Rhode Island population and demographics

How many people live in Rhode Island

The Census Bureau estimates that 1,114,521 people lived in Rhode Island on July 1, 2025. That is the 8th smallest population among the 50 states and DC and the 2nd smallest in the Northeast. Rhode Island holds 0.33%¹ of the US population.

The 2025 figure is the highest census count or July 1 estimate on record for the state. It is 2.6 times the population counted in 1900 (428,556), but only 1.4 times¹ the 1950 count (791,896⁹): most of the state's growth came before the middle of the last century.

Source: Census Bureau, Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals by Race, 1790 to 1990; Census Bureau, 2020 Census apportionment results and historical resident population 1910-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Census counts every ten years (April 1); estimates for July 1 after 2020.

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Year	Rhode Island
1790	68,825
1800	69,122
1810	76,931
1820	83,059
1830	97,199
1840	108,830
1850	147,545
1860	174,620
1870	217,353
1880	276,531
1890	345,506
1900	428,556
1910	542,610
1920	604,397
1930	687,497
1940	713,346
1950	791,896
1960	859,488
1970	946,725
1980	947,154
1990	1,003,464
2000	1,048,319
2010	1,052,567
2020	1,097,379
2021	1,097,381
2022	1,098,275
2023	1,101,183
2024	1,110,415
2025	1,114,521

Since then, growth has come in short bursts with long pauses. The 1980 Census counted 947,154 residents, almost exactly the 946,725 of 1970. The 1990 count passed one million for the first time (1,003,464⁹). In the 2000s the annual estimates rose to 1,074,579 in 2004 and then fell for five straight years, to 1,053,646¹⁰ in 2009, so the 2010 Census (1,052,567) found barely more people than the 2000 Census (1,048,319). Growth of 4.3% over the following decade was 3.1 percentage points below the US figure (7.4%)⁶.

A small population still carries full representation in Congress. With 2 House seats, Rhode Island has 549,082 residents per seat by the 2020 apportionment count, the 2nd lowest of any state after Montana (542,704¹¹).

Growth from abroad, losses at home

Between July 2024 and July 2025 the population grew by 4,106, or 0.37%. Every part of that gain came from other countries. Net international migration added 5,923 people, 144% of the total change. The other two components were negative. 10,021 births against 10,325 deaths gave a natural change of −304, making Rhode Island one of 17 states that recorded more deaths than births in the year to June 2025. Net domestic migration was −1,551¹: more people moved to other states than arrived from them.

Relative to its size, Rhode Island's international inflow is among the largest: 5.3 per 1,000 residents, a rate that ranks tied for 6th highest and is 44% above the US figure (3.7 per 1,000 residents)¹.

Births+52,996

Deaths−56,919

Net domestic migration−10,150

Net international migration+30,927

Residual (estimation adjustment)+310

Total change+17,164

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Each bar starts where the previous one ended. The residual is the part of the change the Census Bureau cannot assign to a component.

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Component	People
Births	52,996
Deaths	−56,919
Net domestic migration	−10,150
Net international migration	30,927
Residual (estimation adjustment)	310
Total change	17,164

The pattern holds over the five years since the 2020 Census. From April 2020 to June 2025 the state gained 30,927 people through international migration. Net domestic migration was −10,150 and natural change −3,923. The net result was a gain of 17,164, or 1.56%, 1.5 percentage points below the US figure (3.10%)¹.

Moves between states are close to balanced in the survey data. The American Community Survey counted 35,163 people (±5,075) who moved in from another state in 2024 and 31,984 (±5,141) who moved out; the difference of 3,179 is smaller than its margin of error (±7,224¹²). Tax returns for 2022–23 show a net change of −1,068¹³ filers and dependents. Turnover is high: 3.5% of residents had lived in another state a year earlier, 1.4 percentage points above the US figure (2.1%)¹⁴.

Moved to Rhode Island from

Massachusetts11,568 ±2,985

New York3,967 ±1,731

Connecticut2,786 ±768

Florida2,738 ±1,851

California1,959 ±1,072

North Carolina1,957 ±1,553

New Jersey1,193 ±519

Kansas1,023 ±1,248

Left Rhode Island for

Massachusetts15,235 ±4,211

Florida2,205 ±1,011

Connecticut2,143 ±790

New York1,485 ±739

California1,458 ±1,002

North Carolina1,227 ±906

Texas1,061 ±886

New Hampshire986 ±668

Source: Census Bureau, State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024. People aged 1 and over who lived in another state a year earlier (and the reverse). Survey estimates: whiskers show the 90% margin of error.

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State	Moved in from	Moved out to
Massachusetts	11,568 ±2,985	15,235 ±4,211
New York	3,967 ±1,731	1,485 ±739
Connecticut	2,786 ±768	2,143 ±790
Florida	2,738 ±1,851	2,205 ±1,011
California	1,959 ±1,072	1,458 ±1,002
North Carolina	1,957 ±1,553	1,227 ±906
New Jersey	1,193 ±519	–
Kansas	1,023 ±1,248	–
Texas	960 ±581	1,061 ±886
New Hampshire	–	986 ±668

The region dominates birthplaces. 53.8% of residents were born in Rhode Island and 20.9% elsewhere in the Northeast, 14.6 percentage points above the US figure (6.3%). Only 3.6% were born in the South, 2.3% in the Midwest and 2.3%¹⁵ in the West.

Italian, Irish, Portuguese and Cape Verdean roots

Rhode Island's mix of ancestries is unlike any other state's. In the American Community Survey for 2020–2024, the most common ancestry reported was Irish, by 176,962 residents (16.1%), the 5th highest share among the states. Italian came next: 162,494 people, or 14.8% (±0.47 percentage points). Only Connecticut has a larger Italian share (15.3%¹⁶).

The Portuguese share is where Rhode Island stands alone. 76,961 residents, 7.0% of the population, reported Portuguese ancestry, the highest share in the country. Second-placed Massachusetts has 3.6%. Cape Verdean ancestry follows the same geography: 18,400 Rhode Islanders (±2,012) reported it, the 2nd largest number after Massachusetts (63,951) and the highest¹⁶ share of any state.

The language data point the same way. 30,524 residents aged 5 and older speak Portuguese at home, 2.9% of that age group and the 2nd highest share among the states; 37.1%¹⁷ of them speak English less than "very well".

Other ancestries are also more common than almost anywhere else. French Canadian (3.8%) is the 4th highest share, and Armenian (4,498 people) and Liberian (4,111, a medium-reliability estimate) are both the 2nd highest. German ancestry runs the other way: at 5.0%, Rhode Island has the lowest¹⁶ share of any state.

Ancestry is a self-description, not a count of immigrants: people can report one or two ancestries, many report none, and the shares cannot be added up.

Hispanic origins and racial makeup

19.7% of Rhode Islanders were Hispanic or Latino in 2025, 0.8 percentage points below the US figure (20.5%)², but with a very different mix of origins. On the 2020–2024 survey, residents of Dominican origin made up 5.8% of the whole population, 5.1 percentage points above the US figure (0.7%). Puerto Rican (3.9%) and Central American (3.8%) origins were also above the US shares, while Mexican origin, the largest group nationally, was only 1.1%, the 6th lowest¹⁸ share.

The Hispanic share is rising. In the Census Bureau's population estimates it reached 19.7% in 2025, up from 16.7% in 2020, while the non-Hispanic white share went down from 70.2% in 2020 to 66.5%. The non-Hispanic white share is higher than every bordering state (Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York)¹⁹.

Single group (adds to 100%)Alone or in combination with other races

White, not Hispanic64.7% 79.9%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)19.7%

Two or more races, not Hispanic5.5%

Black, not Hispanic5.1% 11.2%

Asian, not Hispanic3.8% 5.0%

Some other race, not Hispanic0.8%

American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic0.3% 2.8%

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic0.0% 0.3%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B03002; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B02009. The dark bars are mutually exclusive and add to 100%. The light bars count everyone who reported the race, alone or with another race and of any ethnicity, so they overlap and add to more than 100%.

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Group	Share (single group)	MOE	Alone or in combination
White, not Hispanic	64.7%	±0.4	79.9%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	19.7%		–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	5.5%	±0.6	–
Black, not Hispanic	5.1%	±0.4	11.2%
Asian, not Hispanic	3.8%	±0.2	5.0%
Some other race, not Hispanic	0.8%	±0.3	–
American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic	0.3%	±0.1	2.8%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic	0.0%	±0.1	0.3%

The Black population depends on how it is counted. Non-Hispanic Black residents alone are 5.1%² of the population, but counting everyone who reports Black race alone or with another race, Hispanic or not, the share is 11.2% (±0.7 percentage points²⁰). In 2025, 1.8% of residents reported both Black and "some other race", and 1.7%²¹ reported both white and Black.

The Asian population is small, 5.0%²² alone or in combination, but it includes two groups found in larger shares here than in any other state: Cambodian (5,135 people, 0.47%) and Laotian (3,173, 0.29%²³), on 2020–2024 figures. Khmer, the Cambodian language, is spoken at home by 3,734 residents, again the highest¹⁷ share. Among American Indian tribes, the largest in the 2020 Census was the Narragansett Indian Tribe, with 2,997²⁴ people alone or in combination.

The smallest map, the third-highest density

With 1,034 square miles of land, Rhode Island is the smallest of any state (the District of Columbia is lower). Water makes up 33.1% of its total area, the 3rd highest share and 26.0 percentage points above the US figure (7.1%)²⁵.

That land holds an average of 1,078.0 people per square mile. Only the District of Columbia and New Jersey (1,298.2 people per square mile) are more crowded, which makes Rhode Island the 3rd most densely populated state, denser than every bordering state (Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York)²⁶. At the 2020 Census, 91.0% of residents lived in urban areas, 11.0 percentage points above the US figure (80.0%), and 8.9%²⁷ in rural ones.

Fewer children, more people over 65

Rhode Island has one of the lowest birth rates in the country. Its total fertility rate in 2024 was 1.33 births per woman, the 2nd lowest among the 50 states and 17% below the US figure (1.60); only Vermont²⁸ and the District of Columbia were lower. In the year to June 2025 the birth rate was 9.0 per 1,000 residents, 15% below the US figure (10.6 per 1,000 residents)¹.

The age structure shows the result. Children under 18 are 17.7% of the population, the 4th lowest share, and their number went down from 210,473 in 2020 to 197,654 in 2025. Over the same years the number of residents aged 65 and older went up from 200,822 in 2020 to 233,061, a rise of 32,239 (16.1%). Older residents are now 20.9% of the population, 2.0 percentage points above the US figure (18.9%)¹⁹.

MenWomenUnited States

MenWomen

85+

80–84

75–79

70–74

65–69

60–64

55–59

50–54

45–49

40–44

35–39

30–34

25–29

20–24

15–19

10–14

5–9

0–4

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Share of the total population in each age group. Vertical ticks: the United States.

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Age	Men (%)	Women (%)	US men (%)	US women (%)
0-4	2.34	2.26	2.76	2.65
5-9	2.46	2.37	2.96	2.83
10-14	2.56	2.42	3.08	2.95
15-19	3.28	3.23	3.31	3.16
20-24	3.47	3.40	3.43	3.28
25-29	3.42	3.35	3.46	3.37
30-34	3.48	3.45	3.41	3.38
35-39	3.43	3.44	3.38	3.40
40-44	3.16	3.19	3.21	3.27
45-49	2.76	2.92	2.93	3.03
50-54	2.69	2.84	2.83	2.96
55-59	2.98	3.32	2.86	3.02
60-64	3.24	3.59	2.96	3.21
65-69	3.06	3.47	2.75	3.08
70-74	2.47	2.92	2.26	2.64
75-79	1.85	2.22	1.71	2.08
80-84	1.08	1.45	1.00	1.32
85+	0.86	1.54	0.78	1.28

Working-age adults are a large group: 61.4% of residents are aged 18 to 64 (the 5th highest share). With few children, the total dependency ratio of 63.0 dependents per 100 working-age people is the 5th lowest¹⁹. The median age is 41.2 years (±0.4 years), 1.7 years above the US figure (39.5 years)³; it was 38.4 years²⁹ in 2005. Women outnumber men by 24,523 (±4,707³⁰).

Income, home values and prices

The median household income was $91,039 in 2025 (±$2,617), $6,259 (7%) above the US figure ($84,780). It was up from $85,701 in 2024 (in 2025 dollars), and ranks between 13th and 17th among the states. Still, it is lower than Connecticut and Massachusetts; not statistically different from New York⁴. The poverty rate fell to 9.5% (±1.0 percentage points), down from 12.2% in 2024, and is 2.3 percentage points below the US figure (11.8%); for children it was 11.9%⁵.

Prices are near the national level overall but not for every item. The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Rhode Island's 2024 price level at 102.3 (US = 100), 2% above the US figure (100.0), and the state is less expensive than every bordering state (Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York). Utilities are the exception: their price index, 146.7, is the 4th most expensive³¹ of any state.

Home values have swung widely. In 2025 dollars, the median value of owner-occupied homes was $472,215 in 2006, $320,942²⁹ in 2014 and $478,700 in 2025, now $107,600 (29%) above the US figure ($371,100)³². The median gross rent, $1,531, is not statistically different from the US figure ($1,557)³³, and 65.2%³⁴ of households own their home.

Rhode IslandUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2005-2019 and 2021-2025. ACS 1-year estimates; no standard 1-year release for 2020. Adjusted to 2025 dollars with the CPI-U annual average. Shaded band: 90% margin of error.

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Year	Rhode Island	United States
2005	$463,710 ±$6,117	$276,116 ±$531
2006	$472,215 ±$7,403	$295,753 ±$781
2007	$454,635 ±$5,431	$301,692 ±$666
2008	$427,656 ±$4,529	$295,472 ±$677
2009	$400,821 ±$5,758	$277,919 ±$494
2010	$375,750 ±$6,560	$265,609 ±$431
2011	$351,371 ±$5,112	$248,464 ±$361
2012	$328,963 ±$5,091	$241,043 ±$360
2013	$321,035 ±$5,658	$240,327 ±$310
2014	$320,942 ±$5,510	$246,418 ±$458
2015	$327,353 ±$5,361	$264,192 ±$394
2016	$332,262 ±$4,841	$274,985 ±$626
2017	$338,597 ±$7,104	$285,798 ±$574
2018	$351,038 ±$5,869	$294,497 ±$469
2019	$356,375 ±$4,338	$302,856 ±$568
2021	$413,582 ±$6,090	$334,335 ±$537
2022	$422,320 ±$5,276	$353,015 ±$684
2023	$435,101 ±$8,437	$359,450 ±$603
2024	$467,691 ±$6,822	$370,088 ±$634
2025	$478,700 ±$8,075	$371,100 ±$646

The most Catholic state

Rhode Island has the highest Catholic share of any state. In the 2020 U.S. Religion Census Catholic parishes counted 445,597 people, 40.6% of residents, and the Catholic Church accounted for 78.8% of everyone on a congregation's books in the state. The share is down from 44.3% in 2010, a fall that partly reflects differences between the two studies. No other body counts more than 2.4%³⁵ of Rhode Islanders.

Synagogues counted 7,475 members, 0.68% of the population, the 7th highest³⁵ share. The numbers come from congregations, not from a survey of residents; the religion overview explains the difference, and the Catholic ranking compares every state.

Degrees, households and health

39.9% of adults aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher (±1.4 percentage points), 2.5 percentage points above the US figure (37.4%) but lower than every bordering state (Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York). The share was 29.3%²⁹ in 2005. The share with at least a high school diploma, 89.8%, is not statistically different from the US figure (90.6%)³⁶.

Households are smaller and less often built around a married couple. 32.1% of households are one person living alone, the 5th highest share; married couples head 42.1%, the 4th lowest³⁷. 38.8% of residents aged 15 and older have never married, 4.0 percentage points above the US figure (34.8%)³⁸.

Residents born abroad make up 14.9% of the population (±0.8 percentage points), not statistically different from the US figure (14.7%), and 58.0% of them are US citizens, 4.1 percentage points above the US figure (53.9%)¹⁵. 22.9%³⁹ of residents aged 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, most often Spanish (13.5%¹⁷ on 2020–2024 figures).

Only 4.2% of residents had no health insurance in 2025, one of the lowest rates in the country: it ranks between 46th and 50th⁴⁰ of the 50 states and DC, where 1st is the highest. Life expectancy at birth was 79.2 years in 2022, the 8th longest and 1.7 years above the US figure (77.5 years), though shorter than every bordering state (Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York)⁴¹. Veterans are 4.6% of civilian adults, 1.3 percentage points below the US figure (5.9%)⁴².