Rhode Island

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Population

1.06M

0.219% decline

Median Age

40


Median Household Income

$64,340

0.736% growth

Poverty Rate

13.4%


Number of Employees

511,949

0.281% decline

Median Property Value

$273,800

6.21% growth

About

Economy

Health

Diversity

Education

Housing & Living

About

In 2018, Rhode Island had a population of 1.06M people with a median age of 40 and a median household income of $64,340. Between 2017 and 2018 the population of Rhode Island declined from 1.06M to 1.06M, a -0.219% decrease and its median household income grew from $63,870 to $64,340, a 0.736% increase.

The population of Rhode Island is 71.4% White Alone, 15.9% Hispanic or Latino, and 5.83% Black or African American Alone. 21.7% of the people in Rhode Island speak a non-English language, and 94.8% are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Rhode Island are University of Rhode Island (4,317 degrees awarded in 2017), Johnson & Wales University-Providence (3,001 degrees), and Brown University (2,828 degrees).

The median property value in Rhode Island is $273,800, and the homeownership rate is 61.8%. Most people in Rhode Island commute by Drove Alone, and the average commute time is 24.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Rhode Island is 2 cars per household.

Rhode Island borders Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York.

About the photo: Fox Point, Providence, Rhode Island

Photo by Eric Harrison

United States

Economy

The economy of Rhode Island employs 512k people. The largest industries in Rhode Island are Restaurants & Food Services (34,394 people), Elementary & secondary schools (32,327 people), and Construction (25,334 people), and the highest paying industries are Navigational, measuring, electromedical, & control instruments manufacturing ($166,743), Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing ($156,101), and Coating, engraving, heat treating & allied activities ($139,107).

Median household income in Rhode Island is $64,340. Males in Rhode Island have an average income that is 1.33 times higher than the average income of females, which is $53,056. The income inequality in Rhode Island (measured using the Gini index) is 0.446, which is lower than than the national average.

Wages

Median Household Income

$64,340

2018 value

± $2,058

0.736%

1 Year Growth

± 4.3%

Households in Rhode Island have a median annual income of $64,340, which is more than the median annual income of $61,937 across the entire United States. This is in comparison to a median income of $63,870 in 2017, which represents a 0.736% annual growth.

Look at the chart to see how the median household income in Rhode Island compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Wage by Gender in Common Jobs

$70,382

Average Male Salary

± $3,392

$53,056

Average Female Salary

± $2,373

In 2018, full-time male employees in Rhode Island made 1.33 times more than female employees.

This chart shows the gender-based wage disparity in the 5 most common occupations in Rhode Island by number of full-time employees.

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Wage by Race and Ethnicity in Common Jobs

Highest Average Salaries by Race & Ethnicity

  1. White

    $55,812 ± $2,155

  2. Asian

    $48,312 ± $8,289

  3. American Indian

    $47,087 ± $18,573

In 2018 the highest paid race/ethnicity of Rhode Island workers was White. These workers were paid 1.16 times more than Asian workers, who made the second highest salary of any race/ethnicity.

This chart shows the race- and ethnicity-based wage disparities in the 5 most common occupations in Rhode Island by number of full-time employees.

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Wage Distribution

0.446

2018 Wage GINI

0.462

2017 Wage GINI

In 2018, the income inequality in Rhode Island was 0.446 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 3.43% decline from 2017 to 2018, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even.

The 2018 the GINI for Rhode Island was lower than than the national average of 0.479. 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.

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Income by Location

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Highest Median Household Income (Total)

  1. Washington County, RI

  2. Newport County, RI

  3. Kent County, RI

In 2018, the county with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Rhode Island was Washington County, RI with a value of $89,847, followed by Newport County, RI and Kent County, RI, with respective values of $83,822 and $68,994.

The following map shows all of the counties in Rhode Island colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

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Poverty by Age and Gender

Females 25 - 34

Largest Demographic Living in Poverty

13.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Rhode Island (136k out of 1.02M people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 13.1%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 18 - 24.

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.

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Poverty by Race and Ethnicity

Largest Race or Ethnicity Living in Poverty

  1. White

    89,596 ± 2,355

  2. Hispanic

    43,392 ± 1,505

  3. Other

    16,821 ± 1,009

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Rhode Island is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

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.

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Occupations

Employment by Occupations

512k

2018 Value

-0.281%

1 Year decline

± -0.281%

From 2017 to 2018, employment in Rhode Island declined at a rate of -0.281%, from 513k employees to 512k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Rhode Island, are Elementary & middle school teachers (13,828 people), Firstline supervisors of retail sales workers (12,818 people), and Customer service representatives (12,300 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Rhode Island.

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Most Common

The most common jobs held by residents of Rhode Island, by number of employees, are Elementary & middle school teachers (13,828 people), Firstline supervisors of retail sales workers (12,818 people), and Customer service representatives (12,300 people).

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Most Specialized

Compared to other states, Rhode Island has an unusually high number of residents working as Fishing and hunting workers (13.3 times higher than expected), Other personal appearance workers (7.24 times), and Jewelers & precious stone & metal workers (6.18 times).

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Highest Paid

The highest paid jobs held by residents of Rhode Island, by average salary, are Dentists ($287,983), Architectural & engineering managers ($238,627), and Physicians ($177,870).

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Industries

Employment by Industries

512k

2018 Value

-0.281%

1 Year decline

± -0.281%

From 2017 to 2018, employment in Rhode Island declined at a rate of -0.281%, from 513k employees to 512k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Rhode Island, are Restaurants & Food Services (34,394 people), Elementary & secondary schools (32,327 people), and Construction (25,334 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Rhode Island, though some of these residents may live in Rhode Island and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Most Common

The most common industries in Rhode Island, by number of employees, are Restaurants & Food Services (34,394 people), Elementary & secondary schools (32,327 people), and Construction (25,334 people).

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Most Specialized

Compared to other states, Rhode Island has an unusually high number of Ship & boat building (7.93 times higher than expected), Fishing, hunting & trapping (7.68 times), and Miscellaneous durable goods merchant wholesalers (4.91 times) industries.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries in Rhode Island, by average salary, are Navigational, measuring, electromedical, & control instruments manufacturing ($166,743), Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing ($156,101), and Coating, engraving, heat treating & allied activities ($139,107).

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Domestic Trade

Domestic Production & Consumption

Domestic production and consumption consists of products and services shipped from Rhode Island to other states, or from other states to Rhode Island.

Top Domestic Production in Dollars

  1. Gasoline

    $12.7B

  2. Mixed freight

    $7.48B

  3. Fuel oils

    $4.41B

In 2015, the top outbound Rhode Island product (by dollars) was Gasoline with $12.7B, followed by Mixed freight ($7.48B) and Fuel oils ($4.41B).

The following chart shows the share of these products in relation to all outbound Rhode Island products.

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Domestic Trade Growth

$50.1B

2020 Value

$56.6B

Projected 2045 Value

12.8% growth

In 2020, total outbound Rhode Island trade was $50.1B. This is expected to increase 12.8% to $56.6B by 2045.

The following chart shows how the domestic outbound Rhode Island trade is projected to change in comparison to its neighboring states.

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Interstate Trade

Interstate trade consists of products and services shipped from Rhode Island to other states, or from other states to Rhode Island.

Most Common Trade Partners

  1. Massachusetts

    $15.2B

  2. Connecticut

    $3.21B

  3. New York

    $1.61B

In 2015, the top outbound Rhode Island domestic partner for goods and services (by dollars) was Massachusetts with $15.2B, followed by Connecticut with $3.21B and New York and $1.61B.

The following map shows the amount of trade that Rhode Island shares with each state (excluding itself).

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Health

95.4% of the population of Rhode Island has health coverage, with 49.5% on employee plans, 19.8% on Medicaid, 11.5% on Medicare, 13.3% on non-group plans, and 1.27% on military or VA plans.

Per capita personal health care spending in the state of Rhode Island was $9,551 in 2014. This is a 4.27% increase from the previous year ($9,160).

Primary care physicians in Rhode Island see 1044 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.385% increase from the previous year (1040 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1581 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 270 patients per year.

Comparing across all counties in the state, Providence County has the highest prevalence of diabetes (9.7%). Additionally, Kent County has the highest prevalence of adult obesity (29.2%)

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,044 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio

Primary care physicians in Rhode Island see an average of 1,044 patients per year. This represents a 0.385% increase from the previous year (1,040 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Rhode Island in comparison to neighboring states.

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Behavioral Health Conditions

Data only available at the state level.

State with the Highest Prevalence

  1. West Virginia

    8.26% of the population affected

  2. Arkansas

    8.13% of the population affected

  3. New Hampshire

    7.98% of the population affected

In 2016, West Virginia had the highest prevalence of adults with major depressive episode, with 8.26% of the population affected. The second highest is Arkansas (8.13%), followed by New Hampshire (7.98%).

The following map shows the percent of individuals with major depressive episode by state over multiple years.

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Access and Quality

Data only available at state level.

Most prevalent states

  1. Mississippi

    19.2% of adults

  2. Texas

    17.9% of adults

  3. Louisiana

    17.6% of adults

In 2016, Mississippi had the highest prevalence of adults who haven't seen a doctor in the past 12 months due to cost, at 19.2%. It is followed by Texas (17.9%) and Louisiana (17.6%).

The following map shows the prevalence of adults who haven't seen a doctor in the past 12 months due to cost by state over multiple years.

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Health Care Spending

$9,551

Total Per Capita Spending on Personal Health Care 

$4,620

Per Enrollee Private Health Insurance Spending on Personal Health Care

$10,934

Per Enrollee Medicaid Spending on Personal Health Care

$10,901

Per Enrollee Medicare Spending on Personal Health Care

Between 2013 and 2014, all personal health care spending per capita in Rhode Island (including private, Medicare, and Medicaid) grew 4.27%, from $9,160 to $9,551.

The following chart shows how this spending changed over time in comparison to Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance spending, per enrollee.

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Health Care Coverage

4.62%

Uninsured

49.5%

Employer Coverage

19.8%

Medicaid

11.5%

Medicare

13.3%

Non-Group

1.27%

Military or VA

Between 2016 and 2017, the percent of uninsured citizens in Rhode Island grew by 6.77% from 4.32% to 4.62%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Rhode Island changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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Health Risks

Data available at the county level.

Most at risk counties

  1. Providence County

    9.7% prevalence

  2. Kent County

    9.4% prevalence

  3. Bristol County

    8.7% prevalence

Providence County has the highest prevalence of diabetes in Rhode Island, at 9.7%.

The following map shows the prevalence of diabetes in Rhode Island by county over multiple years.

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Diversity

Rhode Island is home to a population of 1.06M people, from which 94.8% are citizens. As of 2017, 13.8% of Rhode Island residents were born outside of the country (147k people).

The ethnic composition of the population of Rhode Island is composed of 755k White Alone residents (71.4%), 168k Hispanic or Latino residents (15.9%), 61.7k Black or African American Alone residents (5.83%), 35.4k Asian Alone residents (3.35%), 25k Two or More Races residents (2.37%), 8.92k Some Other Race Alone residents (0.844%), 2.77k American Indian & Alaska Native Alone residents (0.262%), and 197 Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander Alone residents (0.0186%).

The most common foreign languages spoken in Rhode Island are Spanish (122,953 speakers), Portuguese (24,219 speakers), and French (Incl. Cajun) (10,732 speakers).

Age

Age by Nativity

38

Median Native-Born Age

± 0.5

46

Median Foreign-Born Age

± 1.2

In 2018, the median age of all people in Rhode Island was 40. Native-born citizens, with a median age of 38, were generally younger than than foreign-born citizens, with a median age of 46. But people in Rhode Island are getting getting older. In 2017, the average age of all Rhode Island residents was 40.

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Heritage

Foreign-Born Population

13.8%

2017 Foreign-Born Population

147k people

13.7%

2016 Foreign-Born Population

145k people

As of 2017, 13.8% of Rhode Island residents (147k people) were born outside of the United States, which is higher than the national average of 13.7%. In 2016, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Rhode Island was 13.7%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Rhode Island compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Global Diversity

Most Common Origin

  1. Dominican Republic

    28,046 ± 4,057 people

  2. Guatemala

    13,864 ± 2,872 people

  3. Portugal

    10,818 ± 2,540 people

In 2018, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Rhode Island was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 28,046 Rhode Island residents, followed by Guatemala with 13,864 and Portugal with 10,818.

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Citizenship

94.8%

2018 Citizenship

93.6%

2017 Citizenship

As of 2018, 94.8% of Rhode Island residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2017, the percentage of US citizens in Rhode Island was 93.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Rhode Island compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Race and Ethnicity

Most Common

  1. White Alone

    755k ± 3.01k

  2. Hispanic or Latino

    168k ± 11.3k

  3. Black or African American Alone

    61.7k ± 2.3k

In 2018, there were 4.48 times more White Alone residents (755k people) in Rhode Island than any other race or ethnicity. There were 168k Hispanic or Latino and 61.7k Black or African American Alone residents, the second and third most common racial or ethnic groups.

The following bar chart shows the 8 races and ethnicities represented in Rhode Island as a share of the total population.

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Non-English Speakers

Most Common Languages

  1. Spanish

    122,953 speakers (12.3%)

  2. Portuguese

    24,219 speakers (2.41%)

  3. French (Incl. Cajun)

    10,732 speakers (1.07%)

21.7% of Rhode Island citizens are speakers of a non-English language, which is lower than the national average of 21.9%. In 2018, the most common non-English language spoken in Rhode Island was Spanish. 12.3% of the overall population of Rhode Island are native Spanish speakers. 2.41% speak Portuguese and 1.07% speak Spanish, the next two most common languages.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

  1. Vietnam

    20,778 ± 2,163

  2. Gulf War (2001-)

    11,227 ± 1,698

  3. Gulf War (1990s)

    4,747 ± 1,084

Rhode Island has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.85 times greater than any other conflict.

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Education

In 2017, universities in Rhode Island awarded 21,883 degrees. The student population of Rhode Island is skewed towards women, with 36,020 male students and 48,623 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Rhode Island are White (13,558 and 66.8%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (2,123 and 10.5%), Unknown (1,642 and 8.1%), and Black or African American (1,310 and 6.46%).

The largest universities in Rhode Island by number of degrees awarded are University of Rhode Island (4,317 and 19.7%), Johnson & Wales University-Providence (3,001 and 13.7%), and Brown University (2,828 and 12.9%).

The most popular majors in Rhode Island are General Business Administration & Management (1,233 and 5.63%), Registered Nursing (875 and 4%), and General Studies (804 and 3.67%).

The median tuition costs in Rhode Island are $38,386 for private four year colleges, and $9,820 and $24,201 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Concentrations

Most Common

  1. General Business Administration & Management

    560 degrees awarded

  2. General Psychology

    536 degrees awarded

  3. General Marketing & Marketing Management

    565 degrees awarded

In 2015, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Rhode Island was General Business Administration & Management with 560 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Rhode Island according to their major.

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Universities

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

  1. University of Rhode Island

    4,317 degrees awarded

  2. Johnson & Wales University-Providence

    3,001 degrees awarded

  3. Brown University

    2,828 degrees awarded

$9,820

Median In-State Public

$38,386

Median Private

In 2017, the Rhode Island institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Rhode Island with 4,317 degrees awarded.

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Student Gender for Common Institutions

9,238

Degrees Awarded to Men

12,645

Degrees Awarded to Women

In 2017, 9,238 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Rhode Island, which is 0.731 times less than the 12,645 female students who received degrees in the same year.

This chart displays the gender disparity between the top 5 institutions in Rhode Island by degrees awarded.

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Student Race and Ethnicity

Most Common Student Race or Ethnicity

  1. White

    13,558 degrees awarded

  2. Hispanic or Latino

    2,123 degrees awarded

  3. Unknown

    1,642 degrees awarded

In 2017 the majority of degrees awarded at institutions in Rhode Island were to White students. These 13,558 degrees mean that there were 6.39 times more White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 2,123 degrees awarded.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Rhode Island was $273,800 in 2018, which is 1.19 times larger than the national average of $229,700. Between 2017 and 2018 the median property value increased from $257,800 to $273,800, a 6.21% increase. The homeownership rate in Rhode Island is 61.8%, which is lower than the national average of 63.9%. People in Rhode Island have an average commute time of 24.1 minutes, and they commute by Drove Alone. Car ownership in Rhode Island is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property Value

$273,800

2018 Median

± $4,578

$257,800

2017 Median

± $5,409

In 2018, the median property value in Rhode Island grew to to $273,800 from the previous year's value of $257,800.

The following charts display, first, the property values in Rhode Island compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies and, second, owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property value buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Rhode Island the largest share of households have a property value in the $300k - $400k range.

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Household Income

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

$64,340

Median Household Income

± $2,058

407k

Number of Households

± 10,670

In 2018, the median household income of the 407k households in Rhode Island grew to $64,340 from the previous year's value of $63,870.

The following chart displays the households in Rhode Island 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.

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Property Taxes

$3k+

Average Range

This chart shows the households in Rhode Island distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Rhode Island the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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Rent vs Own

61.8%

2018 Homeownership

60.8%

2017 Homeownership

In 2018, 61.8% of the housing units in Rhode Island were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 60.8%.

This percentage of owner-occupation is lower than the national average of 63.9%. This chart shows the ownership percentage in Rhode Island compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Commute Time

24.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Rhode Island have a shorter commute time (24.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (25.7 minutes). Additionally, 2.4% of the workforce in Rhode Island have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Rhode Island compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Commuter Transportation

Most Common Method of Travel

  1. Drove Alone

    81.3%

  2. Carpooled

    8.14%

  3. Worked At Home

    3.7%

In 2018, the most common method of travel for workers in Rhode Island was Drove Alone (81.3%), followed by those who Carpooled (8.14%) and those who Worked At Home (3.7%).

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.

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Transportation

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Rhode Island distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Rhode Island have 2 cars, followed by 3 cars.

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