Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Few places in the country grade higher. Little Compton earns an A+, 4th of 38 graded towns in Rhode Island. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 94% of the country, its schools outperform 90% of the state's, and it reports less crime per resident than 86% of U.S. towns. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $967K for a typical one and 11.1 times the Providence metro’s $87K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 90% of U.S. towns, with 7 places on the National Register. Little Compton’s median age is 60.3 years, against 43.8 years in Rhode Island’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. Only 1 of Rhode Island’s 39 towns score higher on civic life. Its National Register listings include Little Compton Common Historic District and Sakonnet Light Station.
Where Little Compton beats most towns.
Little Compton Common Historic District| Widest gap | Little Compton | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.2% | 15.1% |
Census counts: 1,542 in 1790, 3,616 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 5 maps from 1888 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Rhode Island), ordered by how far Little Compton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Little Compton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi MuseumThe Breakers
12 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
14 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
8 mi MuseumMarble House
8 mi MuseumThe Elms
8 mi MuseumRosecliffThe 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 · The Elms: The original uploader was Daderot at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rosecliff: n ole, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Little Compton, 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 Little Compton.
Little Compton has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in Rhode Island and is a second-home town, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Rhode Island.
At 11.1 years of the Providence metro’s $87K median household income, the typical home (about $967K) costs more against local pay than in 95% of Rhode Island towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living.
Typical home values rose 5.1% in the year to September 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Little Compton school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilbur and McMahon SchoolsLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 216 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within RI on state tests
26% of Little Compton adults sleep under 7 hours. Among 38 Rhode Island towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Little Compton. 18% of Little Compton adults get no exercise outside work.
| Little Compton | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 87% | 85% | 79% |
| What stands out | Little Compton | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.2% | 15.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5.6% | 13.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.4% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
Little Compton’s violent crime rate is 0.3 per 1,000 residents. Rhode Island has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Little Compton sits closer to the middle.
| Little Compton | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.5 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, 25 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Little Compton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 1,316 working residents takes 33.7 minutes, against 25.5 across Rhode Island.
2.9% of residents live below the poverty line in Little Compton. Jobs based in Little Compton grew to 624 in 2023, 111 more than in 2013. The median household income in Little Compton is $135,000.
| Little Compton | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $135,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 21% | 13% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
11 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Eight Rod Farm, at 80 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Eight Rod Farm | 0.2 mi | 80 |
| 2. Donavan Marsh | 0.1 mi | 55 |
| 3. Fogland Marsh Preserve | — | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Tiverton weather station, 9 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 203 days, the highest of 67 Rhode Island places with climate records. The Tiverton weather station, 9 miles away, records that about 13 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Little Compton has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 23° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
4 within 15 miles of the center of Little Compton
About 5 of every 100 Little Compton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Rhode Island.
7 places in Little Compton on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Little Compton.
Town in Rhode Island, United States
Little Compton is a coastal town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, bounded on the south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by the Sakonnet River, on the north by the town of Tiverton, and on the east by the town of Westport, Massachusetts. The population was 3,589 as of 2022 town records.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Little Compton.
| Town | RI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Compton | #4 | A+ | C− | A | A | A |
| Tiverton | #11 | A | C | A− | B+ | A |
| Portsmouth | #5 | A+ | D | A | A | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Little Compton grades A+ overall, better than 97% of U.S. towns and #4 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 Little Compton 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−.
7 notable people were born here, including Arden Myrin and Charles Edwin Wilbour.
_underway_c1944.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}