The declaration allows the US Department of Health and Human Services to award grants, access emergency funds and temporarily appoint personnel where needed, among other things.
"This administration is committed to meeting the Zika outbreak in Puerto Rico with the necessary urgency," Secretary Sylvia Burwell said in a department statement. Burwell travelled to the US territory in late April to evaluate its response to the outbreak.
A department spokesman did not immediately return a message seeking comment on what immediate steps the agency may take.
The announcement came hours after Puerto Rico reported 1,914 new cases in the past week, for a total of 10,690 since the first one was reported in December 2015
The mosquito-borne virus has infected 1,035 pregnant women, which is a concern to authorities because Zika has been tied to a severe birth defect known as microcephaly.
More than 100 pregnant women infected with Zika in Puerto Rico who have given birth have had healthy babies, officials said.
Puerto Rico reported the first microcephaly case acquired on US soil in May, involving a dead fetus that a woman turned over to health authorities. Since then no microcephaly cases have been reported, but federal officials say it is only a matter of time.
Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla said he had asked federal officials to declare a public health emergency and thanked them for their support.
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