Providence County is the most populous county in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 county's population was 660,741, or 60.2% of the state's population. Providence County contains the city of Providence, the

state capital Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital city, capital cities. National capitals *List of national capitals *List of national capitals by latitude *List of national capitals by population *List of national capitals by area *List of ...

of Rhode Island and the county's (and state's) most populous city, with an estimated 190,934 residents in 2020. Providence County is included in the

Providence metropolitan area The Providence metropolitan area (Providence MSA) is a region extending into eight counties in two states. Its urban area, core is in the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts; its largest city is Providence, Rhode Island. With an estimated po ...

, which in turn constitutes a portion of

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 ...

. As of 2010, the

center of population In Demography, demographics, the center of population (or population center) of a region is a geographical point that describes a centerpoint of the region's population. There are several ways of defining such a "center point", leading to dif ...

in Rhode Island is located in Providence County, in the city of Cranston.

History

Providence County was constituted on June 22, 1703, as the County of Providence Plantations. It consisted of five towns, namely Providence, Warwick, Westerly, Kingstown, and Greenwich and encompassed territory in present-day

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

and Washington counties. Washington County was split off as King's County in 1729, while Kent County was split off in 1750. The town of Cumberland was acquired from Massachusetts and added to Providence County in 1746–47, and the towns of East Providence and Pawtucket were made part of Providence County when the final border with Massachusetts was settled in 1862. County government in Rhode Island was abolished in 1842. Providence County, like other counties in Rhode Island, has no governmental functions (other than as court administrative and sheriff corrections boundaries which are part of state government).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (6.0%) is water. It is the largest of Rhode Island's five counties by land area, but it's the smallest county in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

that is a state's largest county. The county is drained by the

Blackstone River The Blackstone River in the United States is a river that flows through Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It is long with a drainage area of 475 mi2 (1229 km2). It drains into the tidal river, Pawtucket River at Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Pawtuck ...

, which runs partly along the east border, the

Woonasquatucket River The Woonasquatucket River (pronounced , Algonquian languages, Algonquian for "where the salt water ends"), sometimes called "the Woony", is a river in the United States, U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately U.S. Geological Su ...

in the central part of the county, joining with the smaller Moshassuck River in downtown Providence, and the Pawtuxet, which forms a portion of the southeastern boundary of the county. The Pawtuxet is dammed in the western part of the county to form the Scituate Reservoir, which supplies drinking water for Providence and surrounding communities. The highest natural point in the county and the state of Rhode Island is Jerimoth Hill at . Sea level is the lowest point.

Adjacent counties

Norfolk County, Massachusetts Norfolk County ( ) is located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was around 725,981. Its county seat is Dedham. The county was named after the English county of the same name. Two towns, Cohasset and B ...

- northeast *

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 ...

- east * Bristol County - southeast * Kent County - south *

Windham County, Connecticut Windham County ( ) is one of the eight counties in the U.S. state of Connecticut, located in its northeastern corner. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,418, making it the least populous county in Connecticut. It forms the core o ...

- west *

Worcester County, Massachusetts Worcester County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 862,111, making it the second-most populous county in Massachusetts. Being 1,510.6 ...

- northwest

National protected areas

* Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (part) *

Roger Williams National Memorial The Roger Williams National Memorial is a landscaped urban park located on a common lot of the original settlement of Providence, Rhode Island, established by minister Roger Williams in 1636. The national memorial commemorates the life of Willi ...

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 621,602 people, 239,936 households, and 152,839 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 253,214 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 78.38%

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 ...

, 6.55%

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 ...

, 0.51% Native American, 2.90% Asian, 0.07%

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 ...

, 8.02% from other races, and 3.58% from two or more races. 13.39% of the population 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. 19.0% were of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, 10.9% Irish, 8.1% French, 7.7% Portuguese, 7.2%

French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...

and 5.8% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 72.7% spoke English, 13.4% Spanish, 4.9% Portuguese, 2.5% French and 1.6%

as their first language. There were 239,936 households, out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.50% 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, 14.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.30% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.11. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.00% under the age of 18, 11.10% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 20.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,950, and the median income for a family was $46,694. Males had a median income of $35,336 versus $26,322 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 $19,255. About 11.90% of families and 15.50% 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 22.30% of those under age 18 and 12.70% of those age 65 or over. Providence County is 71% Catholic, making it among the most Catholic counties in the country.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 626,667 people, 241,717 households, and 149,691 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 264,835 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 73.4% white, 8.5% black or African American, 3.7% Asian, 0.7% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 9.6% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 18.8% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were: * 18.5% Italian * 15.8% Irish * 12.3% French * 9.4% English * 8.6% Portuguese * 5.4% French Canadian * 5.4% Dominican * 4.9% Puerto Rican * 4.3% Cape Verdean * 4.2% German * 3.8% Polish * 2.9% Guatemalan * 1.7% Scottish * 1.6% American * 1.2% Swedish * 1.2% Colombian * 1.1% Mexican * 1.0% Scotch-Irish * 1.0% Arab Of the 241,717 households, 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.1% were non-families, and 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 37.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $48,500 and the median income for a family was $61,265. Males had a median income of $44,964 versus $36,447 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,169. About 11.6% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the

, including 22.1% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Central Falls * Cranston * East Providence * Pawtucket * Providence (traditional county seat) * Woonsocket

Towns

* Burrillville *

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

* Foster *

Glocester Glocester, otherwise officially called the Town of Glocester, Rhode Island, is a New England town, town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 9,974 as of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The villages o ...

* Johnston * Lincoln * North Providence * North Smithfield * Scituate * Smithfield

Census-designated places

* Chepachet * Clayville * Cumberland Hill * Foster Center * Greenville *

Harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

* Harrisville * Pascoag * Valley Falls

Other villages

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than "Britain" today. The name for Scot ...

* Arnold Mills * Branch Village * Esmond * Forestdale * Georgiaville * Glendale * Lime Rock * Lonsdale * Manville *

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

* Primrose * Quinnville * Riverside * Rumford * Saylesville * Smithville-North Scituate * Slatersville * Union Village *

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

Ghost Towns

Hanton City

Politics

As an urban county in the heavily liberal region of

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

, Providence County is a Democratic stronghold.

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

is the last Republican presidential candidate to have won the county, doing so in his 1972 landslide. Even then, Nixon only carried it by a very narrow margin. Proving how Democratic this county is, Trump is the 1st Republican to notch over 40% of the county's vote since 1988; no other Republican before 2024 was even able to get 40% of the vote here.

Education

;School districts include:
Text list
/ref> K-12: * Burrillville School District * Central Falls School District * Cranston School District * Cumberland School District * East Providence School District * Johnston School District * Lincoln School District * North Providence School District * North Smithfield School District * Pawtucket School District * Providence School District * Scituate School District * Smithfield School District * Woonsocket School District Secondary: * Foster-Glocester Regional School District Elementary: * Foster Elementary School District * Glocester Elementary School District There is a state-operated school: Rhode Island School for the Deaf.

References

{{Authority control Rhode Island counties 1703 establishments in Rhode Island Populated places established in 1703 Counties in Greater Boston Providence metropolitan area