Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
West Warwick grades C+ overall, ranked 33rd of 38 in Rhode Island, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 76% of U.S. towns. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $408K for a typical one and 4.7 times the Providence metro’s $87K median household income. Only 1 of Rhode Island’s 39 towns score lower on the outdoors. Its National Register listings include Lippitt Mill and Silas Clapp House. West Warwick's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 89% of U.S. towns.
Where West Warwick beats most towns.
Census counts: 15,461 in 1920, 31,012 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1901 and 5 maps from 1890 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 West Warwick is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Warwick. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi MuseumThe Breakers
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
10 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
Big draw30 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
19 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
19 mi MuseumMarble HouseThe Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain · Marble House: [email protected], Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Warwick, 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 West Warwick.
West Warwick has cooler summers than most of the country, though not than most of Rhode Island and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Rhode Island; it also trails East Greenwich and its other neighbors on schools.
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C, East Greenwich highest at A.
Its public schools are run by the West Warwick school district. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| John F. Deering MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 976 | C− |
| West Warwick High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,081 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within RI on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave West Warwick for work: only 8% work in town. Jobs based in West Warwick grew to 7,583 in 2023, 1,247 more than in 2013. Among 38 Rhode Island towns, just 2 have a lower share of workers working from home than West Warwick.
| West Warwick | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 7.2% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $105,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.7% | 12% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.6% | 6.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons average 82.4°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 77% of Rhode Island places with climate records; January nights average 20.8°.
West Warwick has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. About 37 inches of snow falls in a winter. At 82°F, West Warwick’s July high is close to Rhode Island’s towns (82°F) and below U.S. towns (85°F).
| West Warwick | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 82°F | 82°F | 85°F |
| January low | 21°F | 22°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
57% of West Warwick households own their home, below both the Rhode Island town median (76%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). Typical home values rose 5.8% in the year to September 2026.
| West Warwick | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 76% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,303 a month | $1,371 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 312 to 191 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Rhode Island has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns West Warwick sits closer to the middle. The property crime rate in West Warwick is 4.5 per 1,000 residents.
| West Warwick | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.5 per 1,000 residents | 5.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 0.6 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
144 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 21 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 144 flood insurance claims have been paid out in West Warwick.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among 38 Rhode Island towns, just 1 have a lower share of conserved land than West Warwick. West Warwick’s trail density is 0.2 miles per square mile. 1.6 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| West Warwick | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 14% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverpoint Park | 0.2 mi | 5 |
| 2. Station Fire Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Within Rhode Island it is less healthy than 89% of the 38 graded towns: Rhode Island sets a high bar. All 4 graded neighbors score healthier than its B−, from Coventry (B+) to East Greenwich (A).
West Warwick beats the Rhode Island average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 36% of adults feel lonely in West Warwick. No town among the 38 in Rhode Island we compare has a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than West Warwick.
| West Warwick | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 23% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 85% | 85% | 79% |
| What stands out | West Warwick | RI |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 15.2% | 11.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.8% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
11 within 15 miles of the center of West Warwick
About 6 of every 100 West Warwick residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Rhode Island.
Where West Warwick’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
10 places in West Warwick on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Rhode Island, United States
West Warwick is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,012 at the 2020 census. West Warwick was incorporated in 1913, making it the youngest town in the state. Prior to 1913, the town, situated on the western bank of the Pawtuxet River, was the population and industrial center of the larger town of Warwick. The town split because local Democratic politicians wanted to consolidate their power and isolate their section of town from the Republican-dominated farmland in the east.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with West Warwick.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C+; Cranston (B−) is closest.
| Town | RI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Warwick | #33 | C+ | C− | B | C | B− |
| Warwick | #29 | B− | C− | B | C+ | B+ |
| Coventry | #27 | B | C | B+ | B− | B+ |
| Cranston | #31 | B− | D | B | B− | B+ |
| East Greenwich | #1 | A+ | C | A− | A | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
West Warwick grades C+ overall, better than 35% of U.S. towns and #33 of 38 in Rhode Island. It grades B− for health, B for safety and C for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. Rhode Island has less crime than most states, so among its own towns West Warwick sits nearer the middle.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
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