Cost of living in Rhode Island

Rhode Island at a glance

Median rent

$1,342

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$87,796

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$404,200

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$4,900

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

26 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

5.8%

Census ACS, DP03

Rhode Island's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 2% above the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Census ACS 2024 five-year estimates, checked November 2026.

The three most populous counties in Rhode Island

These are the most populous places in Rhode Island, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Providence County

  Population

  665K

  Rent

  $1,312

  Household income

  $78,787

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $4,683

  Set as targetPlan

• Kent County

  Population

  171K

  Rent

  $1,327

  Household income

  $94,345

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $4,957

  Set as targetPlan

• Washington County

  Population

  130K

  Rent

  $1,327

  Household income

  $106,638

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $5,102

  Set as targetPlan

Rhode Island, worth the trip

Ratified the Constitution on May 29, 1790, as the 13th state. Roger Williams founded Providence in 1636 and argued for religious freedom and the separation of church and state. Samuel Slater's mill launched the American textile industry in 1790.

• Roger Williams National Memorial

  A memorial to Roger Williams and his defense of freedom of worship.

• Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park

  Old Slater Mill in Pawtucket and the river valley where Samuel Slater's cotton spinning mill succeeded.

• Touro Synagogue National Historic Site

  A synagogue dedicated in 1763 that still serves an active congregation.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Rhode Island

Current owners in Rhode Island pay a median 1.21% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $4,900 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $4,683 in Providence County to $6,648 in Bristol County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Health in Rhode Island

Life expectancy

78.9 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

5.2%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

16.4%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

87

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Rhode Island as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Rhode Island

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$217M

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$0.99

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$153M of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

New homes permitted in Rhode Island

Side by side

Providence County, RI is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

The largest counties in Rhode Island

By population, from the Census release named below. Each opens its own page.

1. 1Providence County665K
2. 2Kent County171K
3. 3Washington County130K
4. 4Newport County84.7K
5. 5Bristol County50.5K

All 5 counties in Rhode Island

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.

What to do with these numbers

Every number here is public. The site adds your side of it: Rhode Island next to your own state, by what you value.

• See Rhode Island beside your own state

  Find your fit puts it next to where you live and the states next door, by what matters to you. Made-up answers are fine, since this is a tool, not a survey. No account needed.

  Find your fit

• Pick a county here and make it your target

  The three counties above each carry Set as target. From there the Journey lays out the runway and the steps. An account keeps it private and yours across devices.

  See the three counties