Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Jamestown earns an A+, 2nd among Rhode Island's 38 graded towns. Its schools rank ahead of 98% of Rhode Island towns, residents are healthier than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and it reports less crime per resident than 91% of U.S. towns. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $1.2 million for a typical one and 13.8 times the Providence metro’s $87K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 11 places on the National Register. 69% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Jamestown, against 37% in Rhode Island’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. No town in Rhode Island scores higher than Jamestown on hazard risk. Jamestown is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns.
Where Jamestown beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Jamestown School-Melrose | PK–4 | 207 |
| Jamestown School-Lawn | 5–8 | 189 |
| Widest gap | Jamestown | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.7% | 15.1% |
Census counts: 507 in 1790, 5,559 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1749 and 6 maps from 1889 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Rhode Island), ordered by how far Jamestown is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 9%), so the A+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Jamestown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi MuseumThe Breakers
6 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
Big draw40 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
5 mi MuseumMarble House
4 mi MuseumThe Elms
17 mi MuseumUSS MassachusettsThe 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 · Marble House: [email protected], Public domain · The Elms: The original uploader was Daderot at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jamestown, 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 Jamestown.
Jamestown is among the three healthiest towns in Rhode Island, has schools in the top 5% of Rhode Island and has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in Rhode Island.
At 13.8 years of the Providence metro’s $87K median household income, the typical home (about $1.2M) costs more against local pay than in any other Rhode Island town; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Newport is next at $966K.
Typical home values rose 11% in the year to September 2026. 86% of households own their home in Jamestown.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #1 of the 38 Rhode Island towns we grade for schools. Its A+ is the best School Grade on its borders; Portsmouth (A) is next.
Its public schools are run by the Jamestown school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamestown School-MelroseLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 207 | A+ |
| Jamestown School-LawnTop results in townGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 189 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within RI on state tests
It ranks #2 of the 38 Rhode Island towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Rhode Island is food insecurity: 5.7% of its 4,648 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.1% statewide.
25% of Jamestown adults sleep under 7 hours. Of the 38 Rhode Island towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Jamestown. 17% of Jamestown adults get no exercise outside work.
| Jamestown | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 34% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 88% | 85% | 79% |
| What stands out | Jamestown | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.7% | 15.1% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.6% | 14.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.3% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The FEMA risk score in Jamestown is 2 of 100. Since 1978, 36 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Jamestown.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 5.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 74% of Rhode Island’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 29 to 13 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Of the 35 Rhode Island towns we compare, none has a lower violent crime rate than Jamestown. Jamestown’s property crime rate is 2.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Jamestown | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 5.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Jamestown for work: only 16% work in town. Jobs based in Jamestown grew to 1,206 in 2023, 183 more than in 2013. Among 38 Rhode Island towns, just 3 have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Jamestown.
| Jamestown | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $141,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.5% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 12% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Newport Rose weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 216 days, the highest of 67 Rhode Island places with climate records. The Newport Rose weather station records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Jamestown has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 24° and about 26 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
11 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Dutch Island, at 87 acres.
| Jamestown | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.5% | 14% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fort Wetherill State Park | 1.3 mi | 62 |
| 2. Conanicut Battery National Historic Park | 0.6 mi | 21 |
| 3. Dutch Island | — | 87 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
6 within 15 miles of the center of Jamestown
About 2 of every 100 Jamestown residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Rhode Island.
Where Jamestown’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
11 places in Jamestown on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Jamestown.
Town in Rhode Island, United States
Jamestown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 5,559 at the 2020 census. Jamestown is situated almost entirely on Conanicut Island, the second largest island in Narragansett Bay. It also includes the uninhabited Dutch Island and Gould Island.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Jamestown.
At #2 in RI, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Portsmouth (A+) comes closest.
| Town | RI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamestown | #2 | A+ | D | A | A+ | A+ |
| Newport | #34 | C | D− | C+ | C− | A |
| North Kingstown | #7 | A | C− | A− | A− | A+ |
| Narragansett | #8 | A | D− | A | A | A |
| Portsmouth | #5 | A+ | D | A | A | A |
| Melville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Middletown | #24 | B+ | D− | B+ | B | A |
Melville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Jamestown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Jamestown grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #2 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 D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
3 notable people were born here, including Eleanor Albert Bliss and John R. Caswell.
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