Puerto Rican Population in Rhode Island by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Puerto Rican population in Rhode Island totals 43,892, with all individuals residing in the state''s incorporated cities. Census data confirms that multiple cities across Rhode Island - such as Providence, Woonsocket, and Pawtucket - report non-zero figures, reflecting a widespread yet fully municipal distribution. Since the statewide count aligns precisely with the combined total across these cities, there appears to be little to no Puerto Rican presence in unincorporated areas. The analysis below explores how this urban concentration compares with patterns seen in other parts of the country.

Top 5 cities with the largest Puerto Rican population in Rhode Island

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  • 1
    Providence
    Puerto Rican population in Providence is 12,994
    6.83% of Providence population is Puerto Rican
  • 2
    Woonsocket
    Puerto Rican population in Woonsocket is 6,482
    15.05% of Woonsocket population is Puerto Rican
  • 3
    Pawtucket
    Puerto Rican population in Pawtucket is 5,885
    7.82% of Pawtucket population is Puerto Rican
  • 4
    Central Falls
    Puerto Rican population in Central Falls is 3,435
    15.28% of Central Falls population is Puerto Rican
  • 5
    Cranston
    Puerto Rican population in Cranston is 2,152
    2.60% of Cranston population is Puerto Rican

Overview of Puerto Rican population in Rhode Island

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents Rhode Island with 43,892 Puerto Rican residents (4% of 1.1 million total state population), ranking the state at the 62nd percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for Puerto Rican demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate Rhode Island's Puerto Rican population of 4% exceeds the national average of 1.8% by a factor of 2.2.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Rhode Island contains 43,892 Puerto Rican residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total Puerto Rican population of 5.9 million, constituting a minimal fraction of the national demographic community relative to the state's overall population size.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Rhode Island maintains 42.5 Puerto Ricans per square mile, representing twenty-five and one-quarter times the national average of 1.7 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations nationally.
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39 Cities in Rhode Island Ranked by Puerto Rican Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Puerto Rican population in Rhode Island present in Providence, Woonsocket, and Pawtucket, along with several other incorporated cities reporting non-zero populations. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Rhode Island ranked by Puerto Rican population count
Rank by Puerto Rican Population
City
Puerto Rican Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Rhode Island Puerto Rican Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Providence 12,994 6.83% 29.60%
2 Woonsocket 6,482 15.05% 14.77%
3 Pawtucket 5,885 7.82% 13.41%
4 Central Falls 3,435 15.28% 7.83%
5 Cranston 2,152 2.60% 4.90%
6 East Providence 1,448 3.08% 3.30%
7 Newport 1,399 5.59% 3.19%
8 1,286 4.15% 2.93%
9 1,162 3.42% 2.65%
10 1,005 1.21% 2.29%
11 968 3.27% 2.21%
12 785 2.16% 1.79%
13 627 3.53% 1.43%
14 574 1.61% 1.31%
15 518 2.35% 1.18%
16 406 1.46% 0.93%
17 335 1.98% 0.76%
18 261 3.68% 0.59%
19 216 0.67% 0.49%
20 212 0.94% 0.48%
21 210 0.90% 0.48%
22 185 1.08% 0.42%
23 172 1.37% 0.39%
24 169 1.62% 0.39%
25 153 0.69% 0.35%
26 141 0.97% 0.32%
27 127 1.92% 0.29%
28 126 1.57% 0.29%
29 102 0.63% 0.23%
30 91 0.63% 0.21%
31 75 0.89% 0.17%
32 68 0.61% 0.15%
33 57 0.35% 0.13%
34 51 0.51% 0.12%
35 13 0.16% 0.03%
36 2 0.04% 0.00%
37 0 - -
37 0 - -
37 0 - -
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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 city in Rhode Island by their Puerto Rican population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Puerto Rican population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Puerto Rican ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Puerto Rican alone, while others identify as Puerto Rican along with another race (such as Puerto Rican and German).
  • We’ve used the “Puerto Rican alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Puerto Rican population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Puerto Rican alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Puerto Rican .
  2. % of Total Rhode Island Puerto Rican Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Puerto Rican 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 Puerto Rican 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.
  • City that don’t have any reported Puerto Rican 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 Puerto Rican populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.