Puerto Rico has been part of the United States since 1898, so it has been under U.S. sovereignty for a bit more than 125 years as of 2026.

Quick timeline

  • 1898: After the Spanish–American War, Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the U.S. in the Treaty of Paris, making it a U.S. territory.
  • 1900: The Foraker Act set up a civil government on the island under U.S. authority.
  • 1917: The Jones–Shafroth Act granted U.S. citizenship to people born in Puerto Rico, while the island remained an unincorporated territory rather than a state.

In forum and news discussions today, Puerto Rico’s status is still a trending political topic, with ongoing debates over statehood, independence, or continuing as a territory, more than a century after it first came under U.S. rule.

TL;DR: Puerto Rico has been part of the U.S. since 1898 (about 125+ years), first under military rule, then civil territorial government, and its final status is still debated.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.