	15,384	91.1%
65 and over	5,054	29.9%
Median age	52.7 years

Race & ethnicity

Hispanic or Latino 31.8%

White 28.1%

Other race 21.5%

Two or more races 13.5%

Black or African American 4.7%

Asian 0.3%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%

Group	Count	%
Hispanic or Latino	7,877	31.8%
White	6,952	28.1%
Other race	5,315	21.5%
Two or more races	3,342	13.5%
Black or African American	1,152	4.7%
Asian	79	0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	50	0.2%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	63.5%	72.0%	80.8%
$50k – $100k	23.4%	21.8%	14.5%
$100k – $200k	9.2%	5.1%	3.8%
Over $200k	3.8%	1.1%	1.0%

Under $10k 11.0%

$10k–$15k 7.5%

$15k–$25k 17.7%

$25k–$35k 14.4%

$35k–$50k 14.1%

$50k–$75k 11.6%

$75k–$100k 10.0%

$100k–$150k 6.5%

$150k–$200k 2.9%

$200k+ 4.4%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	11.0%
$10k–$15k	7.5%
$15k–$25k	17.7%
$25k–$35k	14.4%
$35k–$50k	14.1%
$50k–$75k	11.6%
$75k–$100k	10.0%
$100k–$150k	6.5%
$150k–$200k	2.9%
$200k+	4.4%
Median income	$34,705

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 1.8%

$50k–$100k 9.1%

$100k–$150k 25.0%

$150k–$200k 19.2%

$200k–$300k 17.5%

$300k–$500k 20.9%

$500k–$1M 5.0%

$1M+ 1.6%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$187,000
Median rent / month	$976
Owner occupied	66.1%
Renter occupied	33.9%
Vacant	28.1%
Single-family detached	20.8%
Large apartment buildings	62.1%
Mobile homes	0.2%
Median rooms	4.1
Avg household size (owned)	2.06

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.0%
2010–2019	0.8%
2000–2009	5.5%
1990–1999	5.3%
1980–1989	13.2%
1970–1979	39.6%
1960–1969	23.8%
1950–1959	10.1%
1940–1949	1.1%
1939 or earlier	0.6%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	10.8%
1 bedroom	17.5%
2 bedrooms	26.8%
3 bedrooms	36.8%
4 bedrooms	7.5%
5+ bedrooms	0.6%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	9.1%
1 vehicle	54.5%
2 vehicles	26.8%
3 or more	9.7%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	0.2%
Electricity	24.1%
Propane / LP gas	0.3%
Fuel oil	0.3%
Solar	0.7%
No fuel used	74.5%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	0	0.0%
Cohabiting couple	0	0.0%
Male householder, no spouse	0	0.0%
Female householder, no spouse	0	0.0%
Households with children under 18	0	0.0%
Households with seniors (65+)	0	0.0%
Average household size	0.00

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	0.0%	0.0%
Married	0.0%	0.0%
Separated	0.0%	0.0%
Widowed	0.0%	0.0%
Divorced	0.0%	0.0%

Education

Less than 9th grade 0.0%

Some HS, no diploma 0.0%

HS graduate 0.0%

Some college, no degree 0.0%

Associate's degree 0.0%

Bachelor's degree 0.0%

Graduate / professional 0.0%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	0.0%
Bachelor's or higher	0.0%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	0	0.0%
Kindergarten	0	0.0%
Elementary school	0	0.0%
High school	0	0.0%
College / grad school	0	0.0%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 16.6%

Professional & management 16.4%

Retail trade 11.6%

Finance & real estate 11.3%

Arts, food & hospitality 9.0%

Transportation & utilities 6.9%

Public administration 5.6%

Other services 5.3%

Construction 5.0%

Manufacturing 4.3%

Wholesale trade 4.3%

Information 2.5%

Agriculture & mining 1.2%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	49.5%
Service	13.7%
Sales & office	25.1%
Natural resources & construction	4.1%
Production & transportation	7.6%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	72.0%
Government	12.5%
Self-employed	14.9%
Unpaid family workers	0.6%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	75.8%
Carpool	7.3%
Public transit	2.9%
Walk	2.6%
Work from home	9.1%
Other means	2.4%
Avg commute (minutes)	26.6

Poverty

All people 21.8%

Under 18 years 27.0%

18 and over 21.3%

Married-couple families 11.1%

Female-led households 37.0%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	42.7%
Retirement income	19.3%
Supplemental Security	1.1%
Cash public assistance	1.5%
Food stamps / SNAP	17.3%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	0.0%
High blood pressure	0.0%
High cholesterol	0.0%
Diabetes	0.0%
Heart disease	0.0%
Stroke	0.0%
Asthma	0.0%
Arthritis	0.0%
Kidney disease	0.0%
Pulmonary disease	0.0%
Cancer	0.0%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	0.0%
Binge drinking	0.0%
No physical activity	0.0%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	0.0%
Depression	0.0%
Fair or poor health	0.0%
Poor mental health	0.0%
Poor physical health	0.0%
No health insurance	0.0%
Visited doctor (checkup)	0.0%
Visited dentist	0.0%
Cholesterol screening	0.0%
Teeth loss	0.0%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	0	0.0%

Disability	%
Any disability	0.0%
Under 18	0.0%
18–64 years	0.0%
65 and over	0.0%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	56.6%
Public insurance	46.5%
No insurance	11.0%
Uninsured under 19	4.2%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	0	0.0%
Spanish	0	0.0%
Other Indo-European	0	0.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Other languages	0	0.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	0	0.0%
Born in same state	0	0.0%
Born in different state	0	0.0%
Foreign born	0	0.0%
Naturalized citizen	0	0.0%
Not a US citizen	0	0.0%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	0.0%
Internet access	0.0%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 00979

What city is ZIP code 00979 in?

ZIP code 00979 is primarily assigned to Carolina, Puerto Rico.

What county is ZIP code 00979 in?

ZIP code 00979 falls within San Juan County, Puerto Rico.

Does ZIP code 00979 have an older population?

30% of residents in ZIP code 00979 are 65 or older, above the national average of ~17%.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 00979?

22% of residents in ZIP code 00979 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

Does ZIP code 00979 have a large retiree population?

43% of households in ZIP code 00979 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

What is the median household income in ZIP code 00979?

The median household income in ZIP code 00979 is $34,705, below the national median of ~$75,000.

What timezone is ZIP code 00979 in?

ZIP code 00979 observes the AST timezone.