Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Narragansett is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, ranked 8th of 38 in Rhode Island. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 91% of the country, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 87% of U.S. towns, and its schools rank ahead of 87% of Rhode Island towns. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $858K for a typical one and 9.9 times the Providence metro’s $87K median household income. 64% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Narragansett, against 37% in Rhode Island’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Narragansett Pier Life Saving Station and Narragansett Baptist Church. No town among the 38 in Rhode Island we compare has a lower share of children under 18 than Narragansett.
Where Narragansett beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,408 in 1890, a low of 993 in 1920, 14,532 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1863 and 8 maps from 1889 on.
15 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Rhode Island), ordered by how far Narragansett is from typical.
Its grades run from A for health (better than 91% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 4%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Narragansett. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi MuseumThe Breakers
16 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
10 mi MuseumMarble House
11 mi MuseumThe Elms
27 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
11 mi MuseumRosecliffThe Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · 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 · Rosecliff: n ole, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Narragansett, 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 Narragansett.
Narragansett is shaped by its college students, has milder winter nights than almost anywhere else in Rhode Island and is safe by national standards but not by Rhode Island’s.
At 9.9 years of the Providence metro’s $87K median household income, the typical home (about $858K) costs more against local pay than in 92% of Rhode Island towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. 65.8% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48% across Rhode Island.
Narragansett’s median rent is $1,712 a month. Typical home values rose 5.6% in the year to September 2026.
| Narragansett | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,712 a month | $1,366 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 76% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $858K.
Its public schools are run by the Narragansett school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Narragansett High School, with 372 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narragansett ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 331 | A |
| Narragansett High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 372 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within RI on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Rhode Island is housing insecurity: 6.9% of its 11,233 adults worry about keeping their housing, against 13.1% statewide.
28% of adults feel lonely in Narragansett. Narragansett beats the Rhode Island average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 31% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Narragansett.
| Narragansett | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 35% |
| What stands out | Narragansett | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.9% | 13.1% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.4% | 8.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 6.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 69% of Rhode Island’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 67 to 56 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Among 35 Rhode Island towns, just 3 have a lower violent crime rate than Narragansett. The property crime rate in Narragansett is 3.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Narragansett | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.1 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 5.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
341 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 24 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 79% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 341 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Narragansett.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 23.9°, the #2 highest of 67 Rhode Island places with climate records; July afternoons average 80.3°.
Narragansett has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Only 1 of the 38 Rhode Island towns we compare have a higher January low than Narragansett. About 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Narragansett | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 80°F | 82°F | 85°F |
| January low | 24°F | 21°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
21.4% of workers work from home, against 13% across Rhode Island.
Most working residents leave Narragansett for work: only 15% work in town. 19% of Narragansett residents live below the poverty line. Only 2 of the 38 Rhode Island towns we compare have a higher share of workers working from home than Narragansett.
| Narragansett | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 6.5% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 21% | 13% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
13 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Galilee Bird Sanctuary, at 120 acres.
| Narragansett | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7% | 14% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Galilee Bird Sanctuary | — | 120 |
| 2. Fishermen's Memorial State Park Campground | 0.2 mi | 63 |
| 3. Succotash Marsh State Management Area | 0.1 mi | 27 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Narragansett
College town 21 of every 100 Narragansett residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Rhode Island.
Coastal flooding makes up 12% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
32.3% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, so the town is fuller in summer than its census count suggests.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
15 places in Narragansett on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Narragansett.
Town in Rhode Island, United States
Narragansett is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 14,532 at the 2020 census. However, during the summer months the town's population more than doubles to near 34,000. The town of Narragansett occupies a narrow strip of land running along the eastern bank of the Pettaquamscutt River (aka Narrow River) to the shore of Narragansett Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. It was separated from South Kingstown in 1888 and incorporated as a town in 1901. With several ocean beaches and a walkable strip along the ocean front, Narragansett is a resort area in the summer season as well as a popular East Coast surfing spot due to frequent southerly swells from Atlantic Oc…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Narragansett.
| Town | RI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Narragansett | #8 | A | D− | A | A | A |
| South Kingstown | #13 | A | D | A | B+ | A |
| Narragansett Pier | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wakefield-Peace Dale | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jamestown | #2 | A+ | D | A | A+ | A+ |
| North Kingstown | #7 | A | C− | A− | A− | A+ |
Narragansett Pier and Wakefield-Peace Dale aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Narragansett with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Narragansett grades A overall, better than 93% of U.S. towns and #8 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−.
5 notable people were born here, including Geoff Boss and Peter Boss.
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