Kent County, Rhode Island Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Kent County, 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.
-
B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Kent County | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 171,061 | 1,100,398 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 908.9 | 712.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.34% | 0.50% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.9 | 41.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 72,673 | 441,025 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Kent County grew by 0.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 171,061 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Kent County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.6% of residents. That is 1.8 points above Rhode Island as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 30,531 17.8% -3.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 37,478 21.9% +0.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 38,744 22.6% +1.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 33,342 19.5% +1.6 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 51.3% of the people living in Kent County and men 48.7%.
- Women 51.3% Rhode Island 51.2%
- Men 48.7% Rhode Island 48.8%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Kent County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Kent County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Kent County | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $94,069 | $88,093 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.59% | 5.24% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | 5.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Kent County is about 7% higher than in Rhode Island.
Housing
| Metric | Kent County | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $327,059 | $360,248 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,326 | $1,341 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 73.1% | 63.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Kent County is about 20.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,326 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Kent County spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 188 hours, about 7.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Kent County | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.5 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.1 | 43.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 188 | 183 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,821 | $5,668 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.9% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,589 | 11,274 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,148 | 2,085 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Rhode Island:
Newport County (17.9 min), Providence County (21.8 min), Kent County (22.5 min).
Slowest:
Bristol County (23.2 min), Washington County (22.8 min), Kent County (22.5 min).
The average commute time in Kent County is 23 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
Kent County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Kent County | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 32.0% | 33.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.32 | 2.38 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Rhode Island:
Bristol County (0.4), Newport County (0.4), Washington County (0.4).
Lowest:
Providence County (0.3), Kent County (0.3), Washington County (0.4).
Health
Kent County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Kent County | Rhode Island Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.9 | 79.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.0% | 11.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.3% | 14.8% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Rhode Island:
Bristol County (0.8), Washington County (0.8), Newport County (0.8).
Lowest:
Providence County (0.8), Kent County (0.8), Newport County (0.8).
Kent County, RI Compared With Nearby Counties
Kent County, RI is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 171,061 residents against a local median of 84,657. Nothing separates Kent County, RI sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is median household income, 10% below the local median at $94,069 against $103,981. Kent County, RI has the 4th highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent County, RI | 171,061 | $94,069 #4/6 | $327,059 #3/6 | 22.5 min #3/6 |
| Providence County, RI | 663,899 | $78,766 | $301,192 | 21.8 min |
| Washington County, RI | 130,338 | $108,800 | $480,679 | 22.8 min |
| Bristol County, RI | 50,443 | $112,759 | $275,000 | 23.2 min |
| Newport County, RI | 84,657 | $103,981 | $456,969 | 17.9 min |
| Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 78,384 | $92,667 | $198,249 | 26.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Kent County, Rhode Island.
How many people live in Kent County, Rhode Island?
About 171,061 people live in Kent County, Rhode Island, in 72,673 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 41.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Kent County, Rhode Island mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Kent County, Rhode Island has 909 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 11 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Kent County, Rhode Island?
The median home costs 3.5 times the median household income ($327,059 against $94,069), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,326 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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