Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety86#130/924
Economy66#318/925
Housing10#831/925
Health83#158/925
Healthcare97#27/923
Environment67#306/917
Education67#307/925
Infrastructure78#203/925
Community51#456/925
Leisure & amenities85#139/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Firearm deaths · low4.0 /100k
99/100Rhode Island 4.1 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Traffic deaths · low6.1 /100k
98/100Rhode Island 5.5 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationAggregated from counties
Access to exercise opportunities · high94.4%
96/100Rhode Island 96.1%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Suicide rate · low9.8 /100k
96/100Rhode Island 10.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low4.8%
95/100Rhode Island 5.3%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Distance to an airport · low14 mi
92/100Rhode Island 11 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Cost of buying a home today · high49.0%
5/100Rhode Island 48.3%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Child care cost burden · high38.4%
11/100Rhode Island 32.1%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Home price to income ratio · high4.8×
14/100Rhode Island 4.6×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Average commute time · high26.6 min
14/100Rhode Island 25.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
High ozone days · high2 days
16/100Rhode Island 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Severe housing problems · high16.4%
21/100Rhode Island 16.3%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 27% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+27 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
32.3% (Dec 2021) → 49.0% (Aug 2026)
+17 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
High ozone daysImproving
7 days (2017) → 2 days (2022)
−70%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Drug overdose deathsImproving
44.6 /100k (2021) → 19.3 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−57%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
New homes permittedImproving
1.3 /1k (2021) → 1.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+43%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Homicide rateImproving
3.2 /100k (2021) → 1.8 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−43%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area improved on 16 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 3 moved within the margin of error and 7 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved16

Unemployment−5.1 points9.8% → 4.7%
Firearm deaths−24%5.3 /100k → 4.0 /100k
Overdose deaths−49%37.7 /100k → 19.3 /100k
Violent crime−25%280 /100k → 209 /100k
Arts & recreation+13%5.0 /10k → 5.6 /10k

Declined6

Transit use−0.8 points2.6% → 1.8%
Price / income+0.8×4.1× → 4.9×
Libraries−5.5%0.6 /10k → 0.6 /10k
Pharmacies−14%2.5 /10k → 2.2 /10k
Rent burden+2.4 points47.1% → 49.5%

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	5.0 /10k2020	5.6 /10k2025	+13%	Improved	60%
Average commute time	26.5 min2015-2019	26.6 min2020-2024	+0.1 min	Within the margin of error	61%
Average weekly wage	$1,1312020	$1,3232025	+17%	Improved	8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	32.3%2015-2019	35.3%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Improved	56%
Broadband subscriptions	83.3%2015-2019	91.2%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Improved	37%
Child poverty rate	16.9%2015-2019	14.1%2020-2024	−2.8 points	Improved	56%
Distance to an airport	14 mi2020	14 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	20%
Drug overdose deaths	37.7 /100k2020	19.3 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−49%	Improved	80%
Effective property tax rate	1.40%2015-2019	1.09%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	91%
Firearm deaths	5.3 /100k2020	4.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−24%	Improved	87%
Grocery stores	1.5 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+1.9%	Little change	58%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.6 /10k2020	1.7 /10k2025	+6.2%	Improved	55%
High school diploma or higher	87.7%2015-2019	88.7%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Home price to income ratio	4.1×2015-2019	4.9×2020-2024	+0.8×	Declined	22%
Homicide rate	2.7 /100k2020	1.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−32%	Improved	58%
Income adjusted for local prices	$54,0282019	$68,8652024	+27%	Improved	19%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4662015-2019	0.4602020-2024	−0.006	Little change	72%
Median household income	$67,8182015-2019	$87,0402020-2024	+28%	Improved	56%
New business applications	7.6 /1k2020	9.8 /1k2025	+29%	Improved	25%
Pharmacies	2.5 /10k2020	2.2 /10k2025	−14%	Declined	34%
Poverty rate	12.0%2015-2019	11.2%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Improved	46%
Property crime rate	1,144 /100k2020	954 /100k2025	−17%	Improved	19%
Public libraries	0.6 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	−5.5%	Declined	22%
Public transit commuters	2.6%2015-2019	1.8%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Declined	19%
Rent as share of income	28.9%2015-2019	29.8%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Declined	39%
Rent-burdened households	47.1%2015-2019	49.5%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Declined	37%
Restaurants and bars	11.0 /10k2020	10.5 /10k2025	−3.9%	Little change	29%
Suicide rate	9.9 /100k2020	9.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−0.8%	Little change	63%
Traffic deaths	6.4 /100k2015-2019	6.1 /100k2020-2024	−3.7%	Little change	69%
Unemployment rate	9.8%2020	4.7%2025	−5.1 points	Improved	94%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.6%2015-2019	4.8%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Violent crime rate	280 /100k2020	209 /100k2025	−25%	Improved	66%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area itself moved −0.2 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,684,071 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

675,395 households (±2,088)

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area
United States share

Under $25k15%101,935
$25k–50k15%98,660
$50k–75k14%96,635

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

675,395 households (±2,088)

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area
United States share

Own63%426,651
Rent37%248,744

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Rent (−1.8 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

834,183 workers (±4,733)

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area
United States share

Drive alone73%610,317
Carpool8.2%68,339
Public transit1.8%14,742

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA employ 151,390 people. 8 pay a median above the US median and 2 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Fast Food and Counter Workers21,530 jobs	21,530	$33,700US $31,200	+8%	1.22×
Retail Salespersons20,910 jobs	20,910	$35,230US $35,410	−1%	1.17×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides15,670 jobs	15,670	$40,890US $35,800	+14%	0.79×
Registered Nurses15,180 jobs	15,180	$99,880US $97,550	+2%	0.98×
Cashiers14,440 jobs	14,440	$34,540US $32,880	+5%	1.02×
General and Operations Managers14,110 jobs	14,110	$110,360US $105,770	+4%	0.88×
Waiters and Waitresses13,600 jobs	13,600	$35,750US $35,230	+1%	1.3×
Nursing Assistants13,030 jobs	13,030	$46,330US $42,260	+10%	1.96×
Stockers and Order Fillers12,020 jobs	12,020	$36,640US $37,330	−2%	0.92×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand10,900 jobs	10,900	$40,370US $40,240	0%	0.8×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA has 42,304 employer establishments, 251 for every 10,000 residents (1.01× the US rate of 248), with 637,566 paid employees at an average annual pay of $60,599. The Census Bureau also counts 142,666 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 42,304; 142,666 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 251; US 248
Paid employees: 637,566
Average annual pay: $60,599; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Providence-Warwick, RI-MA by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	3,670	21.7	1.18×About typical	60,360	$26,145	618
Specialty trade contractors	3,501	20.7	1.34×More than typical	23,843	$77,029	9,385
Ambulatory health care services	2,864	17	0.81×About typical	43,123	$74,442	6,637
Services to buildings and dwellings	1,733	10.3	1.52×More than typical	8,773	$55,591	6,606
Construction of buildings	1,630	9.7	1.28×More than typical	7,871	$79,465	4,071
Full-service restaurants	1,603	9.5	1.24×About typical	32,197	$29,276	255
Lessors of real estate	1,552	9.2	0.75×Fewer than typical	5,776	$59,739	14,812
Building equipment contractors	1,426	8.5	1.40×More than typical	11,236	$76,672	1,863
Limited-service restaurants	1,343	8	0.99×About typical	18,216	$23,347	253
Landscaping services	1,136	6.7	1.92×More than typical	3,949	$76,990	1,713
Automotive repair and maintenance	1,016	6	1.20×About typical	5,581	$55,044	1,331
Legal services	1,003	5.9	1.11×About typical	5,006	$86,618	1,572

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,687,365 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $889.7M on contracts performed in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area: $521 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $889.7M; −8.5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $521; US $1,994
Sole-source: 16%; US 30%
Single offer: 28%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

SEACORP, LLC$109.7M12%
RAYTHEON COMPANY$86.4M9.7%
RITE-SOLUTIONS, INC.$66.5M7.5%
GENERAL DYNAMICS MISSION SYSTEMS, INC.$33.5M3.8%
SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION$33.1M3.7%

Spending by fiscal year

1.3BFY2017
1.6BFY2018
1.7BFY2019
2BFY2020
1.7BFY2021
1.7BFY2022
1.5BFY2023
1.3B

Top industries (NAICS)

Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$279.7M31%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$122.1M14%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$88.8M10.0%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$81.6M9.2%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$47.4M5.3%

Largest awards

HAMMERHEAD PROTOTYPE$518.2M
GENERAL DYNAMICS MISSION SYSTEMS, INC.· Bristol County, MA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Sep 30, 2021 – May 29, 2026· N0002421C6425
MK54 LWT COMMON PARTS KITS$380.1M
RAYTHEON COMPANY· Newport County, RI· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· May 2, 2017 – Nov 21, 2025· N0002416C6423
BARRACUDA DEVELOPMENT$208M
RAYTHEON COMPANY· Newport County, RI· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Apr 17, 2018 – Jun 10, 2026· N0002418C6300
NOAA OMAO SHIP & REPAIR FACILITY$149.7M

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $12.9B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area: $7,555 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $12.9B; −2.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,555; US $12,955
Loan face value: $1.2B; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$6.8B52%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$1B7.9%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$941.3M7.3%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$641.6M5.0%
93.773 · Medicare Hospital Insurance$600.1M4.7%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$489.4M3.8%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$376.8M2.9%
93.770 · Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage$348.9M2.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

BROWN UNIVERSITY$177.2M1.4%
PROVIDENCE, RI
RHODE ISLAND DOT$125M1.0%
PROVIDENCE, RI
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND$103.6M0.8%
KINGSTON, RI
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$78.3M0.6%
BOSTON, MA
PROVIDENCE HOUSING AUTHORITY$62.9M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$8.6B67%
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$1.9B15%
Department of Health and Human Services
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$759.4M5.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$321.1M2.5%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing Commissioner

Assistance by fiscal year

10.9BFY2021
10.4BFY2022
11.3BFY2023
12.1BFY2024
13.3BFY2025
12.9BFY2026

County aggregates

88%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

States

The share of the area's residents living in each state.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M39300

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved16

Declined6

Metro and micro areas like Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

States

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved16

Declined6

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought