Providence County, RI

County

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2024 Population

664,854

US Senator

Jack Reed

Democratic Party

US Senator

Sheldon Whitehouse

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

0.264% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

13.4%

2.95% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$78,787

0.745% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$373,600

10.2% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

334,642

1.1% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Providence 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.

90.1% of the residents in Providence County, RI are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Providence County, RI are Brown University (3,586 degrees awarded in 2023), Providence College (1,545 degrees), and Rhode Island College (1,526 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Providence County, RI was $373,600, and the homeownership rate was 56.9%.

Most people in Providence County, RI drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Providence County, RI was 2 cars per household.

Providence County, RI borders Windham County, CT, Bristol County, MA, Norfolk County, MA, Worcester County, MA, Bristol County, RI, and Kent County, RI.

About the photo: WaterFire is simultaneously a free public art installation, a performance work, an urban festival, a civic ritual, and a spiritual communal ceremony, well known nationally and internationally as a community arts event.

Photo by Royston Kane

United States Rhode Island Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

Population & Diversity

Providence County, RI is home to a population of 665k people, from which 90.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 21.1% of Providence County, RI residents were born outside of the country (140k people).

In 2024, there were 5.37 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (376k people) in Providence County, RI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 70k Other (Hispanic) and 60.2k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

90.1%

2024 Citizenship

90.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 90.1% of Providence County, RI residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Providence County, RI was 90.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Providence County, RI

White (Non-Hispanic)
376k ± 1.38k
Other (Hispanic)
70k ± 3.97k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
60.2k ± 4.1k

25.6%

Hispanic Population

170k people

25.6% of the people in Providence County, RI are hispanic (170k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Providence 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

21.1%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

140k people

20.5%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

135k people

As of 2024, 21.1% of Providence County, RI residents (140k 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 Providence County, RI was 20.5%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
6,902 ± 604
Gulf War (2001-)
4,625 ± 626
Gulf War (1990s)
2,013 ± 367

Providence County, RI has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.49 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Providence County, RI employs 335k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Providence County, RI were Health Care & Social Assistance (53,699 people), Retail Trade (38,435 people), and Manufacturing (36,268 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($82,064), Public Administration ($78,931), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($74,249).

Employment

Occupations

335k

2024 Value

± 5,462

1.1%

1 Year growth

± 2.26%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Providence County, RI grew at a rate of 1.1%, from 331k employees to 335k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Providence County, RI, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (36,322 people), Management Occupations (36,070 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (27,207 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Providence 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

335k

2024 Value

± 5,462

1.1%

1 Year growth

± 2.26%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Providence County, RI grew at a rate of 1.1%, from 331k employees to 335k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Providence County, RI, are Health Care & Social Assistance (53,699 people), Retail Trade (38,435 people), and Manufacturing (36,268 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Providence County, RI, though some of these residents may live in Providence County, RI and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$55,774

Median earning men ± $1,244

$44,627

Median earning women ± $880

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($90,269), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($78,995), and Information ($68,571).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($64,091), Public Administration ($62,674), and Information ($57,545).

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

1,409
Construction
1,166
Other Services (except Public Administration)
1,122
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

$3.33M
Health Care and Social Assistance
$2.68M
Finance and Insurance
$1.36M
Manufacturing

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Providence County, RI awarded 12,238 degrees. The student population of Providence County, RI in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 15,555 male students and 21,613 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Providence County, RI are White (6,163 and 56.3%), Hispanic or Latino (1,756 and 16%), Black or African American (1,113 and 10.2%), and Asian (904 and 8.26%).

The largest universities in Providence County, RI by number of degrees awarded are Brown University (3,586 and 29.3%), Providence College (1,545 and 12.6%), and Rhode Island College (1,526 and 12.5%).

The most popular majors in Providence County, RI are Truck, Bus, & Commercial Vehicle Operator & Instructor (741 and 6.05%), General Business Administration & Management (581 and 4.75%), and Computer Science (457 and 3.73%).

The median tuition costs in Providence County, RI are $50,272 for private four year colleges, and $9,481 and $25,014 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Providence County, RI, the percentage of applicants admitted was 29.2%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 23%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 37,168 (41.9% men and 58.1% 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 37,168 students enrolled in Providence County, RI, 41.9% men and 58.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 18,057 records, of which 55.5% were women and 44.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Marketing & Marketing Management
343 degrees awarded
General Finance
364 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
351 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Providence County, RI was General Marketing & Marketing Management with 343 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Brown University
3,586 degrees awarded
Providence College
1,545 degrees awarded
Rhode Island College
1,526 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Brown University with 3,586 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 5,303 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Providence County, RI, which is 0.765 times less than the 6,935 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 6,163 degrees mean that there were 3.51 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 1,756 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 ($50,272) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,505) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,400) 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 Providence County, RI was $373,600 in 2024, which is 1.12 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $339,100 to $373,600, a 10.2% increase. The homeownership rate in Providence County, RI is 56.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Providence County, RI have an average commute time of 25.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Providence County, RI is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 17.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Providence County, RI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.04%.

Housing

Property

$373,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$3,437

$147,568

Median Property Taxes

±$2,997

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 Providence County, RI the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

56.9%

Homeownership

2024

62.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 56.9% of the housing units in Providence County, RI were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 56.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Providence 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.

$78,787

Median Household Income

± $1,722

259k

Number of Households

± 4,629

In 2024, the median household income of the 259k households in Providence County, RI grew to $78,787 from the previous year's value of $78,204.

The following chart displays the households in Providence 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Providence 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 (70.7%)
Worked At Home (12.3%)
Carpooled (8.8%)

In 2024, 70.7% of workers in Providence County, RI drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12.3%) and those who carpooled to work (8.8%).

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

25.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Providence County, RI have a shorter commute time (25.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.58% of the workforce in Providence County, RI have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Providence 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 Providence County, RI distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Providence County, RI have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 17.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Providence County, RI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.04%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

13.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Providence County, RI (85.6k out of 638k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Providence County, RI is Hispanic, followed by White 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, 17.3% of the children was living in poverty in Providence County, RI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 8.9%.

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 312 in Providence County, RI. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 29.1 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

94.6% of the population of Providence County, RI has health coverage, with 47% on employee plans, 23.1% on Medicaid, 10.8% on Medicare, 12.9% on non-group plans, and 0.731% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Providence County, RI see 1,035 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,035 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1721 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 170 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,035 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Providence County, RI

Primary care physicians in Providence County, RI see an average of 1,035 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,035 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 21.9% under 18 years, 24% between 18 and 34 years, 38.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

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

Uninsured People

5.4%

Uninsured

47%

Employer Coverage

23.1%

Medicaid

10.8%

Medicare

12.9%

Non-Group

0.731%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Providence County, RI grew by 2.54% from 5.27% to 5.4%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 39.5 in Providence County, RI.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Providence County, RI.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 32.4% in Providence County, RI.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Providence County, RI.