Central Falls, Rhode Island Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Central Falls, RI Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
C
Health Below average
-
F
Income Well below average
-
F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Central Falls | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 22,570 | 1,100,398 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 17709.4 | 712.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 2.05% | 0.50% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 30.2 | 41.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,635 | 441,025 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Central Falls grew by 19.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 22,570 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Central Falls is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 27.0% of residents. That is 5.5 points above Rhode Island as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 6,096 27.0% +5.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,433 24.1% +2.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,612 16.0% -4.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,151 9.5% -8.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Rhode Island, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 48.9% of the people living in Central Falls and men 51.1%.
- Women 48.9% Rhode Island 51.2%
- Men 51.1% Rhode Island 48.8%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Central Falls
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Central Falls has a the economy index of F, which means it scores poorly in the economy.
| Metric | Central Falls | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,176 | $88,093 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.99% | 5.24% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.9% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Central Falls is about 44% lower than in Rhode Island.
Housing
| Metric | Central Falls | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $225,000 | $360,248 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,199 | $1,341 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 25.6% | 63.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Central Falls is about 15.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,199 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Central Falls spend about 52 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 218 hours, about 9.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Central Falls | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.2 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 52.3 | 43.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 218 | 183 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,757 | $5,668 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.2% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 28,101 | 11,274 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,665 | 2,085 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Central Falls is 26 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in Rhode Island.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Central Falls has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Central Falls | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 8.2% | 33.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.81 | 2.38 | 2.53 |
Health
Central Falls has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Central Falls | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.1 | 79.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 25.0% | 11.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.5% | 14.8% | 19.0% |
Central Falls, RI Compared With Nearby Cities
Central Falls, RI is the smallest of the 4 cities compared here, 22,570 residents against a local median of 75,796. Central Falls, RI's median household income, at $49,176, runs 29% below the $69,228 typical of the cities around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 26.2 min against a local median of 20.5 min, 27% above it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Central Falls, RI reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The cities themselves sit within $8,122 of each other on median household income, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Central Falls, RI, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Central Falls, RI has the 4th highest median household income of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Falls, RI | 22,570 | $49,176 #4/4 | $225,000 #4/4 | 26.2 min #4/4 |
| Pawtucket, RI | 75,796 | $69,228 | $250,546 | 21.7 min |
| Providence, RI | 191,427 | $67,755 | $426,648 | 20.5 min |
| East Providence, RI | 47,128 | $75,877 | $306,958 | 20.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Central Falls, Rhode Island.
What is the population of Central Falls, Rhode Island?
About 22,570 people live in Central Falls, Rhode Island, in 7,635 households of 2.8 people on average. The median age is 30.2, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 7 years.
How densely populated is Central Falls, Rhode Island?
Averaged over its land area, Central Falls, Rhode Island has 17,709 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 205 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Central Falls, Rhode Island an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 4.6 times the median household income ($225,000 against $49,176), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,199 a month takes about 29% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Central Falls, Rhode Island?
Unemployment in Central Falls, Rhode Island is 7.9%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
What share of adults in Central Falls, Rhode Island have a college degree?
8.2% of adults in Central Falls, Rhode Island hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 12), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →