What is the poverty rate in Rhode Island?
Updated monthly
About 12.2% of Rhode Island’s population in 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 130,333 people in Rhode Island were considered in poverty.
12.2%
of the population (2024)
130K
people living under the poverty line (2024)
Based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010, Rhode Island's poverty rate hit a peak in 2011 of 14.7%. Its lowest point was in 2022 at 10.8%. The state's poverty rate was 12.2% in 2024, 1.3 percentage points higher than the previous year.
In 2024, 12.2% of Rhode Island population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 130,333 people living in Rhode Island were in poverty — down 12.4% from the 2011 peak of 148,819.
In 2024, 130,300 people in Rhode Island were in poverty.
People living under poverty line
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Rhode Island decreased from 19.8% to 16.3%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 13.7% to 11.2%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 9.7% to 11.2%.
In 2024, 16.3% of children in Rhode Island were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group
Among racial or ethnic groups in Rhode Island during 2024, four had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), some other race, and two or more races.
Four groups had a lower than average poverty rate: American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander; and White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the two or more races population shifted the most, decreasing from 28.9% in 2014 to 19.7% in 2024.
In Rhode Island, the poverty rate for the two or more races population decreased from 28.9% in 2014 to 19.7% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Rhode Island counties ranged from 6.8% in Bristol County to 13% in Providence County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Providence County — was 13%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Rhode Island counties ranged from 6.8% to 13.0%.
Poverty rate
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
