Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Yes, by almost any measure. Cumberland earns an A, 9th of 38 graded towns in Rhode Island. The median household earns $118K, it reports less crime per resident than 86% of U.S. towns, and residents are healthier than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $522K for a typical one and 6 times the Providence metro’s $87K median household income. Cumberland’s trail density is 3.2 miles per square mile, where Rhode Island’s towns sit at 0.8 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Its National Register listings include Lonsdale Historic District and Burlingame-Noon House. No town in Rhode Island scores higher than Cumberland on the outdoors.
Where Cumberland beats most towns.
Berkeley Mill Village
Its founding year, 1635, is the earliest of any Rhode Island town we grade.
Census counts: 1,964 in 1790, a low of 1,964 in 1790, 36,405 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 6 maps from 1894 on.
16 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Rhode Island), ordered by how far Cumberland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cumberland. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw22 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw35 mi MuseumThe Breakers
22 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
Big draw31 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner MuseumGillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cumberland, 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 Cumberland.
Cumberland has more trail for its size than nearly any town in Rhode Island, reports less crime than Lincoln or any other graded neighbor and sends many workers across the state line.
At 3.2 miles of trail per square mile, it ranks #2 of 37 Rhode Island towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #1 of 38 in Rhode Island.
90 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. Cumberland Monastery, at 492 acres with 7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Diamond Hill Reservation | 15.5 mi | 386 |
| 2. Cumberland Monastery | 7 mi | 492 |
| 3. Diamond Hill Park | 6.5 mi | 134 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Cumberland school district. Three of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Cumberland MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 643 | A |
| Cumberland High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,428 | A− |
| Community SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 545 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within RI on state tests and graduation
Its A tops all 4 graded towns on its borders; Lincoln (B) comes closest. Violent crime is rare: 17 reported in 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
At 3.9 per 1,000 residents, Cumberland’s property crime rate is close to Rhode Island’s towns (5.5) and below U.S. towns (9.9). Rhode Island has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Cumberland sits closer to the middle.
| Cumberland | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 5.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Within Rhode Island it is less healthy than 51% of the 38 graded towns: Rhode Island sets a high bar. Against the 6,097 U.S. towns with household incomes like Cumberland’s, it is healthier than 68%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
10% of Cumberland adults smoke cigarettes. Cumberland beats the Rhode Island average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 35% of Cumberland adults feel lonely.
| Cumberland | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 33% | 33% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 10% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Cumberland | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.8% | 14.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.7% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
26% of working residents cross a state line to work.
Most working residents leave Cumberland for work: only 11% work in town. 3.9% of residents live below the poverty line in Cumberland. Jobs based in Cumberland grew to 10,057 in 2023, 860 more than in 2013.
| Cumberland | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $118,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.9% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 15% | 13% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 43 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cumberland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (24% statewide); children under 18 are 23% of residents (19% statewide). Only 3 of the 38 Rhode Island towns we compare have a higher share of children under 18 than Cumberland. Cumberland has grown 3.3% since 2020, to 37,615 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Cumberland | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 45% | 37% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 18% | 22% |
| Median age | 43.5 years | 44 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 21% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.7 points. Across Rhode Island, 50.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 43.2, men 43.8.
| Cumberland | RI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.5% | 10% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.9% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.5% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.2% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16% | 13.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.9% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.4% | 10.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.3% | 26.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.9% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.6% | 8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 29.6% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.2% | 15.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Cumberland has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Only 2 of the 38 Rhode Island towns we compare have a higher July high than Cumberland.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Cumberland home is worth about $522,000, up 2.2% in a year, close to the Rhode Island typical home.
| Cumberland | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,379 a month | $1,366 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 76% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
9 within 15 miles of the center of Cumberland
About 3 of every 100 Cumberland residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Rhode Island.
21.8% of the town is conserved land, across 11 parks and preserves.
16 places in Cumberland on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Cumberland.
Town in Rhode Island, United States
Cumberland is the northeasternmost town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, first settled in 1635 and incorporated in 1746. The population was 36,405 at the 2020 census, making it the seventh-largest municipality and the largest town in the state.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Cumberland.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; North Smithfield (A−) comes closest.
| Town | RI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland | #9 | A | C− | A | A− | A− |
| Lincoln | #25 | B+ | C− | B | B+ | A |
| Valley Falls | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cumberland Hill | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Central Falls | #38 | D− | C− | C+ | D− | D− |
| Woonsocket | #37 | D− | C | C | D | C− |
| North Smithfield | #19 | A− | C− | B | A− | A− |
Valley Falls and Cumberland Hill aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Cumberland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Cumberland grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #9 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 C−.
Yes, by national standards. Rhode Island has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Cumberland 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 C−.
13 notable people were born here, including Daniel McKee and Bobby Farrelly.
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