Latest Census city estimates released May 14, 2026 · Population as of July 1, 2025 · Next city estimates scheduled for May 2027. Release schedule
Providence, Rhode Island population is 195,310 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #133 nationally and #1 in Rhode Island. Cost of living runs 1.8% above the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); the four-person spending scenario corresponds to modeled gross income of $125,362/yr (TY2026 tax assumptions; partial scenario excluding unverified local income tax). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
195,310 people live in Providence as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #133 largest U.S. city.
How big is Providence?
Providence covers 18.4 square miles of land and 2.2 square miles of water. Its population density is about 10,611 residents per square mile of land. Compare U.S. cities by land area →
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 2.3% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 190,898 → 2025: 195,310 (+2.3%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
190,898
April 1, 2020
2020
190,713
July 1, 2020
2021
190,134
July 1, 2021
2022
190,527
July 1, 2022
2023
191,987
July 1, 2023
2024
194,242
July 1, 2024
2025
195,310
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 1.0% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Providence is the #133 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #1 in Rhode Island.
▸Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
190,898
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+4,412
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+2.3%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+1,068
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+0.5%
within V2025 only
Density
10,611
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
18.4
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#133
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#1
of 8 in Rhode Island
What is the median household income in Providence?
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: household income $80,734 ± $166; per-capita income $44,673 ± $122. Margins are at 90% confidence. Comparison badges describe point estimates; they are not significance tests.
Median household income is 16% below the U.S. median ($68,119 vs $80,734); 20.7% live in poverty, 8.3 points above the 12.5% U.S. estimate.
Median household income$68,119
US
Providence: $68,119 — 16% below the US median of $80,734.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data; censored rows retained in the distribution
Providence
$68,119
United States
$80,734
Income and poverty estimates for Providence from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
$68,119-15.6% vs US
±$2,678
Per capita income
$37,138-16.9% vs US
±$1,471
Population in poverty
20.7% ± 1.8 percentage points
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 9% above the U.S. median ($362,200 vs $332,700); median rent is 0% below ($1,408 vs $1,413); the ratio of median home value to median household income is 5.3× versus 4.1× nationally; this compares two distributions and does not measure an individual household's housing burden.
Median home value$362,200
US
Providence: $362,200 — 9% above the US median of $332,700.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data; censored rows retained in the distribution
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$1,729/mo
US
Providence: $1,729/mo — 61% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: home value $332,700 ± $236; gross rent $1,413 ± $2. Comparison badges describe estimates and do not establish statistical significance.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median value, owner-occupied units
$362,200+8.9% vs US
±$8,303
Median gross rent
$1,408-0.4% vs US
±$42
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR (FY2026)
$1,729-18.6% vs US
Providence-Fall River, RI-MA HUD Metro FMR Area· 40th-percentile gross rent · HUD methodology
Owner-occupied share
41.4% ± 2.0 percentage points
of occupied housing units
Price-to-income ratio
5.3x± 0.24x approximate 90% MOE+29.0% vs US
median home value ÷ median household income · U.S. ratio: 4.1x
Rent-burdened (≥30% of income)
48.0% ± 2.8 percentage points-6.1% vs US
renters with a computed rent/income ratio · U.S. share: 51.1%
Severely rent-burdened (≥50%)
24.8% ± 2.3 percentage points-4.1% vs US
renters with a computed rent/income ratio · U.S. share: 25.9%
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2025 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Providence. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
5.5%
Providence (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
101,163
2025 annual avg
Worked from home
14.3% ± 1.2 percentage points-5.6% vs US
share of workers 16+ working from home · U.S. share: 15.1% · ACS
County context — Providence sits in Providence County:
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Providence County
14.8%
$73,462
4.9%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Providence's linked county in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2025 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
57,572
$1,243 / wk
#2
Accommodation and food services (72)
26,696
$568 / wk
#3
Retail trade (44-45)
23,726
$768 / wk
#4
Finance and insurance (52)
18,044
$2,374 / wk
#5
Manufacturing (31-33)
17,899
$1,250 / wk
What workers earn in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Fast Food and Counter Workers is the largest tracked occupation in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro (21,530 jobs, median $33,700/yr).
▸Show all 13 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Fast Food and Counter Workers
21,530
$33,700
$16.20
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
15,670
$40,890
$19.66
Cashiers
14,440
$34,540
$16.60
Waiters and Waitresses
13,600
$35,750
$17.19
Nursing Assistants
13,030
$46,330
$22.27
Stockers and Order Fillers
12,020
$36,640
$17.61
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
10,900
$40,370
$19.41
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
20,910
$35,230
$16.94
Registered Nurses · benchmark
15,180
$99,880
$48.02
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
14,110
$110,360
$53.06
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
7,030
$60,610
$29.14
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
All items run 1.8% above the U.S. average (RPP 101.8); utilities run 48.8% above (RPP 148.8) — the metro's utility cost premium is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 101.8
US
Providence's cost of living runs 1.8% above the U.S. average (RPP 101.8 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 101.8
+1.8% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$1,729/mo
FY2026 · Providence-Fall River, RI-MA HUD Metro FMR Area
State income tax (top marginal rate)
5.99%
3 brackets · TY2026
Four-person monthly spending scenario
$10,447/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources; excludes unverified local income tax
One-person monthly spending scenario
$4,379/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources; excludes unverified local income tax
Local income tax
—
Unverified and excluded from the spending scenario; not a verified zero
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
33.5% ± 1.3 percentage points foreign-born (U.S. share 14.1%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (38.5% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Providence's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
Hottest month: July (83°F avg high). Coldest: January (22°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 49.3 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Providence from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Natural-hazard exposure for Providence from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Providence County
93.7
Relatively Moderate
Heat Wave 97.2 Relatively High · Riverine Flooding 96.6 Relatively High · Hurricane 91.7 Relatively Moderate
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Providence?
7 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 76% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Providence from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of December 31, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
7 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
7
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
88.0%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
75.6%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
77,095
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of December 31, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in Providence?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 536 violent and 3,211 property offenses in the Providence jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 276.7 per 100,000, below the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: Providence — an FBI jurisdiction population of 193,679, versus the Census place population of 195,310. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
536
276.7
359.1
Property crime
3,211
1,657.9
1,760.1
▸Offense breakdown and 3-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
12
Rape
40
Robbery
108
Aggravated assault
376
Burglary
227
Larceny-theft
2,576
Motor vehicle theft
408
Arson (12-month reporters only)
1
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2022
340.1
2,531.4
189,064
2023
309.6
1,905.7
189,590
2024
276.7
1,657.9
193,679
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2022–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: Providence · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
Providence sits at state rank #1 among 8 cities in Rhode Island. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Birmingham, AL · #132 · 195,893 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Montgomery, AL · #134 · 195,300 residents.
Quick travel facts for Providence
Quick travel facts.
Elevation
42 ft · at city centroid, from USGS 3D Elevation Program
Nearest scheduled-service airport
Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport(PVD) · 7 mi 11 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
May, Jun · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip
Sources: elevation from USGS 3DEP · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (OurAirports type=large/medium and scheduled_service=yes; not an FAA service classification) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Providence.
How many people live in Providence, RI?
Providence has 195,310 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #133 largest city in the United States and #1 in Rhode Island. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Providence growing or shrinking?
Providence has grown 2.3% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 4,412 residents, including a 0.5% increase from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was Providence's population in the 2020 census?
The GEOID for Providence is 4459000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
