Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. South Kingstown grades A overall, ranked 13th of 38 in Rhode Island. It has 50 miles of trail. It is healthier than 95% of U.S. towns and it reports less crime per resident than 90% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $720K, 8.3 years of the Providence metro’s $87K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 25 places on the National Register. 60% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in South Kingstown, where Rhode Island’s towns sit at 37% and U.S. towns at 29%. Its National Register listings include Gen. Isaac Peace Rodman House and Kingston Railroad Station. South Kingstown is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns.
Where South Kingstown beats most towns.
Census counts: 4,131 in 1790, 31,931 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and 7 maps from 1889 on.
25 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Rhode Island), ordered by how far South Kingstown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Kingstown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi MuseumThe Breakers
17 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
13 mi MuseumMarble House
29 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
13 mi MuseumThe Elms
13 mi MuseumRosecliffThe Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · Marble House: [email protected], Public domain · USS Massachusetts: USN, 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 South Kingstown, 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 South Kingstown.
South Kingstown is shaped by its college students 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 housing insecurity: 7% of its 13,770 adults worry about keeping their housing, against 13.1% statewide.
28% of adults feel lonely in South Kingstown. South Kingstown beats the Rhode Island average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 86% of adults had a checkup this year in South Kingstown.
| South Kingstown | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 86% | 85% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 22% | 25% |
| What stands out | South Kingstown | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7% | 13.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.2% | 15.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.7% | 8.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the South Kingstown school district. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broad Rock Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 554 | B+ |
| South Kingstown HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 688 | A |
| Kingston Hill AcademyTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 260 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within RI on state tests and graduation
At 5.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 71% of Rhode Island’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 11 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
South Kingstown’s property crime rate is 3.7 per 1,000 residents.
| South Kingstown | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.7 per 1,000 residents | 5.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 8.3 years of the Providence metro’s $87K median household income, the typical home (about $720K) costs more against local pay than in 81% of Rhode Island towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Typical home values rose 6.6% in the year to September 2026.
| South Kingstown | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,368 a month | $1,369 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 76% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
327 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 28 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 327 flood insurance claims have been paid out in South Kingstown.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The biggest place to walk is Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, 443 acres with 2.1 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tri-Pond Park | 2.6 mi | 128 |
| 2. Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge | 2.1 mi | 443 |
| 3. Potter Wood | 1.7 mi | 61 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
South Kingstown has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in South Kingstown is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
South Kingstown has about as many jobs (12,342) as working residents, but only 3,122 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of South Kingstown’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Providence (10%), Narragansett (7%) and Warwick (6%). Half commute less than 15 miles.
| South Kingstown | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $109,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 15% | 13% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.9% | 6.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
2 within 15 miles of the center of South Kingstown
College town 23 of every 100 South Kingstown residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Rhode Island.
Coastal flooding makes up 9% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
25 places in South Kingstown on the National Register of Historic Places.
19 notable people were born in South Kingstown.
Town in Rhode Island, United States
South Kingstown is a town in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,931 at the 2020 census. South Kingstown is the second largest town in Rhode Island by total geographic area, behind New Shoreham, and the third largest town in Rhode Island by geographic land area, behind Exeter and Coventry.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with South Kingstown.
| Town | RI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Kingstown | #13 | A | D | A | B+ | A |
| Richmond | #12 | A | D | A | B+ | A+ |
| Charlestown | #16 | A | C | A− | B+ | A |
| Narragansett | #8 | A | D− | A | A | A |
| Narragansett Pier | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wakefield-Peace Dale | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Exeter | #18 | A− | D | — | A− | A |
| North Kingstown | #7 | A | C− | A− | A− | A+ |
Exeter reports no FBI crime data of its own. Narragansett Pier and Wakefield-Peace Dale aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare South Kingstown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. South Kingstown grades A overall, better than 88% of U.S. towns and #13 of 38 in Rhode Island. It grades A for health, A for safety and B+ 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.
19 notable people were born here, including Oliver Hazard Perry and Andrew Burnap.
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