Governmental Structure

have voting power in federal elections. Because territories are not granted the same level of political representation as states, residents of St. Croix do not have the same rights and privileges as citizens of the mainland.12

Overall, the government of St. Croix operates in a similar manner to the governments of the other states and territories of the United States, with one major exception, the right to vote. The existing power structure between the United States and St. Croix bears close similarities to the island’s previous colonial regimes.

St. Croix has shifted core industries since its initial colonization. Early in the 18th century, the Island’s economy was primarily agriculture based, focusing on sugar cane production, and relying on slave labor. It was in this period that the island was known as the Garden of the West Indies due to its high production of sugar cane. After the abolition of slavery in the Danish West Indies in 1848, the island’s economy struggled, and many plantation owners went bankrupt. The plantation economy was eventually replaced by a system of small farms, but these were not able to support the population, leading many people to leave the island in search of work and the island to continue to find its economic identity.13

After the United States acquired St. Croix from the Danish West Indies, the federal government invested in infrastructure on the island, including roads and ports, and St. Croix became an important center of trade and commerce in the Caribbean.14

Between 1966 and 2018, oil refineries were the primary industry on St. Croix. It was the main source of income for many as the HOVENSA refinery was one of the largest refineries in the western hemisphere. However, the toxicity of oil refining has left many who lived near the refineries suffering health complications due to their proximity to the toxic chemicals. In the past decade, the refinery closed, reopened to new ownership, and closed again following environmental violations.15

Today, St. Croix is a popular destination for tourists, with its white sandy beaches and historic towns, drawing visitors from around the world. It is also home to a vibrant local culture and a diverse population with roots in the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe. Around 30% of Crucians work in tourism related industries and around 20% have found work in government positions. Despite its history of colonization and economic struggles, St. Croix has retained its unique identity and continues to thrive as a vibrant, diverse, and resilient community.16 17

Resilience is deeply ingrained in the history, culture, and life of St. Croix. The island has been ruled under seven colonial powers over the past 529 years and yet continually shows immense strength. However, the impacts of colonialism are still felt today with vulnerable populations still bearing the burden of historic inequities.

The population of St. Croix is not a monolith--there are a multitude of ways to experience the island. The tourist experience differs greatly from the local reality, which also differs greatly from the experience of wealthy second homeowners. The wealth disparities on the island are evident. The East End of the island is decorated with multi-million-dollar homes that could even have staff and sweeping views, while many of the buildings in Frederiksted remain uninhabitable after the destruction from the 2017 hurricanes. The impact of the 2017 hurricanes is very visible today as much of the infrastructure is still recovering.

Multiple Identities of St. Croix

Tourist Experience

Vacant Businesses

Recovering Community

East End Luxury

Damaged Homes

Social vulnerability and racial disparities divide the island and its residents.

In 2011, the Center for Disease Control created the Social Vulnerability Index, which uses various socioeconomic factors to determine the social vulnerability of an area, including unemployment, income, disability, and English proficiency.18 Since its creation, the Social Vulnerability Index has become an invaluable tool for analyzing and advocating for communities. In St. Croix, the most socially vulnerable areas are located around Christiansted, Frederiksted, and in the southwest portion of the island—just slightly west of key industrial sites such as the Limetree Bay Oil Refinery and the Anguilla Landfill. Over 37% of the population lives in the top 10% of the most socially vulnerable estates.19 20

The most vulnerable estates are also majority Black and Hispanic/Latino communities. Racial disparities related to income and educational attainment are stark. White residents are likely to have higher incomes, while Black and Hispanic/Latino residents are more likely to live below the poverty level and lack a high school diploma.21

Data: 2010 Decennial Census of Island Areas Data: 2010 Decennial Census of Island

Seemingly contradictory to the social disparities present throughout the island, St. Croix has a high percentage of homeownership, with 56% owner-occupied units.22 St. Croix residents have an immense desire to be homeowners despite systemic roadblocks—many of them bypassing banks and achieving homeownership through mutual aid or their own construction.

However, despite this high percentage of homeowners, as of 2010, 22% of housing units were vacant.23 Further with many houses suffering damage from the 2017 hurricanes, it is likely that vacancy rates have only increased over the last decade.

As the island’s median income of just over $36,00024 and traditional mortgages or insurance is not the norm, many households may not have been able afford to rebuild, leaving many houses abandoned. Even in the towns of Christiansted and Frederiksted that are prime tourist destinations, abandoned structures, such as the one on the following page, are a common sight.

Over the last decade, the total number of housing units has grown by less than 1%,25 indicating that the island has struggled to produce new housing units, even with a high demand for housing for both Crucians and incoming disaster recovery workers.

Given the changing outlook for St. Croix, the island is struggling to keep up with the modern challenges presented. This is not just on a social and economic level, but also on the infrastructure found on the island and its capacity to provide reliable resources. The following limitations begin to explain the constraints of infrastructure systems that have consequently taken a toll on the quality of life on the island.

There are 5 main infrastructures on the island of St. Croix:

1. Waste Management

2. Water

3. Energy

4. Transportation

5. Internet

Although these are five independent systems, they are closely intertwined and reliant on each other to provide services to the entire island. Because one closely impacts the others, they cannot be discussed independently of each other.

The U.S. Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority (VIWMA) is the governing body of waste management on St. Croix. There are two dumping sites servicing the island. However, illegal dumping is one of the major infrastructural issues on the island. This is partially due to inaccessibility. Residents are required to take their own waste to the sites; however, this is not always possible due to unpredictable hours of operation and tipping fees required to dump which often exceeds what residents can afford to pay. Most recently the trash hauler strikes have caused an additional hurdle to waste management. Since 2019, VIWMA owes the trash haulers upwards of $6 million with an overall debt of $24 million.26 All of this has led to an increase in illegal dumping in various parts of the island and has had devastating impacts on other infrastructural systems and wildlife.

The water system can be broken down into two components; water mitigation through the guts network and water distribution through the potable water system and cisterns.

One of the systems most impacted by illegal dumping has been the guts system. The guts systems are important for directing water coming into the island from storm surge and from excessive water intake. Guts come in two forms, natural and urban, with the biggest natural gut being on the south shore and draining 11 square miles. When trash is dumped in the path of a gut, it impedes drainage and causes backup and erosion from a clogged system. Additionally, many natural guts have been altered by drought on the island and being paved over.

The gut network directs water from storm surge and excessive water intake.

The potable water system is the public water system on the island. It is a system of electrically powered pumps and pipes that source up to 2.2 billion gallons of drinking water per day from the island’s desalinization plant. However, since the pumps are electrically powered and the system has very few backup generators, when there are power outages, the population reliant on this water system does not have access to water. Additionally, the pipes are outdated and in need of upkeep, contributing to the limited reliability of the potable water system.

Because of the uncertainty of the water system, 70% of households on St. Croix have cisterns, in addition to tapping into the public water system.27 However, cisterns are also electrically powered and susceptible to power outages. Additionally, their design makes them vulnerable to contamination from animals and other sources, like the ones caused by the refinery oil spill in 2012.28

St. Croix has its own electric grid capable of producing up to 140 megawatts daily.29 However, given how reliable other systems are on electricity and the islands susceptibility to power outages, this is a very fragile system. Since 2017, some improvements have been made to the system to make it more resilient to shock. Some of these improvements include more backup generators, inputting underground electric lines, and installing composite electric polls.

In addition to the traditional electric power grid, solar power is the primary form of renewable energy on the island. Even so, this only accounts for less than 10% of the island’s power usage.30 Petroleum is still the primary supplier of energy for St. Croix, in addition to being the biggest import and export making it an important resource for the island.

Data: VITRAN

St. Croix has 4 main public bus routes, providing service from Frederiksted to Christiansted and the airport, among other destinations. The island also has a ferry port and cruise port. However, only 7% of the population uses public transit or walks.31 87% use a private car as their primary source of transportation.32 The condition of roads provides an explanation for this division; 88% of roads have no sidewalks, 47% have no lighting, and 78% have no walkable destinations.33 This impacts accessibility to resources, safety concerns, as well as where people are willing to travel to and how far to access essential services like jobs, food, education, and health care.

6 fiber-optic lines connect in St.

St. Croix is uniquely situated in the convergence of 6 fiber-optic lines servicing the entire region and beyond. Even so, 22% of households do not have internet access.34 This is an issue of accessibility, not supply, and can be attributed to a multitude of factors including cost and connection. Recently there have been efforts to eliminate this gap. ViNGN, a private company, has begun to install free Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the island. Currently, there are an estimated 27 locations.35

Free Wi-Fi Hotspots

Community Wi-Fi Locations