Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in North Kingstown have higher incomes than those in 90% of U.S. towns
About one in five work in North Kingstown; the top destination outside it is Providence (12%, 18 miles). 6.1% of residents live below the poverty line, where Rhode Island as a whole has 11.2%. The two grades for North Kingstown are A for jobs and income and B+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
North Kingstown and work: the main findings
North Kingstown makes and builds things
53% of the jobs based in North Kingstown are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs North Kingstown residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 15%. The jobs ↓
North Kingstown is where the jobs are
North Kingstown has 20,540 jobs, 1.7 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
North Kingstown has added jobs fast
Jobs based in North Kingstown went from 14,777 in 2013 to 20,540 in 2023, +39%. The jobs ↓
Most jobs in North Kingstown pay over $40,000 a year
72% of the jobs based in North Kingstown pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in North Kingstown
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, North Kingstown is better than 87% of U.S. towns, #10 of 38 in Rhode Island. Household income is its strongest input ($126,293, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.4%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, North Kingstown could be anywhere from A− to A.
North Kingstown makes things: 53% of its jobs are in goods
20,540 jobs are based in North Kingstown.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Kingstown, 2013 → 2023: 14,777 → 20,540. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs North Kingstown’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who commutes out of North Kingstown, and who commutes in
On a workday 10,033 residents head out to work, 2,429 work right here, and 18,111 people come in from elsewhere.
About 36,000 people are in North Kingstown on a workday afternoon, 29% more than live here.
1.6 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The towns that send workers to North Kingstown
Where North Kingstown clocks in
12% of workers
11% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Time on the road from North Kingstown: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Kingstown workers work from home, vs 13% across Rhode Island. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 12,441 commuters (the 17% who work from home are left out). Across Rhode Island: 83% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Near or far: the trip to work from North Kingstown
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Few in North Kingstown walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, North Kingstown is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns, #21 of 38 in Rhode Island. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 5.7% across Rhode Island.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 14,943 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 34% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 70% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 4.1% of North Kingstown households have no vehicle (Rhode Island 9.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of North Kingstown’s commuters take a bus or train.
318th of 1,409: where North Kingstown ranks among U.S. towns of 20,000 to 38,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 111 | Cumberland RI | 37,615 | $118K | 3.9% | 3.0% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 316 | Upper Providence Township PA | 24,963 | $141K | 3.9% | 5.6% | 9% | A |
| 317 | West Linn OR | 26,567 | $147K | 5.5% | 4.3% | 8% | A |
| 318 | North Kingstown RI | 27,885 | $126K | 6.1% | 3.4% | 19% | A |
| 319 | Lynbrook NY | 20,855 | $137K | 7.5% | 4.5% | 6% | A |
| 320 | Herndon VA | 25,506 | $148K | 8.1% | 4.1% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 348 | Bristol RI | 21,970 | $98K | 6.5% | 2.8% | 21% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 570 | Coventry RI | 36,281 | $103K | 7.4% | 4.5% | 10% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,409 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of North Kingstown, the top three, the last and three more from Rhode Island.
22% of North Kingstown works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Warwick (11%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | North Kingstown workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Kingstown | – | A | B+ | 26 min | $126,293 |
| Warwick | 11% | B+ | B+ | 25 min | $88,708 |
| East Greenwich | 5% | A | A− | 25 min | $177,090 |
| Jamestown | under 3% | A− | A | 26 min | $140,625 |
| Exeter | under 3% | A− | B+ | 22 min | $111,250 |
| Portsmouth | under 3% | A | B+ | 23 min | $117,467 |
| South Kingstown | 6% | B | A | 25 min | $108,960 |
| Narragansett | under 3% | A− | A− | 28 min | $95,721 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of North Kingstown’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in North Kingstown: questions
What is the median household income in North Kingstown?
$126,293 (±$14,108) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $87,796 across Rhode Island and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Kingstown?
6.1%, against 11.2% across Rhode Island and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Kingstown?
26 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Rhode Island and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in North Kingstown work?
19% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Providence (12%, 18 mi), Warwick (11%, 9 mi), South Kingstown (6%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is North Kingstown walkable?
North Kingstown is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.8 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around North Kingstown without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Kingstown, from the people who make the trip.
More of North Kingstown
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.