AreaProfile

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

Metro Area Profile

1,684,071 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metropolitan area.

69
Area Score
Top 37% of 99 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 44% of 99 published metros60
Growth78th of 99 published metros35
Housing affordability60th of 99 published metros79
Climate69th of 99 published metros65
Physical resilienceTop 15% of 99 published metros83
AccessTop 12% of 99 published metros99
Economic stabilityTop 40% of 99 published metros77
The quick read

Natural-hazard exposure is lower than in most comparable published metro profiles, placing Providence-Warwick in the top 15% for physical resilience.

A major airport is 7 miles away, giving the area unusually direct access to the national air network.

Its Area Score of 69 places Providence-Warwick in the top 37% of published metro profiles.

At a glance

Population
1,684,071
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$87,040
Top 10% nationally
Density
1,061/sq mi
1587.0 sq mi of land
Median age
40.7
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
Nearest major airport
PVD
7 mi · Rhode Island TF Green Intl
Median home value
$422,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.7% is lower than 79% of the 99 measured US metros.

Employment fell 2.5% over the past year, to 854,853 employed residents.

35% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 81% of measured US metros.

Household income is higher than at least 90% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$849$87,040Top 10%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$491$46,322Top 11%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate11.2%Bottom 27%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute28.7 minTop 13%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher35.3%Top 19%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment854,853Top 37%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-0.7%Bottom 31%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-2.5%Bottom 9%June 2026
Labor force887,335Top 37%June 2026
Labor force participation65.1%Top 19%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$69,290Top 30%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$53,680Top 23%2025 OEWS
Metro employment714,120Top 42%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)-0.6%Bottom 8%June 2026
Unemployment rate3.7%Bottom 21%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/066.43.0
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.7% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers21,530$33,700
Retail Salespersons20,910$35,230
Home Health and Personal Care Aides15,670$40,890
Registered Nurses15,180$99,880
Cashiers14,440$34,540
General and Operations Managers14,110$110,360

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,307 takes 18% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 4.9 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
18.0%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.9×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,307
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$422,500
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income4.85Top 14%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate63.2%Bottom 17%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±275730,957Top 4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$15$1,307Top 16%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$2,621$422,500Top 10%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income18.0%Bottom 48%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate7.6%Bottom 22%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
35/ 100
Ranks 78 of 99 published city profiles
Permitting is increasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 2% since 2020, reaching 1,700,901 in 2024.

At 1.9 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
3,164
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
1.9
Bottom 11% nationally
Year over year
+12%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
41.4%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
202020212022202320241701k1673k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 84°F and January a low of 22°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 47.5 inches, including 36.6 inches of snow.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station PROVIDENCE T F GREEN AP, 7.6 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND4.9"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation47.5"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall36.6"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low22°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high84°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing44°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

83 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are hurricane, earthquake and coastal flooding.

HurricaneElevated
EarthquakeModerate
Coastal floodingModerate

Low or minimal exposure: inland flooding, heat wave, ice storm, lightning, cold wave, strong wind, tornado, landslide, drought, winter weather, hail, wildfire.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

5 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 7 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Rhode Island TF Green IntlPVD7 mi8,700 ft
General Edward Lawrence Logan IntlBOS48 mi10,083 ft
Bradley IntlBDL74 mi9,510 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

Customize your score

What matters to you?

Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.

Area Score
69
Your Score

Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.

Cities in this metro