Bristol County, RI

County

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2024 Population

50,490

US Senator

Jack Reed

Democratic Party

US Senator

Sheldon Whitehouse

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

44.2

0.227% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

6.53%

3.81% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$114,490

3.21% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$513,800

9.79% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

26,077

0.404% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Bristol County, RI reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

97.6% of the residents in Bristol County, RI are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Bristol County, RI are Roger Williams University (1,149 degrees awarded in 2023) and Roger Williams University School of Law (172 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Bristol County, RI was $513,800, and the homeownership rate was 71.8%.

Most people in Bristol County, RI drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.4 minutes. The average car ownership in Bristol County, RI was 2 cars per household.

Bristol County, RI borders Bristol County, MA, Kent County, RI, Newport County, RI, and Providence County, RI.

About the photo: Sunset over Bristol and Little Compton, RI

Photo by Peter Rintels

United States Rhode Island Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

Population & Diversity

Bristol County, RI is home to a population of 50.5k people, from which 97.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 11.5% of Bristol County, RI residents were born outside of the country (5.82k people).

In 2024, there were 34.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (44.6k people) in Bristol County, RI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.31k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 1.11k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.6%

2024 Citizenship

97.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.6% of Bristol County, RI residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Bristol County, RI was 97.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Bristol County, RI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Bristol County, RI

White (Non-Hispanic)
44.6k ± 240
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
1.31k ± 141
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.11k ± 183

4.18%

Hispanic Population

2.11k people

4.18% of the people in Bristol County, RI are hispanic (2.11k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Bristol County, RI as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Rhode Island.

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
36,183 ± 4,592 people
Guatemala
17,080 ± 3,184 people
Portugal
12,213 ± 2,698 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Rhode Island was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 36,183 Rhode Island residents, followed by Guatemala with 17,080 and Portugal with 12,213.

Foreign-Born Population

11.5%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

5.82k people

11.7%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

5.93k people

As of 2024, 11.5% of Bristol County, RI residents (5.82k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Bristol County, RI was 11.7%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Bristol County, RI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
602 ± 149
Gulf War (2001-)
517 ± 174
Korea
322 ± 134

Bristol County, RI has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.16 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Bristol County, RI.

Economy

The economy of Bristol County, RI employs 26.1k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Bristol County, RI were Health Care & Social Assistance (4,118 people), Educational Services (3,678 people), and Manufacturing (2,578 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($130,231), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($104,246), and Construction ($97,776).

Employment

Occupations

26.1k

2024 Value

± 1,301

0.404%

1 Year growth

± 6.94%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bristol County, RI grew at a rate of 0.404%, from 26k employees to 26.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Bristol County, RI, are Management Occupations (4,053 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,654 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (2,335 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Bristol County, RI.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Rhode Island.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Rhode Island (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

26.1k

2024 Value

± 1,301

0.404%

1 Year growth

± 6.94%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bristol County, RI grew at a rate of 0.404%, from 26k employees to 26.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Bristol County, RI, are Health Care & Social Assistance (4,118 people), Educational Services (3,678 people), and Manufacturing (2,578 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Bristol County, RI, though some of these residents may live in Bristol County, RI and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$83,453

Median earning men ± $6,259

$50,268

Median earning women ± $3,148

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($126,705), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($103,625), and Public Administration ($100,636).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($143,100), Wholesale Trade ($83,446), and Public Administration ($73,636).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Rhode Island.

Y-Axis

1.31%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 488k people employed in Rhode Island. This represents a 1.31% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 20.6%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Rhode Island.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

142
Construction
100
Other Services (except Public Administration)
99
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$128k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$93.3k
Manufacturing
$85.5k
Educational Services

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Bristol County, RI awarded 1,321 degrees. The student population of Bristol County, RI in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 2,291 male students and 2,570 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Bristol County, RI are White (937 and 71.5%), Unknown (139 and 10.6%), Hispanic or Latino (122 and 9.31%), and Black or African American (60 and 4.58%).

The largest universities in Bristol County, RI by number of degrees awarded are Roger Williams University (1,149 and 87%) and Roger Williams University School of Law (172 and 13%).

The most popular majors in Bristol County, RI are Law (171 and 12.9%), Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration (119 and 9.01%), and Architectural & Building Sciences & Technology (118 and 8.93%).

The median tuition cost in Bristol County, RI for private four year colleges is $42,336.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Bristol County, RI, the percentage of applicants admitted was 87.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 14.1%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 4,861 (47.1% men and 52.9% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 4,861 students enrolled in Bristol County, RI, 47.1% men and 52.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 3,474 records, of which 52.1% were women and 47.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Marketing & Marketing Management
78 degrees awarded
Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration
94 degrees awarded
Architectural & Building Sciences & Technology
83 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Bristol County, RI was General Marketing & Marketing Management with 78 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Bristol County, RI according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Roger Williams University
1,149 degrees awarded
Roger Williams University School of Law
172 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Roger Williams University with 1,149 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 616 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Bristol County, RI, which is 0.874 times less than the 705 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 937 degrees mean that there were 6.74 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 139 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($42,336) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($330) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($900) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Bristol County, RI was $513,800 in 2024, which is 1.54 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $468,000 to $513,800, a 9.79% increase. The homeownership rate in Bristol County, RI is 71.8%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Bristol County, RI have an average commute time of 26.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Bristol County, RI is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 14.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Bristol County, RI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.76%.

Housing

Property

$513,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$22,475

$14,439

Median Property Taxes

±$683

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Bristol County, RI the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Bristol County, RI compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

71.8%

Homeownership

2024

61.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 71.8% of the housing units in Bristol County, RI were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 73.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Bristol County, RI compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$114,490

Median Household Income

± $5,860

20.1k

Number of Households

± 1,005

In 2024, the median household income of the 20.1k households in Bristol County, RI grew to $114,490 from the previous year's value of $110,926.

The following chart displays the households in Bristol County, RI distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Bristol County, RI is from Rhode Island.

0.446

2023 Wage GINI in Rhode Island

0.447

2022 Wage GINI in Rhode Island

In 2023, the income inequality in Rhode Island was 0.446 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.292% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Rhode Island was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Rhode Island in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Rhode Island across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (70.8%)
Worked At Home (15.6%)
Carpooled (6.03%)

In 2024, 70.8% of workers in Bristol County, RI drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (15.6%) and those who carpooled to work (6.03%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

26.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Bristol County, RI have a shorter commute time (26.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.17% of the workforce in Bristol County, RI have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Bristol County, RI compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Bristol County, RI distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Bristol County, RI have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 14.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Bristol County, RI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.76%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

6.53% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Bristol County, RI (3.08k out of 47.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 75+, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Bristol County, RI is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 7.8% of the children was living in poverty in Bristol County, RI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.3%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 70.3 in Bristol County, RI. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 11.3 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

97.7% of the population of Bristol County, RI has health coverage, with 56.7% on employee plans, 8.33% on Medicaid, 14.9% on Medicare, 16.7% on non-group plans, and 1.15% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Bristol County, RI see 498 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (498 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2651 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 390 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.3% were men and 51.7% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

498 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Bristol County, RI

Primary care physicians in Bristol County, RI see an average of 498 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (498 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Bristol County, RI in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.1% under 18 years, 19.6% between 18 and 34 years, 39.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.3% were men and 51.7% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

2.3%

Uninsured

56.7%

Employer Coverage

8.33%

Medicaid

14.9%

Medicare

16.7%

Non-Group

1.15%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Bristol County, RI declined by 13.8% from 2.67% to 2.3%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Bristol County, RI changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.