Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 37/100
F
Median home value$362,200
Providence $422,500
Median rent$1,408/mo
Providence $1,307/mo
Cost-burdened households42%
Providence 35%
Providence
Providence County191,767 residentsProvidence
52
D+
Suburbgrade score
12th of 17 Providence suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by schools.
52
Providence median 57
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Providence yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 52 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Providence is like to live in, by category
Bars show Providence against Providence. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 30/100
F
Within-state proficiency11th pct
Providence median 40th pct
Student–teacher ratio15.2
Providence median 13.1
Graduation rate74%
Providence median 85%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 66/100
C+
Housing cost index101
Providence 100
Eff. tax rate1.09%
Providence 1.09%
Local sales tax7.00%
Providence median 7.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 68/100
B−
Mean commute25.0 min
Providence 26.6 min
Under 30 minutes69%
Providence 63%
Transit stops / sq mi43
Providence median 8.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 92/100
A
Restaurants & cafés268
Providence median 33 · within 2 miles
Groceries13
Providence median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks171
Providence median 28 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 33/100
F
Median household income$68,119
Providence $87,040
Unemployment8.2%
Providence 5.7%
Professional occupations42%
Providence 43%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Providence yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Providence on schools
Providence's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbSchoolsOverall
Valley Falls7 mi from ProvidenceB+ 64 C+ Somerset14 mi from ProvidenceB 59 C North Attleborough Town11 mi from ProvidenceB− 57 C− Newport East22 mi from ProvidenceC 62 C Warwick8 mi from ProvidenceC 58 C Cranston5 mi from ProvidenceC 59 C Within-state proficiency: EDFacts SY2021–22 · Graduation rate: EDFacts ACGR SY2018–19
Common questions about living in Providence
Is Providence, RI a good place to live?
Providence scores 52 out of 100, 12th of 17 Providence suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on schools. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Providence expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $362,200, 14% below the Providence median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.09%. $1,408/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Providence?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Providence sit at the 11th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 74% graduation rate and a 15.2 student–teacher ratio. Providence is served by Providence. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Providence?
The mean commute is 25.0 min, with 69% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 14% working from home. Transit density is 43 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Providence?
Within two miles there are 13 groceries, 268 restaurants and cafés and 171 parks, which grades A on amenities.
Are the homes in Providence old or new?
The median home in Providence was built in 1939 or earlier — older than the Providence median of 1962. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 30% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.
Six Providence lists
Best Providence suburbs for familiesMost affordable Providence suburbsBest Providence suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown ProvidenceMost walkable Providence suburbsBest Providence suburbs for young professionals