As of the most recent data, life expectancy at birth in the U.S. Virgin Islands is ~ 75.7 years (both genders combined)

• The population has fallen: in 2024 official estimates put USVI population at ~ 87,146.
  
  

• Over the past decade the population declined significantly (the 2020 census noted an ~18% drop over the prior decade).
  
  

• Among adults 25+, only ~ 22.3% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.

• Because USVI’s economy and livelihoods are tightly tied to tourism and coastal resources, its natural environment — including reefs, water quality, and ecosystem health — is under pressure.
  
  

• The reliance on fossil-fueled energy generation makes reducing greenhouse-gas emissions more challenging, especially without infrastructural overhaul or transition to renewable.

While the U.S. has an incredibly diverse economy, nearly 60% of the USVI GDP is based on tourism, according to the VI Bureau of Economic Research. This heavy reliance on tourism leaves the USVI vulnerable to seasonal fluctuations, natural disasters and global economic downturns, and can be especially harmful due to the frequency of hurricanes that hit island nations like the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The high inflation of 6% of the USVI almost doubles the U.S. rate of 3.4% and is double than New York’s 3%. This high inflation can be in part explained by the extreme import dependence, in which the consumers end up paying the cost for importation. Due to the relative isolation as an island, import costs are higher than somewhere like New York which receives many of its supplies from within the country and from close proximity. This means that the USVI has a price level similar to New York while having far lower average income. When hurricanes hit, ports are damaged and supply chains break down, causing higher inflation. As a small nation, a few ports being damaged can cause massive problems for the entire island and be costly to repair.