The population in Vieques has not changed much through the decades and still remains close to 10,000. Unemployment runs high. At the present time there is some development of the tourism industry. There are more small hotels and restaurants in Vieques than ever before. There is even a mega resort under construction.
Many residents make a living out of renting their properties to tourists.
Development of any kind will be limited as long as the Navy keeps control of two thirds of the total Island. Some people like it this way so that the natural beauty of some beaches in the military side is preserved. Other people protest the bombing of the beaches beyond tourist's reach, the consequences to the ecology and the health of the population, the destruction of archaeological sites, and the restricted access to the beautiful resources on the bases. THere are hundreds of archaeologicial sites, and many experts feel Vieques holds the key to Caribbean indigenous history. Most of the sites are under navy occupation, and they do not permit anyone but their own contracted workers to access them, they constantly minimize the importance of the sites, because to recognize them would obligate them to stop bombing.