how long has puerto rico been a us territory

Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory since 1917, so it has held formal territorial status for a little over 100 years (about a century and a decade) as of the mid‑2010s and beyond.

Quick Scoop

• The United States took control of Puerto Rico from Spain in 1898 after the Spanish‑American War, under the Treaty of Paris.

• From 1898 to 1900, the island was under U.S. military rule; in 1900, the Foraker Act set up a civil government, but Puerto Rico still did not yet have the full territorial framework and U.S. citizenship for its people.

• On March 2, 1917, the Jones‑Shafroth Act made Puerto Rico an official U.S. territory and granted U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans born on or after April 25, 1898.

• In 1952, Puerto Rico adopted its own constitution and became a self‑governing “commonwealth” while still remaining a U.S. territory under the authority of Congress.

So, in everyday terms, when people ask “how long has Puerto Rico been a U.S. territory,” they are usually referring to the period starting with the Jones‑Shafroth Act in 1917, which locked in its official territorial and citizenship status that continues today.

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