The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Rhode Island

Rhode Island is home to 1.10 million residents; Providence is both its capital and its largest city · Updated November 2026

Is Rhode Island safe?

Yes, crime in Rhode Island is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Rhode Island sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 57% of Americans live. It ranks 19th safest of the 50 states and Washington, DC. Violent and property crime both grade A here. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Rhode Island run from A+ to D, so check the map or the safest and least safe counties and cities below.

A
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 866 of 1,000
19th safest of the 50 states and DC What this means

57% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Rhode Island as a whole, and 43% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Rhode Island scores 866.

Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.

A
Violent crimeSafety score 872 of 1,00021st safest of the 50 states and DC
A
Property crimeSafety score 854 of 1,00024th safest of the 50 states and DC

How it works

Crime map of Rhode Island

Map of Rhode Island shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Rhode Island at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Rhode Island, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.

Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports

What stands out in Rhode Island

Burglaries and robberies both run low. In Rhode Island, each runs at less than half the US rate: 0.93 burglaries and 0.22 robberies a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.4 and 0.62 nationally.

The safest and most dangerous counties and cities in Rhode Island

Most of Rhode Island grades well: 88% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 1% in areas graded D or F. Grades across Rhode Island run from A+ to D; 65% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 88%C 11%D or F 1%

Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

Counties with the least crime

  1. 1Washington County130,300A+944
  2. 2Bristol County50,500A+927

Counties with the most crime

  1. 1Providence County664,900A-815
  2. 2Newport County84,700A905

All 5 counties, ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.

Cities with the least crime

  1. 1Wakefield12,100A+963
  2. 2Bristol22,000A+956
  3. 3Portsmouth17,200A+953
  4. 4Cumberland16,000A+950
  5. 5Smithfield14,900A+947

Cities with the most crime

  1. 1Central Falls22,900B622
  2. 2Pawtucket76,700B671
  3. 3Woonsocket43,200B680
  4. 4Newport24,700A-827
  5. 5West Warwick31,100A847

Cities of 10,000 or more residents, ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.

Is crime going up in Rhode Island?

Reported crime in Rhode Island has fallen since 2019: violent crime is down 31% and property crime down 33%. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 2.2 to 1.5 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 15 to 10 (US: 18). Neither changed much from 2023 to 2024.

Violent crime, change since 2019

Property crime, change since 2019

Rhode IslandUnited States

Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across Rhode Island. The charts follow crimes per resident.

Data table
YearViolent, Rhode IslandViolent, USProperty, Rhode IslandProperty, US
2016+8%+4%+22%+15%
2017+5%+4%+14%+12%
2018-2%+0%+8%+4%
2019+0%+0%+0%+0%
2020-1%+4%-22%-8%
2021-10%+6%-20%-10%
2022-22%+5%-16%-6%
2023-25%+2%-28%-7%
2024-31%-4%-32%-15%

Crime rates and types in Rhode Island

CrimeGrade™ estimates Rhode Island has about 23 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 37% less than the US as a whole.

Overall crime

Violent crime

Property crime

Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.

Theft makes up about 36% of crime reported in Rhode Island. Assault is less common but costs more, because each one does more harm.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA230.020.05
RapeA-3360.300.38
RobberyA+2470.220.62
AssaultA-8,5167.712.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+1,0230.932.4
TheftA-9,1918.313.1
Vehicle theftA1,3561.22.7
ArsonA1100.100.12
VandalismA-5,0194.65.5

Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.

Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.

Where and when crime happens in Rhode Island

These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Rhode Island, 2022 to 2024.

In Rhode Island, 72% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 37% of them, against 34% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (72%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theftHomes (39%)Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from carsHomes (37%)Morning (6 am to noon)
VandalismHomes (45%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
RobberyStreets and sidewalks (35%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assaultHomes (47%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)

Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.

How Rhode Island compares with nearby states

Rhode Island has less crime than 7 of its 10 nearest states.

Nearby states

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Rhode IslandA866AA1.10 million
Massachusetts 35 milesA-846A-A7.04 million
Connecticut 71 milesA859AA-3.62 million
New Hampshire 115 milesA923A+A1.39 million
Delaware 275 milesB+763B+A-1.02 million
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Vermont 171 milesA+929A+A647,100
New Jersey 188 milesA-833A-A-9.34 million
New York 192 milesA-791A-A-19.86 million
Maine 229 milesA+941A+A+1.39 million
Pennsylvania 319 milesA850AA-13.02 million
Maryland 332 milesB+715B+B+6.21 million

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Rhode Island. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with states of similar size, Rhode Island is safer than 67% of them.

States of similar size

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Rhode IslandA866AA1.10 million
North DakotaA+963A+A+784,800
NebraskaA+941A+A1.98 million
New MexicoA850AA-2.12 million
HawaiiA-820AB+1.45 million
Show all 6
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
AlaskaA-820A-A735,700
DelawareB+763B+A-1.02 million

Density, transit and empty homes in Rhode Island

Two things set Rhode Island apart: it has 35% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally, and 6 buses and trains an hour at the evening rush, where most Americans have none nearby. Places like that tend to report more robbery and car theft; here robbery and car theft sit near the national middle.

Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.35% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 78% of Americans
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Rhode Island: D+ (18 of 100).6 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 71% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.5.7% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 69% of Americans
Show all 4
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.77% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 56% of Americans

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Rhode Island on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more. Its Walk Grade for Rhode Island is C- (30 of 100).

These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.

What crime costs Rhode Island

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Rhode Island about $616 a year per household, 49% less than the US figure of $1,205. The total is about $272 million a year.

Cost of crime per resident, per year

Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost rises to about $781 million a year, or $709 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$43 million$39
Rape$20 million$18
Robbery$7.7 million$7
Assault$86 million$78
Burglary$9.2 million$8
Theft$47 million$43
Vehicle theft$21 million$19
Arson$2.6 million$2
Vandalism$36 million$32
Total$272 million$247

How CrimeGrade™ works

A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Rhode Island means the same as a B anywhere else.

CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.

The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.

Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.

Where the numbers come from

  • Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
  • State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • Published research on what crime costs victims and communities

These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.

More about CrimeGrade™ data

Schools in Rhode Island

Schools in Rhode Island average a SchoolGrade of C+: 34% of students test proficient, against 37% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Rhode Island on SchoolGrade