Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Few places in the country grade higher. East Greenwich earns an A+, ranked 1st of 38 in Rhode Island. The median household earns $177K, its schools outperform 93% of the state's, and it is healthier than 92% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a C, is in cost of living. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 12 places on the National Register. 70% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in East Greenwich, where Rhode Island’s towns sit at 37% and U.S. towns at 29%. On cost of living, just 2 of Rhode Island’s 39 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Gen. James Mitchell Varnum House and Windmill Cottage.
Where East Greenwich beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,824 in 1790, 14,312 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1772 and 6 maps from 1890 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Rhode Island), ordered by how far East Greenwich is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around East Greenwich. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi MuseumThe Breakers
8 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw33 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
18 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
16 mi MuseumMarble HouseThe Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain · Marble House: [email protected], Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in East Greenwich, 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 East Greenwich.
East Greenwich has schools in the top 5% of Rhode Island and has less food insecurity than most of Rhode Island, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Rhode Island.
At 9.3 years of the Providence metro’s $87K median household income, the typical home (about $808K) costs more against local pay than in 89% of Rhode Island towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; North Kingstown is next at $675K.
The typical East Greenwich home is worth about $808,000, up 3.4% in a year, 59% above the Rhode Island typical home. 84% of households own their home in East Greenwich.
| East Greenwich | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 84% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,276 a month | $1,371 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A ranks #3 of the 38 Rhode Island towns we grade for schools. Its A is the best School Grade on its borders; North Kingstown (A−) is next.
Its public schools are run by the East Greenwich school district. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archie R. Cole MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 597 | A− |
| East Greenwich HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 742 | A+ |
| James H. Eldredge SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 307 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within RI on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Rhode Island is food insecurity: 7.2% of its 15,782 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.1% statewide. Against the 1,454 U.S. towns with household incomes like East Greenwich’s, it is less healthy than 61%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
87% of East Greenwich adults had a checkup this year. East Greenwich beats the Rhode Island average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 13% of East Greenwich adults report frequent mental distress.
| East Greenwich | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 87% | 85% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | East Greenwich | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.2% | 15.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.5% | 13.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 122 to 70 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 8 reported in 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
Rhode Island has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns East Greenwich sits closer to the middle. East Greenwich’s property crime rate is 4.2 per 1,000 residents.
| East Greenwich | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.2 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
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 74% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 59 flood insurance claims have been paid out in East Greenwich.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
10 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Frenchtown Park, at 75 acres.
| East Greenwich | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.3% | 14% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fry Brook Recreation Park | 1.5 mi | 63 |
| 2. Frenchtown Park | 0.8 mi | 75 |
| 3. Hunt River Preserve | 0.3 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
East Greenwich has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 21° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
21.4% of workers work from home, against 13% across Rhode Island.
Since 2013, East Greenwich has added 1,183 jobs, to 8,345 in 2023. Most working residents leave East Greenwich for work: only 12% work in town. The top destinations are Providence (18%), Warwick (14%) and Cranston (6%).
| East Greenwich | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $177,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 21% | 13% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.7% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
11 within 15 miles of the center of East Greenwich
About 5 of every 100 East Greenwich residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Rhode Island.
12 places in East Greenwich on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in East Greenwich.
Town in Rhode Island, United States
East Greenwich is a town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island. The population was 14,312 at the 2020 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within the state of Rhode Island. It is part of the Providence metropolitan statistical area and the Greater Boston combined statistical area. Formed as Greenwich in 1677, it was named for Greenwich, England. It was renamed Dedford in 1686 but reverted to its original name in 1689. In 1741 the more rural western three quarters of the town was set off as West Greenwich, the remaining quarter of it thenceforth being called East Greenwich. Until 1854, it was one of the five state capitals for Rhode Island. The General Assembly, w…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with East Greenwich.
At #1 in RI, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; North Kingstown (A) comes closest.
| Town | RI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Greenwich | #1 | A+ | C | A− | A | A |
| North Kingstown | #7 | A | C− | A− | A− | A+ |
| Warwick | #29 | B− | C− | B | C+ | B+ |
| West Greenwich | #21 | A− | D− | A | A− | A− |
| West Warwick | #33 | C+ | C− | B | C | B− |
| Exeter | #18 | A− | D | — | A− | A |
Exeter reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare East Greenwich with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. East Greenwich grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #1 of 38 in Rhode Island. It grades A for health, A− for safety and A for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Rhode Island has less crime than most states, so among its own towns East Greenwich sits nearer the middle.
That is 9.3 years of the area's median household income ($87,040 across the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
16 notable people were born here, including Donald Carcieri and Albert C. Greene.
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