Editing Operation Bootstrap (section)

=== Mass migration ===
Mass emigration from Puerto Rico was a result of Operation Bootstrap. The growth of the industrial sector could not match the rapid decline of monocultural plantation jobs that characterized the economy of Puerto Rico Pre-World War II. Also, while U.S. businesses sought Puerto Ricans for labor, these businesses were still very willing to continue to seek new, and even cheaper forms of labor. High volatility in employment for those on the island was a direct result. This led to mass unemployment across the island, with the countryside seeing the largest effect. Residents were forced to either move to bigger cities like San Juan or immigrate to the United States for better financial opportunities and higher wages. In the 1950s (the peak of Puerto Rican emigration from the island), as ~470,000 Puerto Ricans emigrated from their country, they went to cities like New York City (where 85% of which people settled), Philadelphia, and others along the East Coast.<ref name="here"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Puerto Rican Migration in the 1950s|url=https://lcw.lehman.edu/lehman/depts/latinampuertorican/latinoweb/PuertoRico/1950s.htm|access-date=2021-05-02|website=lcw.lehman.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Puerto Rico|last2=Planning Board|last3=Puerto Rico|last4=Office of the Governor|date=1952|title=Economic report to the Governor|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1068228661|journal=Economic Report to the Governor|language=English|oclc=1068228661}}</ref> Through the 60's and 70's, emigration from Puerto Rico declined dramatically.