Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Smithfield grades A overall, 10th among Rhode Island's 38 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 87% of U.S. towns and its schools rank ahead of 77% of Rhode Island towns. It also does better than most on safety: it reports less crime per resident than 75% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $524K, 6 years of the Providence metro’s $87K median household income. Smithfield’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile, above both Rhode Island’s towns (0.8) and U.S. towns (0.4). Smithfield is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. No town among the 37 in Rhode Island we compare has a lower median rent than Smithfield.
Where Smithfield beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Smithfield | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5% | 8.2% |
Allenville Mill
Census counts: 3,171 in 1790, a low of 2,107 in 1900, 22,118 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1800 and 8 maps from 1889 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Rhode Island), ordered by how far Smithfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Smithfield. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw19 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw32 mi MuseumThe Breakers
23 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
23 mi Ancient siteHMS EndeavourGillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Fenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Smithfield, 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 Smithfield.
Smithfield has more 90° days than almost anywhere else in Rhode Island and has less no health insurance than most of Rhode Island.
36 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Wolf Hill, 288 acres with 5.4 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wolf Hill | 5.4 mi | 288 |
| 2. Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge | 2.1 mi | 80 |
| 3. Ken Weber Conservation Area | 1.3 mi | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Smithfield school district. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant View Elementary SchooLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 552 | – |
| Smithfield High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 729 | A |
| Raymond LaPerche SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 337 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within RI on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Rhode Island is no health insurance: 5% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 8.2% statewide.
30% of Smithfield adults have high blood pressure, below both the Rhode Island town median (34%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). 27% of Smithfield adults have obesity. Only 2 of the 38 Rhode Island towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Smithfield.
| Smithfield | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Smithfield | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5% | 8.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.3% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Rhode Island has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Smithfield sits closer to the middle.
| Smithfield | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.9 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 72% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Smithfield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Woonsocket weather station, 6 miles away, records that about 14 days a year reach 90°, the highest of 67 Rhode Island places with climate records.
Smithfield has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 19° and about 42 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Smithfield for work: only 15% work in town. The top destinations are Providence (18%), Warwick (6%) and Cranston (6%). Half commute less than 9 miles.
| Smithfield | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $102,000 | $105,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 14% | 13% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Rhode Island average. 17% of residents are under 18 in Smithfield. Smithfield has grown 2.2% since 2020, to 22,625 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Smithfield | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 18% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 37% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 21% | 18% |
| Median age | 41.8 years | 44 years | 40.5 years |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.9 points. Across Rhode Island, 50.9% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 58% are men (RI 50%).
| Smithfield | RI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.5% | 10% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.4% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 17.3% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.3% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.2% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.4% | 13.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.5% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.9% | 10.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.6% | 26.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.7% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.8% | 8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.2% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.8% | 15.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Typical home values rose 5.1% in the year to September 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
9 within 15 miles of the center of Smithfield
College town 17 of every 100 Smithfield residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Rhode Island.
10 places in Smithfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Smithfield.
Town in Rhode Island, United States
Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,118 at the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1731, it includes the historic villages of Esmond, Georgiaville, Mountaindale, Spragueville, Stillwater, and Greenville. Smithfield is home to Bryant University, a private, four-year university.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Smithfield.
It grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Glocester (A) comes closest.
| Town | RI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smithfield | #10 | A | C | A− | A− | A |
| Lincoln | #25 | B+ | C− | B | B+ | A |
| Johnston | #30 | B− | C | B | B− | B |
| North Smithfield | #19 | A− | C− | B | A− | A− |
| Glocester | #14 | A | C− | A+ | A− | A− |
| Greenville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Providence | #28 | B | C− | B+ | B− | B |
| Harmony | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Greenville and Harmony aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Smithfield with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Smithfield grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #10 of 38 in Rhode Island. It grades A for health, A− for safety and A− for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Rhode Island has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Smithfield sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
15 notable people were born here, including Gina Raimondo and Sullivan Ballou.
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