Bristol County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the U.S. state of

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,793, making it the least populous county in Rhode Island. In terms of land area, it is the third-smallest county in the United States, at only . The county was created in 1747 when it was separated from

Bristol County, Massachusetts Bristol County is a county in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 579,200. The shire town is Taunton. Some governmental functions are performed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, othe ...

. Bristol County is included in the Providence metropolitan area, which in turn constitutes a portion of the

Greater Boston Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston, the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England, and its surrounding areas, home to 4,941,632. The most s ...

area.

History

The county was formed by the transfer of part of

, to the Colony of Rhode Island in 1746, having been the subject of a long-running border dispute. The original county was part of the

Plymouth Colony Plymouth Colony (sometimes spelled Plimouth) was the first permanent English colony in New England from 1620 and the third permanent English colony in America, after Newfoundland and the Jamestown Colony. It was settled by the passengers on t ...

and named after its "shire town" (county seat), what is now

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States, as well as the county seat. The population of Bristol was 22,493 at the 2020 census. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. Major industries include boat buil ...

. The new Rhode Island county was formed in 1746 with the full modern territory of Bristol, Barrington, and Warren.''History of Bristol County, Massachusetts with Biographical Sketches of many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 1''
edited by Duane Hamilton Hurd. J.W. Lewis and Co., 1883. p. 1. See

, for later land transfers between Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (46%) is water. It is the smallest county in Rhode Island. In land area only (water area omitted), it is the third-smallest county in the United States, following Kalawao County, Hawaii and New York County, New York (Manhattan). The highest point in the county is Mount Hope, in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, which stands above sea level.

Adjacent counties

: east * Providence County: north * Kent County: west * Newport County: south

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 50,648 people, 19,033 households, and 13,361 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 19,881 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.81%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.69%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.16% Native American, 1% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.3% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Of the population 1.13% were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 24.7% were of Portuguese, 18.6% Italian, 12.4% Irish, 10.5% English and 5.9% French ancestry. 85.4% spoke English, 10.4% Portuguese and 1.3% Spanish as their first language. The United States Census Bureau reported Bristol County as being one of two counties in the United States with a plurality of people of Portuguese ancestry (the other being contiguous

). There were 19,033 households, out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.80% were non-families. Of all households 25.10% were made up of individuals, and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.90% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $50,737, and the median income for a family was $63,114. Males had a median income of $41,902 versus $28,985 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $26,503. About 4.40% of families and 6.30% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 6.20% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 49,875 people, 19,150 households, and 12,750 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 20,850 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.7% white, 1.4% Asian, 0.8% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were: * 24.8% Portuguese * 22.2% Irish * 21.0% Italian * 14.5% English * 9.8% French * 8.1% German * 4.4% French Canadian * 4.3% Polish * 2.9% Scottish * 2.7% American * 2.4% Swedish * 2.0% Scotch-Irish * 1.5% Greek * 1.4% Russian Of the 19,150 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.4% were non-families, and 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age was 42.9 years. The median income for a household in the county was $68,333 and the median income for a family was $87,781. Males had a median income of $59,725 versus $44,060 for females. The per capita income for the county was $35,588. About 3.5% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the

, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Since 1928, Bristol County has leaned Democratic, only voting for Republicans in national landslide elections after that. The county has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 1984, often by margins of over 20 points.

Communities

The following towns are located in Bristol County: * Barrington *

(traditional county seat) * Warren

Education

There are two school districts in the county: Barrington Public Schools and Bristol-Warren Regional School District.
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References

{{Authority control Rhode Island counties 1747 establishments in Rhode Island Counties in Greater Boston Populated places established in 1747 Portuguese-American culture in Rhode Island Providence metropolitan area