Cranston, Rhode Island Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cranston, 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.
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A
Health Above average
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B
Income Around average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Cranston | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 83,232 | 1,100,398 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2772.8 | 712.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.32% | 0.50% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.3 | 41.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 32,589 | 441,025 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cranston grew by 3.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 83,232 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cranston is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 23.7% of residents. That is 2.1 points above Rhode Island as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 15,895 19.1% -2.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 19,685 23.7% +2.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 17,148 20.6% -0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 14,727 17.7% -0.2 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 50.7% of the people living in Cranston and men 49.3%.
- Women 50.7% Rhode Island 51.2%
- Men 49.3% Rhode Island 48.8%
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Economy
Cranston has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Cranston | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $90,177 | $88,093 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.81% | 5.24% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.1% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cranston is about 2% higher than in Rhode Island.
Housing
| Metric | Cranston | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $33,992 | $360,248 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,375 | $1,341 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.6% | 63.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cranston is about 2.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,375 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cranston spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 174 hours, about 7.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cranston | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.9 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.8 | 43.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 174 | 183 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,405 | $5,668 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.0% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 19,351 | 11,274 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,532 | 2,085 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Cranston is 21 minutes, shorter 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
Cranston has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Cranston | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 32.6% | 33.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.44 | 2.38 | 2.53 |
Health
Cranston has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Cranston | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.2 | 79.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.4% | 11.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.7% | 14.8% | 19.0% |
Cranston, RI Compared With Nearby Cities
Cranston, RI is the 2nd largest of the 5 cities compared here, 83,232 residents against a local median of 65,005. The measure that sets Cranston, RI apart most is median home price: $33,992, 87% below the local median of $265,979.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $90,177 against a local median of $71,816, 26% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 26% above the local median it puts Cranston, RI at the better end of the local range. The cities themselves spread $209,831 on median home price, so Cranston, RI sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Cranston, RI has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranston, RI | 83,232 | $90,177 #1/5 | $33,992 #5/5 | 20.9 min #3/5 |
| Providence, RI | 191,427 | $67,755 | $426,648 | 20.5 min |
| Warwick, RI | 82,883 | $88,274 | $216,817 | 21.9 min |
| East Providence, RI | 47,128 | $75,877 | $306,958 | 20.2 min |
| Central Falls, RI | 22,570 | $49,176 | $225,000 | 26.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cranston, Rhode Island.
How big is Cranston, Rhode Island by population?
About 83,232 people live in Cranston, Rhode Island, in 32,589 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 38.3, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is Cranston, Rhode Island?
Averaged over its land area, Cranston, Rhode Island has 2,773 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 32 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Cranston, Rhode Island?
The median home costs 0.4 times the median household income ($33,992 against $90,177), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,375 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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