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William H Hall Free Library, Cranston RIPhoto: Eric Harrison · CC BY-SA 2.0
The Cranston handbook

Living in Cranston, RI: what to set up and who to call

Cranston runs its own elections, so the Cranston Board of Canvassers, not a county office, keeps the voter rolls. The closest public drop-off to Cranston is Warwick Municipal Recycling Facility, 5 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Cranston, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.

Home services

Power, water and internet

Who to call to start service at a new address in Cranston.

Electricity

Power comes from Rhode Island Energy

Rhode Island Energy (The Narragansett Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Cranston. Its homes paid an average of 29.4¢ per kWh in 2025, about $166 a month (its average across Rhode Island, for customers on its standard service). Rhode Island lets you buy power from another supplier; 26% of Rhode Island Energy’s home customers do, and Rhode Island Energy still delivers it.

Start or move service: www1.nationalgridus.com · (401) 784-7000

Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.

Drinking water · reported to EPA

Water comes from Providence-City of water system

The Providence-City of water system supplies Cranston: about 92% of residents live in its service area. About 5% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water and serves 333,142 people in all.

No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 86% of the 84 systems serving 250,001–500,000 people.

Lead, 90th percentile1.7 ppb
015 ppb action level20

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jul–Dec 2026, was 1.7 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 10.5 ppb. That’s higher than 58% of similar systems’ latest results.

The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report

EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. RI1592024.

Internet

4 home internet providers serve Cranston

96% of 25,792 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 92% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
VerizonFiber, Fixed wireless98%980/880
Cox CommunicationsCable, Fiber95%2,000/100
T-MobileFixed wireless62%100/20
AT&TFixed wireless56%100/20

FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.

Trash & recycling

Curbside recycling in Cranston: every week

Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Cranston, from the town’s own site.

Curbside recyclingEvery weekRecycling picked up at the curbcranstonri.gov
What goes in the recycling bin

Single-stream recycling

All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.

Furniture, appliances and bulky itemsBulky waste is the property owner's responsibility; arrange pickup by calling Waste Management at 1-800-972-4545; fee $30 per item

We couldn’t find pickup days or drop-off hours. Check cranstonri.gov →

From cranstonri.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 23, 2026; pages dated 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .

Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

Cranston kids go to
K–514 elementary schoolsDepends on your address
6–84 middle schoolsDepends on your address
9–122 high schoolsDepends on your address

Cranston is in Cranston School District.

B−School gradeSee Schools →

U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.

Government & voting

Town hall and registering to vote

Who to call, and how to register.

Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated May 2022; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.

ZIP codes & area codes

Cranston spans 4 ZIP codes

ZIP codes where Cranston residents live, with the share of the town in each.

ZIPPost office nameShare of CranstonZIP’s residents in Cranston
02920Cranston, RI46%100%
02910Cranston, RI26%99%
02921Cranston, RI15%100%
02905Providence, RI12%39%

A few homes fall in 02831, 02909, 02907, 02823.

Area code401Wikidata

Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.

Everyday places

Getting around, the ER and the library

One line each; the subject pages have the rest.

ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.

Questions about living in Cranston

Who supplies Cranston’s drinking water, and has it had violations?

The Providence-City of water system (EPA ID RI1592024). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 86% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.7 ppb (Jul–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Cranston?

Rhode Island Energy (The Narragansett Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 29.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).

What internet providers serve Cranston?

Verizon, Cox Communications, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Cranston?

02920 (46%), 02910 (26%), 02921 (15%), 02905 (12%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Cranston in?

Cranston School District.

How do I register to vote in Cranston?

In 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). Elections here are run by the Cranston Board of Canvassers. Check your registration at vote.sos.ri.gov.

Sources & dates

Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.

  • Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
  • Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
  • Trash: Cranston’s own website (cranstonri.gov), read Oct 23, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
  • ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
  • Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
  • Registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
  • Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
  • Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.