Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate / Counties in Rhode Island

Counties in Rhode Island by unemployment rate

Providence County had the highest unemployment rate of 5 counties in January 2026, at 5.8%. Bristol County had the lowest, at 4.4%. The median was 4.9% and the figure for Rhode Island was 4.5%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest5.8Providence County
Lowest4.4Bristol County
Median4.95 counties
Rhode Island4.5History

All counties, January 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Providence CountyProvidence County: 5.8 %5.8Newport CountyNewport County: 5.2 %5.2Kent CountyKent County: 4.9 %4.9Washington CountyWashington County: 4.6 %4.6Bristol CountyBristol County: 4.4 %4.4
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesJanuary 2026 (%)Change on January 2025
1Providence County5.8+0.4 pts
2Newport County5.20 pts
3Kent County4.9+0.2 pts
4Washington County4.6+0.1 pts
5Bristol County4.40 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.

Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.

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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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

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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Providence County, with 5.8% in January 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Bristol County, with 4.4% in January 2026.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Counties in Rhode Island: more rankings