Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Foster Center

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Foster school house
Rhode Island›Providence County

Foster CenterRI

A town of 358.

Photo: Swampyank at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo of Foster Center

Foster Center, RI · Photo: Swampyank at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source ↗

Is Foster Center a good place to live?

Foster Center’s average trip to work is 51 minutes, where Rhode Island’s towns sit at 26 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Among 39 Rhode Island towns, just 1 have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Foster Center. The biggest park or preserve is Thoman Land and Nature Preserve, at 25 acres. Foster Center has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

358 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Nearby attractions

Lake Chaubunagungamaug and 104 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Foster Center. Close and well known come first.

All 297 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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

Getting set up

Moving to Foster Center: who provides what

Foster Center is unincorporated, so Providence County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerRhode Island Energy29.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet3 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesProvidence CountyProvidence County provides services here
SchoolsFoster Elementary School DistrictFoster-Glocester Region School District2 districts serve Foster Center; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereFoster Board of CanvassersTown of Foster; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP code0282502825 100%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 Foster Center.

Natural hazards

Low risk in Foster Center, with inland flooding at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 2010, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Foster Center.

20risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
20Low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingHurricanesHeat waves
2
paid flood claims since 2010

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commute

With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Foster Center’s workers commute out

Most working residents leave Foster Center for work: only 0% work in town. 4.5% of Foster Center residents live below the poverty line, below both Rhode Island’s towns (6.8%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Foster Center’s median household income is $78,000.

0%work in town
Foster CenterRhode Island townsU.S. towns
Below the poverty line4.5%6.8%9.6%
Median household income$78,000$104,000$80,000

Where working residents work

In Foster Center0%
Providence16%
Warwick11%
Foster5%
Lincoln5%
16 mi
median commute distance
9
jobs based in Foster Center
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

In Foster Center, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers

Foster Center has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Foster Center is 81°F.

62″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter21–39°
Spring37–57°
Summer59–79°
Fall42–62°
Oct 19
typical first frost
Apr 25
typical last frost
+1.9°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Foster Center is

Foster Center beats the Rhode Island average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 85% of Foster Center adults had a checkup this year.

Foster CenterRhode Island townsU.S. towns
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)85%85%79%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)31%29%35%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)33%34%36%
No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES)4.9%5.4%8.1%
32 measures vs. Rhode Island
8 better24 too close to call0 worse
What stands outFoster CenterRI
Fewer uninsured adults4.9%8.2%
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth9.6%14.2%
Day Kimball Hospital
12.4 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Outdoors

Trail density in Foster Center is lower than in most of Rhode Island or the rest of the country

Among 39 Rhode Island towns, just 1 have a lower trail density than Foster Center. 0.3 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Foster Center’s conserved land covers 7.3% of the town.

7.3%conserved
Foster CenterRhode Island townsU.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile0.1 miles per square mile0.80.4
Conserved land7.3%12%4.3%
7.3%
conserved · 101 of 1,388 acres
0.3 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Thoman Land and Nature Preserve—25

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Foster Center

15pages on Foster Center
After high school

Colleges nearby

4 within 15 miles of the center of Foster Center

A commuter town

100% of working residents leave Foster Center for work

Where Foster Center’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

16% → Providence Providence 16% 11% → Warwick Warwick 11% 5% → Foster Foster 5% 5% → Lincoln Lincoln 5% 3% → Burrillville Burrillville 3% 3% → Johnston Johnston 3% Foster Center · 0% stay
9jobs based in Foster Center
0%of working residents work in town
16 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Foster Center

United States historic place

Foster Center is a village in the town of Foster, Rhode Island, United States. It was listed as a census-designated place (CDP) in 2010, with a population of 355. Historic elements of the village are included in the Foster Center Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 11, 1974. The district features various colonial and Greek Revival houses as well as the still functioning town building from the late 18th century.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
2.2 sq mi

Questions about Foster Center

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Foster Center, RI a good place to live?

Foster Center has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.