2025

Counties in Rhode Island ranked by White Population

This list ranks the 5 counties in Rhode Island based on their White population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in these counties over the past five years.
Updated Feb 10, 2025

Top 5 counties with the largest White population in Rhode Island

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  • 1
    Providence County
    White population in Providence County is 478,573
    62.96% of Providence County population is White
  • 2
    Kent County
    White population in Kent County is 157,806
    86.31% of Kent County population is White
  • 3
    Washington County
    White population in Washington County is 123,483
    89.99% of Washington County population is White
  • 4
    Newport County
    White population in Newport County is 78,024
    85.21% of Newport County population is White
  • 5
    Bristol County
    White population in Bristol County is 48,087
    90.21% of Bristol County population is White

List of 5 counties in Rhode Island by White Population

View Methodology
Rank by White Population
County
White Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Rhode Island White Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Providence County 478,573 62.96% 54.02%
2 Kent County 157,806 86.31% 17.81%
3 Washington County 123,483 89.99% 13.94%
4 Newport County 78,024 85.21% 8.81%
5 Bristol County 48,087 90.21% 5.43%

Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks counties in Rhode Island by their White population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census Defines White Population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their race, meaning individuals can choose one or more racial categories when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as White, whether alone or in combination with another race.
Here are a few important things to know about how race is reported:
  • Some people identify as White alone, while others identify as White along with another race (such as White and White).
  • Hispanic / Latino origin is reported separately from race, so someone can be both Hispanic and White .
  • We’ve used the “White alone or in combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the White population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as White alone or in combination in counties. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as White .
  2. % of Total Rhode Island White Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. White population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small White populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • Counties that don’t have any reported White population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where White populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.