Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Barrington is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, ranked 3rd of 38 in Rhode Island. It is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns, its schools outperform 97% of the state's, and the median household earns $153K. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $794K for a typical one and 9.1 times the Providence metro’s $87K median household income. 73% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Barrington, above both Rhode Island’s towns (37%) and U.S. towns (29%). Barrington is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 86% of U.S. towns. No town among the 38 in Rhode Island we compare has a higher share of children under 18 than Barrington.
Where Barrington beats most towns.
Belton Court| Widest gap | Barrington | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5% | 14.2% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Hampden Meadows School | 4–5 | 471 |
| Nayatt School | K–3 | 356 |
| Primrose Hill School | PK–3 | 329 |
Census counts: 683 in 1790, 17,153 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 5 maps from 1890 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Rhode Island), ordered by how far Barrington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Barrington. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw18 mi MuseumThe Breakers
8 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
9 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
Big draw34 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
19 mi MuseumMarble HouseGillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Marble House: [email protected], Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Barrington, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Barrington.
Barrington is the healthiest town in Rhode Island and has schools in the top 5% of Rhode Island, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Rhode Island.
It is the healthiest of the 38 Rhode Island towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Rhode Island is tooth loss: 5% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.2% statewide.
25% of adults have obesity in Barrington. Only 3 of the 38 Rhode Island towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have high blood pressure than Barrington. 9.1% of adults have diabetes in Barrington.
| Barrington | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 87% | 85% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 30% | 35% |
| What stands out | Barrington | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5% | 14.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.1% | 15.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A+ ranks #2 of the 38 Rhode Island towns we grade for schools. Its A+ is the best School Grade on its borders; Portsmouth (A) is next.
Its public schools are run by the Barrington school district. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrington Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 763 | A |
| Barrington High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,098 | A+ |
| Nayatt SchoolTop results in townGrades K–3 | Grades K–3 | 356 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within RI on state tests and graduation
At 9.1 years of the Providence metro’s $87K median household income, the typical home (about $794K) costs more against local pay than in 86% of Rhode Island towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Portsmouth is next at $686K.
The median rent in Barrington is $1,943 a month. The typical Barrington home is worth about $794,000, up 3.8% in a year, 56% above the Rhode Island typical home. 89% of Barrington households own their home.
| Barrington | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,943 a month | $1,366 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 89% | 76% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #3 of 38 in Rhode Island.
14 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. Veterans Memorial Park, at 204 acres with 2.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Barrington’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Memorial Park | 2.2 mi | 204 |
| 2. Osamequin Nature Trails and Bird Sanctuary | 1.5 mi | 93 |
| 3. Tall Cedars | 0.5 mi | 39 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Violent crime is rare: 6 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
Rhode Island has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Barrington sits closer to the middle.
| Barrington | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.4 per 1,000 residents | 5.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
22.1% of workers work from home, against 13% across Rhode Island.
Among 38 Rhode Island towns, just 1 have a higher median household income than Barrington. Most working residents leave Barrington for work: only 11% work in town. The top destinations are Providence (27%), East Providence (8%) and Warwick (6%).
| Barrington | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $153,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 22% | 13% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.5% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
314 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 15 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 314 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Barrington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Barrington has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 23° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
11 within 15 miles of the center of Barrington
About 5 of every 100 Barrington residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Rhode Island.
Coastal flooding makes up 15% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
10 places in Barrington on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Barrington.
Town in Rhode Island, United States
Barrington is a suburban, residential town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States, approximately 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Providence. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 17,153. Barrington was founded by Congregationalist separatists from Swansea, Massachusetts, and incorporated in 1717. It was ceded from Massachusetts to Rhode Island and merged into Warren in 1747, and in 1770 made into a separate town by the Rhode Island legislature. It was a sparsely developed, agricultural community until the arrival of brickmaking companies in the 1850s, which employed large numbers of French-Canadians and Italians. The construction of a railroad to Providence in 1855 fu…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Barrington.
At #3 in RI, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Portsmouth (A+) comes closest.
| Town | RI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrington | #3 | A+ | D | A | A+ | A+ |
| Warren | #23 | B+ | D | B | B+ | A− |
| Warwick | #29 | B− | C− | B | C+ | B+ |
| East Providence | #32 | C+ | C− | — | C+ | B− |
| Bristol | #6 | A | D | A+ | B+ | A |
| Portsmouth | #5 | A+ | D | A | A | A |
East Providence reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Barrington with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Barrington grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #3 of 38 in Rhode Island. It grades A+ for health, A for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Rhode Island has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Barrington sits nearer the middle.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
7 notable people were born here, including Thomas Williams Bicknell and Edward F. Welch, Jr..
_underway_c1944.jpg){kind=link}
