Photo: Marcbela · Public domainHouseholds in Warren have higher incomes than those in 69% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 2.8 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 19.2 in Providence. 9.7% of residents are in poverty (Rhode Island 11.2%). The two grades for Warren are B+ for jobs and income and A for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
How Warren earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Warren is better than 70% of U.S. towns, #24 of 38 in Rhode Island. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 84% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (4.2%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Warren could be anywhere from B− to A.
The daily flow of workers through Warren
On a workday 4,424 residents head out to work, 627 work right here, and 2,946 people come in from elsewhere.
About 9,600 people are in Warren on a workday afternoon, 13% fewer than live here.
0.71 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute 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.
14% of working residents work in Providence
Where Warren clocks in
14% of workers
11% of workers
5% 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.
Warren makes things: 29% of its jobs are in goods
3,573 jobs are based in Warren.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Warren, 2013 → 2023: 3,366 → 3,573. 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 Warren’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 25 minutes in Warren
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Warren workers work from home, vs 13% across Rhode Island. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,146 commuters (the 14% 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.
How far Warren’s workers travel
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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Warren
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Warren is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns, #11 of 38 in Rhode Island. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 4.2% 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 6,014 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 76% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 36% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 74% 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). 11.6% of Warren households have no vehicle (Rhode Island 9.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Warren’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Warren is 1,021st among 2,507 U.S. towns of 8,000 to 15,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 161 | Scituate RI | 10,767 | $112K | 5.0% | 1.0% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 219 | East Greenwich RI | 14,790 | $177K | 4.7% | 2.8% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 234 | Richmond RI | 8,128 | $125K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,019 | Enumclaw WA | 13,172 | $121K | 7.5% | 3.7% | 17% | B+ |
| 1,020 | Kennebunk ME | 12,152 | $108K | 7.3% | 4.4% | 21% | B+ |
| 1,021 | Warren RI | 11,070 | $91K | 9.7% | 4.2% | 12% | B+ |
| 1,022 | Pleasant Hill MO | 8,956 | $96K | 6.0% | 5.2% | 12% | B+ |
| 1,023 | Union Township OH | 9,403 | $95K | 9.5% | 3.9% | 10% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,507 | Roma TX | 11,543 | $25K | 37.1% | 12.4% | 22% | 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 Warren, the top three, the last and three more from Rhode Island.
Bordering towns draw 14% of Warren’s workers
The biggest share goes to Bristol (11%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Warren workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren | – | B+ | A | 25 min | $90,729 |
| Bristol | 11% | A | A+ | 25 min | $97,764 |
| Barrington | 3% | A+ | A | 30 min | $153,198 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Warren’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 Warren: questions
What is the median household income in Warren?
$90,729 (±$12,011) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $87,796 across Rhode Island and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Warren?
9.7%, against 11.2% across Rhode Island and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Warren?
25 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Rhode Island and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Warren work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Providence (14%, 11 mi), Bristol (11%, 3 mi), Warwick (5%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Warren walkable?
Warren is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.0 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Warren without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. 36% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Warren, from the people who make the trip.
More of Warren
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.