County profile

Providence County

Rhode Island · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
664,854
Median household income
$78,787
People below poverty
13.4%
Median home value
$373,600

Income

The median income of households in Providence County, Rhode Island was $78,787. An estimated 5.2% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 10.7% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 5.2
$10,000 to $14,999 5
$15,000 to $24,999 6.6
$25,000 to $34,999 6.4
$35,000 to $49,999 9.3
$50,000 to $74,999 15.6
$75,000 to $99,999 12.8
$100,000 to $149,999 18.2
$150,000 to $199,999 10.3
$200,000 or more 10.7

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 66950
Female 57715

An estimated 77.2% of households received earnings. An estimated 31.2% of households received Social Security and an estimated 21.8 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $22,463. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 77.2
Social Security 31.2
Retirement income 21.8
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 7.3
Cash public assistance income 5.3

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 13.4 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 17.3% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 14.1% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 11.9% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 13.4
Children under 18 years below poverty 17.3
People 65 years old and over below poverty 14.1
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 11.9

In 2020-2024, 17.8 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 38.7% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 45.6% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 31% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024, 94.6% had health insurance coverage and 5.4% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 65.2% and public coverage was 41%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 3.6%.


In 2020-2024, Providence County, Rhode Island had a total population of 664,854 - 338,139 (50.9%) females and 326,715 (49.1%) males. The median age was 38 years. An estimated 20.1% of the population was under 18 years, 35.6% was 19 to 44 years, 24.9% was 45 to 64 years, and 16.3 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 18072 17731
5 to 9 18146 17956
10 to 14 20071 18187
15 to 19 22605 22196
20 to 24 22865 23473
25 to 29 24222 23871
30 to 34 26854 25817
35 to 39 24424 22742
40 to 44 20992 20836
45 to 49 18861 19337
50 to 54 20309 21025
55 to 59 20658 21030
60 to 64 21111 22951
65 to 69 16803 19835
70 to 74 13083 13896
75 to 79 8395 10700
80 to 84 4695 7586
85 and over 4549 8970

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 59.6% were White; 7.9% were Black or African American; 3.6% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 4.2% were Asian; 3.4% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 15.9% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 25.6% of the people in Providence County, Rhode Island were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 56.5% of the people in Providence County, Rhode Island were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 259,210 households in Providence County, Rhode Island. The average household size was 2.46 people.

Married-couple households made up 39.7% of the households in Providence County, Rhode Island while cohabiting couple households made up 9.1% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 31.4% of all households, while 19.7% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 13.9% of households were male householders living alone, and 17.7% were female householders living alone, for a total of 31.6% of all households.

In Providence County, Rhode Island, 28.3% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 30.8% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 39.7
Cohabiting Couples 9.1
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
19.7
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
31.4

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 43% of males and 38.8% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 43.9 38.5
Now married, except separated 43 38.8
Separated 1.4 2.1
Widowed 2.7 8.3
Divorced 9.1 12.3

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Providence County, Rhode Island, 12,416 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 26.5% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 79.1% of the people living in Providence County, Rhode Island were U.S. natives. 52% of the Providence County, Rhode Island population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 20.9% of Providence County, Rhode Island residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 52.5% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 64.1 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Providence County, Rhode Island come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Providence County, Rhode Island.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 56.6
Asia 14.7
Europe 13.4
Africa 14
Northern America 1
Oceania 0.3

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024, 32.6 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 20.5% of people at least five years old; 13.4% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 20.5
Other Indo-European languages 7.8
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 2.7
Other languages 1.6

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 87.9 % of the people at least one year old living in Providence County, Rhode Island were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 87.9
Different house, same county 6.4
Different county, same state 1.1
Different state 3.5
Abroad 1.1

Education

In 2020-2024, 86.4 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 32.3% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 13.5% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Providence County, Rhode Island was 161,307 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 7,686 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 98,553. College or graduate school enrollment was 55,068.

Educational Attainment of People in Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 13.5
High school diploma or equivalency 29
Some college, no degree 17.6
Associate's degree 7.7
Bachelor's degree 19.7
Graduate or professional degree 12.6

Disability

In Providence County, Rhode Island, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 14.4 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 6.2% of people under 18 years old, to 12.1% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 34.6% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Providence County, Rhode Island, 61.2 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 34.4% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 83% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 11.9% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 5 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 277,669 83
Federal, state, or local government workers 39,764 11.9
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 16,832 5

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Providence County, Rhode Island worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 0.4
Construction 6.3
Manufacturing 10.8
Wholesale trade 2.1
Retail trade 11.5
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.4
Information 1.4
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 6.4
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 11.4
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 26.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 9.3
Other Services, except public administration 4.5
Public administration 3.9

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 137,752 41.2
Service occupations 60,425 18.1
Sales and office occupations 63,529 19
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 25,216 7.5
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 47,720 14.3

Commuting to Work

An estimated 70.7% of Providence County, Rhode Island workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.8% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 25.9 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 70.7
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.8
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 2.3
Walked 3.1
Other means 2.9
Worked from home 12.3

In 2020-2024, Providence County, Rhode Island had a total of 277,740 housing units. Of these housing units, 49.4% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 50.2% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 0.5% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 49.4
Apartments in multi-unit structures 50.2
Mobile homes 0.5
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

3.9% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 35.9% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Providence County, Rhode Island was 5.2 rooms, and of these housing units 49.8% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Providence County, Rhode Island had 259,210 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 18,530 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 56.9% while renters occupied 43.1%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.67 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.18.

4.6% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 10.4% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 11.5% and another 15.3% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Providence County, Rhode Island:

House Heating Fuel Used in Providence County, Rhode Island in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 64.9
Electricity 13.4
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 19.9
All other fuels 1.1
No fuel used 0.6

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Providence County, Rhode Island was $373,600.

Of the owner-occupied households, 68.2 % had a mortgage. 31.8% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $2,152 and for owners without a mortgage it was $872.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Providence County, Rhode Island was $1,312. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.