What is the poverty rate in Rhode Island?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 9.5% of Rhode Island’s population as of 2025. 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 2025, 102,400 people in Rhode Island were considered in poverty.
9.5%
of the population (2025)
102K
people living under the poverty line (2025)
The state's poverty rate was 9.5% in 2025, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 2.7 percentage points lower than the previous year. Rhode Island's poverty rate hit a peak in 2011 of 14.7%.
In 2025, 9.5% of Rhode Island's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2025
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 2025, 102,400 people living in Rhode Island were in poverty — down 31.2% from the 2011 peak of 148,800.
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In 2025, 102,400 people in Rhode Island were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2025
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in Rhode Island?
From 2015 to 2025, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Rhode Island decreased from 19.4% to 11.9%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 13% to 8.5%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 10.3% to 10.5%.
In 2025, 11.9% of children in Rhode Island were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2015–2025
How does poverty differ by race in Rhode Island?
Among racial or ethnic groups in Rhode Island during 2025, three had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race); some other race; and two or more races
Three had a lower than average poverty rate: Asian, Black or African American, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the Black or African American population shifted the most, decreasing from 24.4% in 2015 to 7.5% in 2025.
In Rhode Island, the poverty rate for the Black or African American population decreased from 24.4% in 2015 to 7.5% in 2025.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2015–2025
What counties in Rhode Island have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2020–2024, the poverty rate among Rhode Island counties ranged from 6.5% in Bristol County to 13.4% in Providence County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Providence County — was 13.4%
In 2020-2024, the poverty rate among Rhode Island counties ranged from 6.5% to 13.4%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2024)
| 1. | Providence County | 13.4% |
| 2. | Newport County | 8.5% |
| 3. | Washington County | 8.2% |
| 4. | Kent County | 7.5% |
| 5. | Bristol County | 6.5% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
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.
