Providence County, Rhode Island

Providence County population, land area and income

Providence County had 675,912 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 409.5 square miles of land. It is the most populous and the largest county in Rhode Island. That works out to 1,650.7 people per square mile, 17.1 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Rhode Island has 130,333 residents, so Providence County is 5.2 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $75,307 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How Providence County's population changed since 2020

Providence County gained 15,868 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.4%. That ranks 1st of 5 in Rhode Island for growth. The median Rhode Island county changed by +0.4%, and the state as a whole by +1.4%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Providence County recorded 29,194 births and 26,381 deaths, a natural change of +2,813. Net international migration added +23,153 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -11,059. The largest single component was international migration, which added 23,153 people.

Where Providence County is

The Census internal point of Providence County is at 41.869800, -71.578600. It sits in UTM zone 19N. The map shades Rhode Island's 5 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Providence County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in Providence County

6 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Providence County, 471,653 people together, or 70% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Providence County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Providence with 194,706.

Counties bordering Providence County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Providence County, including 4 across a state line. The most populous is Worcester County, MA, with 881,248 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• MA

  Worcester County, MA

  881,248 people

  36 mi NNW

• MA

  Norfolk County, MA

  740,754 people

  29 mi NE

• MA

  Bristol County, MA

  588,593 people

  27 mi ESE

• Kent County

  172,450 people

  13 mi S

• CT

  Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT

  97,701 people

  20 mi W

• Bristol County

  50,145 people

  19 mi SE

Distance to Providence and the nearest big city

Providence is 8.8 miles ESE of Providence County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Providence, RI (population 194,706), 8.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Cranston, RI (population 84,448), 8.5 miles away.

Providence County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Providence County is 44007: state code 44 for Rhode Island plus county code 007. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $75,307.