Economy, jobs and prices in Heredia, Costa Rica: official figures
Construction permits in Heredia covered 379,497 square metres of new building and extensions in 2024, up 2.0% on 2023 and 9.9% of the national 3,820,422 square metres (2nd lowest of 7).
What is the value of construction in Heredia?
The value of construction, extensions and repairs in Heredia was 126.8 billion colones in 2024, down 7.8% on 2023, and 10.1% of the national total (2nd lowest of 7).
Source: INEC Costa Rica · saved copyHow much is built per person in Heredia?
Per resident, Heredia had 700 square metres of construction per 1,000 people in 2024 (3rd lowest of 7; national 740) and 233,911 colones of construction value per person (4th highest of 7; national 244,087).
Source: INEC Costa Rica · saved copyHow many new homes are being built in Heredia?
Permits were issued in Heredia in 2024 for 1,936 dwellings, against 2,265 in 2023, in 1,306 permits; that is 3.6 dwellings per 1,000 residents (2nd lowest of 7; national 4.5).
Source: INEC Costa Rica · saved copyHow developed are the districts of Heredia?
The median of the 47 district scores of Mideplan's 2023 Social Development Index (0 to 100) in Heredia is 84.1, the highest of 7 (national district median 66.5).
Source: INEC Costa Rica · saved copyHow Heredia compares with other provinces
Construction area per 1,000 residents (2024)
Heredia ranks 5 of 7, highest first. Square metres of permitted construction per 1,000 residents
| Rank | Region | Construction area per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guanacaste | 1,755 |
| 2 | Puntarenas | 1,021 |
| 3 | Cartago | 874 |
| 4 | Alajuela | 782 |
| 5 | Heredia | 700 |
| 6 | Limon | 433 |
| 7 | San Jose | 430 |
Construction value per resident (2024)
Heredia ranks 4 of 7, highest first. Colones per resident
| Rank | Region | Construction value per resident |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guanacaste | 632,686 colones |
| 2 | Puntarenas | 344,733 colones |
| 3 | Cartago | 245,874 colones |
| 4 | Heredia | 233,911 colones |
| 5 | Alajuela | 233,159 colones |
| 6 | San Jose | 160,236 colones |
| 7 | Limon | 123,252 colones |
Dwellings permitted per 1,000 residents (2024)
Heredia ranks 6 of 7, highest first. Permitted dwellings per 1,000 residents
| Rank | Region | Dwellings permitted per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guanacaste | 9.1 |
| 2 | Puntarenas | 8.1 |
| 3 | Alajuela | 4.8 |
| 4 | Limon | 4.6 |
| 5 | Cartago | 4.2 |
| 6 | Heredia | 3.6 |
| 7 | San Jose | 2.3 |
District Social Development Index (median) (2023)
Heredia ranks 1 of 7, highest first. Median of district scores, 0 to 100; unweighted by population
| Rank | Region | District Social Development Index (median) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heredia | 84.1 |
| 2 | Cartago | 74.2 |
| 3 | San Jose | 70.8 |
| 4 | Alajuela | 67.5 |
| 5 | Guanacaste | 56.3 |
| 6 | Puntarenas | 50.6 |
| 7 | Limon | 50.0 |
More on Heredia: overview · health · poverty and living standards · Costa Rica
Sources
- INEC Costa Rica: Anuario Estadistico 2023-2024, Economia: tables 5.15 to 5.17 (construction area, value and housing permits by province), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 ad3ab4d7eeb9…)
- INEC Costa Rica: Anuario Estadistico 2023-2024, Social: tables 12.6 and 12.7 (homicides and suicides, Poder Judicial) and 12.28 (district Social Development Index 2023, Mideplan), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e8115b94fa09…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.