Massachusetts to Rhode Island

Distance from New Bedford to Providence

Straight-line distance

27.2mi

New Bedford, MA and Providence, RI are 27.2 miles (43.8 km) apart in a straight line. From New Bedford, the shortest path starts out heading WNW (294°).

kilometers
43.8
nautical miles
23.6
heading from New Bedford
294° WNW
heading from Providence
114° ESE
New BedfordProvidence

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far New Bedford is from Providence

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of New Bedford and Providence is 27.2 miles, 43.8 km or 23.6 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 27.2 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
27.2
Kilometers
43.8
Nautical miles
23.6
Bearing from New Bedford
294.4° WNW
Bearing arriving at Providence
294.1°
Bearing from Providence
114.1° ESE

Halfway between New Bedford and Providence

The great-circle midpoint is at 41.742451, -71.178047 (41°44'32.82"N 71°10'40.97"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Fall River, MA, with 94,689 residents, 4.5 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference. On June 21, New Bedford gets 15 h 12 min of daylight and Providence 15 h 13 min; on December 21, 9 h 09 min and 9 h 08 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.

Population compared

Providence has 1.9 times the population of New Bedford. From July 2020 to July 2024, New Bedford changed by +0.4% and Providence by +2.0%. The trip crosses from Massachusetts into Rhode Island.

  1. 01New Bedford, MA101,318 (+0.4%)
  2. 02Providence, RI194,706 (+2.0%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is New Bedford from Providence?

27.2 miles, 43.8 km or 23.6 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Providence from New Bedford?

WNW. The great-circle path leaves New Bedford on a bearing of 294.4° and arrives at Providence on 294.1°. The return trip starts on 114.1°.

What is halfway between New Bedford and Providence?

The midpoint is at 41.742451, -71.178047. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Fall River, MA, 4.5 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between New Bedford and Providence?

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, New Bedford or Providence?

Providence, with 194,706 residents in July 2024 against 101,318 for New Bedford, 1.9 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.