Beech Pond Gallery, 2013
Bradford’s story
115 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2013.
- 1911Bradford is settled
BradfordRI
Today 1,511 people live in this town, first settled in 1911.
3 bordering townsMap →
Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ. M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,511
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$432K
+5.4% in a year
Household income
$120K
median
Median age
35.0
years
Jobs based here
33
A commuter town
Is Bradford a good place to live?
Of the 39 Rhode Island towns we compare, none has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Bradford. 41% of the land in Bradford is conserved, against 12% in Rhode Island’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. We don’t grade Bradford yet; the figures below are still real.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Bradford for work
Where Bradford’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
33jobs based in Bradford
0%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
The other Bradford
Bradford takes its name from Bradford in West Yorkshire, England, 3,230 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionWest Yorkshire, EnglandBradfordA city of 333,968
Photo: Stephen Craven · CC BY-SA 2.0Bradford, settled in 1911, takes its name from Bradford, a city in West Yorkshire, England.
Bradford, RI3,230 miles · Bradford, West Yorkshire
People333,9681,511 here
Typical home£155,000$432,000 here
Listed buildings9595 of them Grade I
TownGradeC−against UK towns#80 of 91 in West Yorkshire
1 more U.S. town is named after Bradford:Bradford Township, MN3,549
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Nearby attractions
All 142 attractions →The Breakers and 82 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bradford. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi MuseumThe Breakers
26 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
38 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
24 mi MuseumMarble House
18 mi Stadium & arenaMohegan Sun Arena
24 mi MuseumThe ElmsSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
The Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain · Marble House: [email protected], Public domain · Mohegan Sun Arena: Bbjeter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Elms: The original uploader was Daderot at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0
_underway_c1944.jpg){kind=link}
Getting set up
Moving to Bradford: who provides what
Bradford is unincorporated, so Washington County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerRhode Island Energy29.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWesterly Water DepartmentNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesWashington CountyWashington County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Rhode Island you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereWesterly Board of CanvassersTown of Westerly; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes02808, 0289102808 97% · 02891 3%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bradford.
Outdoors
Bradford has set aside nearly a third of its land for conservation
In Bradford, the concentration of trails is 1.5 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves locally: one, of 4 acres. 2.7 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
40.5%conserved
40.5%
conserved · 473 of 1,168 acres
2.7 mi
of trails · 1.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bradford Boat Launch And Fishing Area | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commute
Bradford stands out in Rhode Island and nationally: a smaller share of its residents live below the poverty line
For Bradford, the typical journey to work is 30 minutes. The top destinations are Westerly (26%), Groton (9%) and Providence (6%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 15 miles.
0%work in town
| Bradford | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $120,000 | $104,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.3% | 6.8% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Bradford0%
Westerly26%
Groton9%
Providence6%
Stonington6%
15 mi
median commute distance
33
jobs based in Bradford
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Low risk in Bradford, with inland flooding at the top
Expected losses in Bradford break down as 78% from inland flooding and 11% from hurricanes. In Bradford, the FEMA risk score is 26 of 100.
26risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
The climate in Bradford brings four seasons and pleasant summers
The peak summer temperature in Bradford is 82°F.
35″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–41°
Spring38–57°
Summer61–80°
Fall45–64°
Oct 31
typical first frost
Apr 11
typical last frost
+2.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Housing
The typical home in Bradford: about $432K
In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 5.4%. The share of households in Bradford who are owner-occupiers: 72%.
$432KZillow home value
Typical home value
Bradford$432K
Rhode Island$509K
+5.4%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Health
Compared with most of Rhode Island and the rest of the country, fewer of Bradford’s adults report frequent physical distress
29% of Bradford adults feel lonely. Of the 39 Rhode Island towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Bradford. In Bradford, a fifth of adults binge drink, and 16% get no exercise outside work.
| Bradford | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 22% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.4% | 10% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Rhode Island
17 better15 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Bradford | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.7% | 15.1% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.3% | 8.2% |
Westerly Hospital
3.6 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Who lives here
Bradford skews younger than Rhode Island
Four-year graduates: 39% of adults 25 and older here, 38% across Rhode Island. People 65 and older are 14% of residents (19% statewide); children under 18 are 23% of residents (19% statewide). For Bradford, the median age is 35 years.
35median age · RI 40.6
| Bradford | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35 years | 43.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 38% | 29% |
BradfordRhode IslandUnited States
Ages · share of residents
25%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma2%
High school30%
Some college25%
Associate’s4%
Bachelor’s33%
Graduate6%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 31% and 63% women
The Census survey reached too few of Bradford’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±16.1 points. Across Rhode Island, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Bradford | RI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 19.7% | 10% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.3% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 25% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.9% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.2% | 13.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.4% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.6% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.9% | 10.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.3% | 26.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.9% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 3.8% | 8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 33.2% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.9% | 15.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,500, single groups can be off by several points
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bradford
16pages on Bradford
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Bradford
About 5 of every 100 Bradford residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Rhode Island.
About Bradford
Census-designated place in Rhode Island, United States
Bradford is a census-designated place (CDP) and historic district in the towns of Westerly and Hopkinton in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bradford had a population of 1,457. The Bradford Village Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 as a 224-acre (91 ha) area including 149 contributing buildings, one other contributing site, and one other contributing structure. The CDP as defined by the United States Census Bureau is located only in Westerly. Bradford was named for Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 39 ft
- ZIP code
- 02808
Bradford’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Bradford.
WesterlyHopkintonCharlestownBradford
How the neighbors grade
| Town | RI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Westerly | #20 | A− | C− | B+ | B | A |
| Hopkinton | #17 | A− | C | A | B+ | A |
| Charlestown | #16 | A | C | A− | B+ | A |
Bradford isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Bradford with a neighbor →
Questions about Bradford
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bradford, RI a good place to live?
We don’t grade Bradford yet; the figures below are still real.