Washington County, RI

County

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2024 Population

130,344

US Senator

Jack Reed

Democratic Party

US Senator

Sheldon Whitehouse

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

45.5

0.442% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.19%

2.59% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$106,638

4.06% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$510,800

8.73% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

66,285

0.209% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Washington 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.

98.1% of the residents in Washington County, RI are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Washington County, RI are University of Rhode Island (4,693 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Washington County, RI was $510,800, and the homeownership rate was 77.5%.

Most people in Washington County, RI drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26 minutes. The average car ownership in Washington County, RI was 2 cars per household.

Washington County, RI borders New London County, CT, Suffolk County, NY, Kent County, RI, and Newport County, RI.

About the photo: Wickford Village Harbor

Photo by cmkalina

United States Rhode Island Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

Population & Diversity

Washington County, RI is home to a population of 130k people, from which 98.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 5.04% of Washington County, RI residents were born outside of the country (6.58k people).

In 2024, there were 37 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (116k people) in Washington County, RI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.13k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 2.72k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.1%

2024 Citizenship

98.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.1% of Washington County, RI residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Washington County, RI was 98.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Washington County, RI

White (Non-Hispanic)
116k ± 434
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
3.13k ± 443
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
2.72k ± 266

3.81%

Hispanic Population

4.97k people

3.81% of the people in Washington County, RI are hispanic (4.97k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Washington 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

5.04%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

6.58k people

4.71%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

6.12k people

As of 2024, 5.04% of Washington County, RI residents (6.58k 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 Washington County, RI was 4.71%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
2,346 ± 325
Gulf War (2001-)
1,402 ± 307
Gulf War (1990s)
838 ± 246

Washington County, RI has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.67 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Washington County, RI employs 66.3k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Washington County, RI were Educational Services (9,543 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (8,703 people), and Manufacturing (7,523 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($127,386), Finance & Insurance ($105,019), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($89,973).

Employment

Occupations

66.3k

2024 Value

± 2,203

−0.209%

1 Year decline

± 4.68%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Washington County, RI declined at a rate of −0.209%, from 66.4k employees to 66.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Washington County, RI, are Management Occupations (8,964 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (6,352 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (6,345 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Washington 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

66.3k

2024 Value

± 2,203

−0.209%

1 Year decline

± 4.68%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Washington County, RI declined at a rate of −0.209%, from 66.4k employees to 66.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Washington County, RI, are Educational Services (9,543 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (8,703 people), and Manufacturing (7,523 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Washington County, RI, though some of these residents may live in Washington County, RI and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$71,344

Median earning men ± $2,661

$48,569

Median earning women ± $2,729

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($115,344), Public Administration ($92,489), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($91,686).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($73,062), Wholesale Trade ($72,300), and Manufacturing ($70,438).

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

394
Construction
258
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
250
Other Services (except Public Administration)

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

$705k
Manufacturing
$405k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$355k
Wholesale Trade

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Washington County, RI awarded 4,693 degrees. The student population of Washington County, RI in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 7,179 male students and 10,172 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Washington County, RI are White (3,453 and 75.9%), Hispanic or Latino (407 and 8.95%), Unknown (227 and 4.99%), and Black or African American (187 and 4.11%).

The largest universities in Washington County, RI by number of degrees awarded are University of Rhode Island (4,693 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Washington County, RI are Registered Nursing (292 and 6.22%), General Psychology (247 and 5.26%), and Speech Communication & Rhetoric (209 and 4.45%).

The median tuition cost in Washington County, RI for a public four year colleges is $14,116 for in-state students and $33,512 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Washington County, RI, the percentage of applicants admitted was 77.1%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 16.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 17,351 (41.4% men and 58.6% 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 17,351 students enrolled in Washington County, RI, 41.4% men and 58.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 12,299 records, of which 59.4% were women and 40.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
292 degrees awarded
General Psychology
241 degrees awarded
Speech Communication & Rhetoric
200 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Washington County, RI was Registered Nursing with 292 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

University of Rhode Island

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

4,693 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Rhode Island with 4,693 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,859 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Washington County, RI, which is 0.656 times less than the 2,834 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 3,453 degrees mean that there were 8.48 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 407 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

Public, 4-year or above ($14,116) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,292) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,250) 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 Washington County, RI was $510,800 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 $469,800 to $510,800, a 8.73% increase. The homeownership rate in Washington County, RI is 77.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Washington County, RI have an average commute time of 26 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Washington County, RI is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 12.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Washington County, RI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.79%.

Housing

Property

$510,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$16,509

$40,742

Median Property Taxes

±$1,324

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

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

Rent vs Own

77.5%

Homeownership

2024

64.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 77.5% of the housing units in Washington County, RI were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 76.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Washington 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.

$106,638

Median Household Income

± $2,789

52.5k

Number of Households

± 1,853

In 2024, the median household income of the 52.5k households in Washington County, RI grew to $106,638 from the previous year's value of $102,478.

The following chart displays the households in Washington 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 Washington 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 (75.5%)
Worked At Home (15.3%)
Carpooled (4.94%)

In 2024, 75.5% of workers in Washington County, RI drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (15.3%) and those who carpooled to work (4.94%).

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 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Washington County, RI have a shorter commute time (26 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.85% of the workforce in Washington County, RI have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 12.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Washington County, RI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.79%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

8.19% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Washington County, RI (10.2k out of 124k 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 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Washington 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, 11.1% of the children was living in poverty in Washington County, RI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.3%.

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 75.1 in Washington County, RI. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 7.11 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

98% of the population of Washington County, RI has health coverage, with 53.9% on employee plans, 9.14% on Medicaid, 17.5% on Medicare, 16.2% on non-group plans, and 1.29% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Washington County, RI see 1,220 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,220 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1671 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 263 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.7% were men and 51.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,220 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Washington County, RI

Primary care physicians in Washington County, RI see an average of 1,220 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,220 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.2% under 18 years, 21.5% between 18 and 34 years, 37.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 23.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.7% were men and 51.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

2.02%

Uninsured

53.9%

Employer Coverage

9.14%

Medicaid

17.5%

Medicare

16.2%

Non-Group

1.29%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Washington County, RI declined by 8.46% from 2.21% to 2.02%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Washington 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 20.8 in Washington County, RI.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Washington 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 25% in Washington County, RI.

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