Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Yes, by almost any measure. Portsmouth earns an A+, ranked 5th of 38 in Rhode Island. Residents are healthier than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, it reports less crime per resident than 92% of U.S. towns, and the median household earns $117K. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $686K, 7.9 years of the Providence metro’s $87K median household income. 62% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Portsmouth, above both the Rhode Island town median (37%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Its National Register listings include Battle of Rhode Island Site and Oak Glen. Among 38 Rhode Island towns, just 3 have a higher share of residents 65 or older than Portsmouth.
Where Portsmouth beats most towns.
Battle of Rhode Island Site is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,560 in 1790, 17,871 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1638 and 2 maps from 1943 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Portsmouth takes its name from Portsmouth in Hampshire, England, 3,290 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionPortsmouth, settled in 1638, takes its name from Portsmouth, a city in Hampshire, England.
1 more U.S. town is named after Portsmouth:Portsmouth, VA96,777
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Rhode Island), ordered by how far Portsmouth is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 7%), so the A+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Portsmouth. Close and well known come first.
in town Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
Big draw11 mi MuseumThe Breakers
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
10 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
Big draw39 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
12 mi MuseumMarble HouseHMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · The Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Marble House: [email protected], Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Portsmouth, 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 Portsmouth.
Portsmouth has less food insecurity than most of Rhode Island and is safe by national standards but not by Rhode Island’s; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Rhode Island.
Its widest gap with Rhode Island is food insecurity: 6.8% of its 10,601 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.1% statewide.
28% of Portsmouth adults sleep under 7 hours. Portsmouth beats the Rhode Island average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 13% of Portsmouth adults report frequent mental distress.
| Portsmouth | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 86% | 85% | 79% |
| What stands out | Portsmouth | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.8% | 15.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.3% | 13.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $686K.
Its public schools are run by the Portsmouth school district. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Portsmouth High School, with 785 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 604 | A− |
| Portsmouth High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 785 | A+ |
| Melville SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 316 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within RI on state tests and graduation
At 4.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 80% of Rhode Island’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Portsmouth is 3 per 1,000 residents.
| Portsmouth | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3 per 1,000 residents | 5.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 94% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 138 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Portsmouth.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 7.9 years of the Providence metro’s $87K median household income, the typical home (about $686K) costs more against local pay than in 76% of Rhode Island towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Portsmouth’s median rent is $1,719 a month. The typical Portsmouth home is worth about $686,000, up 3.6% in a year, 35% above the Rhode Island typical home. 81% of households own their home in Portsmouth.
| Portsmouth | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,719 a month | $1,366 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 76% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Portsmouth for work: only 16% work in town. Since 2013, Portsmouth has added 335 jobs, to 5,663 in 2023. The top destinations are Middletown (16%), Newport (13%) and Providence (8%).
| Portsmouth | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $117,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 12% | 8% |
| Work from home | 16% | 13% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.9% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
34 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Pheasant Drive Public Access Point, at 37 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Green Animals Topiary Garden | 0.7 mi | 7 |
| 2. Pheasant Drive Public Access Point | 0.6 mi | 37 |
| 3. Farnham Farm | — | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Portsmouth has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 23° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
11 within 15 miles of the center of Portsmouth
About 6 of every 100 Portsmouth residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Rhode Island.
Coastal flooding makes up 8% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
11 places in Portsmouth on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Portsmouth.
Town in Rhode Island, United States
Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,871 at the 2020 U.S. census. Portsmouth is the second-oldest municipality in Rhode Island, after Providence; it was one of the four colonies which merged to form the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, the others being Providence, Newport, and Warwick.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Portsmouth.
| Town | RI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth | #5 | A+ | D | A | A | A |
| Bristol | #6 | A | D | A+ | B+ | A |
| Tiverton | #11 | A | C | A− | B+ | A |
| Warwick | #29 | B− | C− | B | C+ | B+ |
| North Kingstown | #7 | A | C− | A− | A− | A+ |
| Middletown | #24 | B+ | D− | B+ | B | A |
| Jamestown | #2 | A+ | D | A | A+ | A+ |
| Little Compton | #4 | A+ | C− | A | A | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Portsmouth grades A+ overall, better than 96% of U.S. towns and #5 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.
6 notable people were born here, including Billy Gonsalves and Cole Swider.
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