Data / Rankings / Poverty rate (US official measure) / Counties in Rhode Island

Counties in Rhode Island by poverty rate

Providence County had the highest poverty rate of 5 counties in 2018, at 16.1%. Bristol County had the lowest, at 7.7%. The median was 8% and the figure for Rhode Island was 12.8%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest16.1Providence County
Lowest7.7Bristol County
Median85 counties
Rhode Island12.8History

All counties, 2018

CSVChart (SVG)

Providence CountyProvidence County: 16.1 %16.1Newport CountyNewport County: 8.1 %8.1Washington CountyWashington County: 8 %8Kent CountyKent County: 7.8 %7.8Bristol CountyBristol County: 7.7 %7.7
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCounties2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Providence County16.1+1.4 pts
2Newport County8.1-0.9 pts
3Washington County8-0.9 pts
4Kent County7.8-0.7 pts
5Bristol County7.70 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People living in families or alone with income below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people whose poverty status can be determined. United States: Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), all ages.

Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Rhode Island by poverty rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"poverty_rate","level":"province","within":"Rhode Island","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=poverty_rate&level=province&within=Rhode%20Island&limit=10

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Questions

Which county has the highest poverty rate?

Providence County, with 16.1% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest poverty rate?

Bristol County, with 7.7% in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Poverty rate (US official measure): other rankings

Counties in Rhode Island: more rankings