How come Puerto Rico was so white?
Puerto Rico was a smaller poorer colony than Cuba and don´t have a strong enough sugar plantation economy and culture, so less black slaves are imported and as L.A. count race question a good deal of the "white enough" or more important "rich enough" Mulattoes and Mestizos are counted as White
It was only slightly whiter than Cuba, and before the 1774 Cuba was even whiter, but after that the Sugar plantation get strong and the country import a lot of black slaves, so the country in % the numbers and % For Cuba are:
1774 Census
White 56,4% 96.440 people
Free Black and Mulattoes 18.6% 30.847 people
Black Slaves 25% 44.333 People
1817 Census
White: 69, 8% 276689 People
Black: 30,2% 119221 people
The difference between 1774 Census and 1817 census is that in 1817 Census the Black Population is Slave Population and the White Population is free population, the Free Black and Mulattoes population as being "free" people are counted as White, that is why I say that around 50% of the population is Black and a good Deal of the "white" population of Cuba in 1810 could(would?) be considered "black" by the USA rules
Source (in Spanish and official Cuba government site so I don´t know is you could see in USA)
https://www.ecured.cu/Demografía_de_la_Capitanía_General_de_Cuba
By contrast if you review the Spanish and English Wikipedia page on Demographics of Puerto Rico you get this information
Source(
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demografía_de_Puerto_Rico)
Raza - Puerto Rico23
Año Blanca % No-Blanca %
1802 48.0 52.0
1812 46.8 53.2
1820 44.4 55.6
1830 50.1 49.9
1877 56.3 43.7
1887 59.5 40.5
1897 64.3 35.7
1899 61.8 38.2
1910 65.5 34.5
1920 73.0 27.0
1930 74.3 25.7
1935 76.2 23.8
1940 76.5 23.5
1950 79.7 20.3
2000 80.5 19.5
2006est: 75.4 24.6
Raza composición de la
población, en la censos, 1802-2000
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demog...#cite_note-Puerto_Rico.27s_History_on_race-13)
Racial groups – Puerto Rico[13][14][15][16][17]
Year White % Non-White %
1802 42.0 58.0
1812 40.8 59.2
1820 39.4 60.6
1830 45.1 54.9
1877 52.3 47.7
1887 53.5 46.5
1897 64.3 35.7
1899 61.8 38.2
1910 64.5 35.5
1920 72.0 28.0
1930 73.3 26.7
1935 75.2 24.8
1940 76.0 24.0
1950 79.7 20.3
2000 80.5 19.5
2010 75.8 24.2
Racial composition of the Puerto Rican
population, by the census, 1802–2010.
So dependent as the source you use you get a more "black" Puerto Rico or a more "white" Puerto Rico, as I´m using Spanish Sources, for me the situation in 1810-1830 i Get a "whiter" Puerto Rico than Cuba, but only slightly