Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Westerly grades A− overall, 20th among Rhode Island's 38 graded towns. It is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $634K, 7.3 years of the Providence metro’s $87K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 17 places on the National Register. 30% of working residents work locally in Westerly, where Rhode Island’s towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Flying Horse Carousel and Babcock-Smith House. Among 38 Rhode Island towns, just 3 have a higher median age than Westerly.
Flying Horse Carousel is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 2,298 in 1790, 23,359 in 2020. The archive holds 42 old photos and papers going back to 1676 and 5 maps from 1889 on.
17 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Rhode Island), ordered by how far Westerly is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Westerly. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi MuseumThe Breakers
30 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
28 mi MuseumMarble House
19 mi Stadium & arenaMohegan Sun Arena
28 mi MuseumThe Elms
9 mi MuseumMystic SeaportThe Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · Marble House: [email protected], Public domain · Mohegan Sun Arena: Bbjeter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Elms: The original uploader was Daderot at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mystic Seaport: Joethon, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Westerly, 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 Westerly.
Westerly sends many workers across the state line to Groton and has less housing insecurity than most of Rhode Island, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Its widest gap with Rhode Island is housing insecurity: 7.8% of its 16,526 adults worry about keeping their housing, against 13.1% statewide.
29% of Westerly adults feel lonely. Westerly beats the Rhode Island average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 86% of Westerly adults had a checkup this year.
| Westerly | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 86% | 85% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 35% |
| What stands out | Westerly | RI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.8% | 13.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.2% | 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 Westerly school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Westerly High School, with 650 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westerly Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 639 | C+ |
| Westerly High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 650 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within RI on state tests and graduation
55 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Atlantic Beach Amusement Park, at 25 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Atlantic Beach Amusement Park | — | 25 |
| 2. Wilcox Park | 0.1 mi | 16 |
| 3. Cimalore Field | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
26% of working residents cross a state line to work, Groton among the top destinations.
About one in 3 of Westerly’s working residents works in town. 5.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Westerly. The top destinations are Groton (9%), Stonington (5%) and Providence (5%).
| Westerly | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $99,000 | $105,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 269 to 145 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 15 reported in 2024, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
Rhode Island has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Westerly sits closer to the middle.
| Westerly | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 9.1 per 1,000 residents | 6.8 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Typical home values rose 8.8% in the year to September 2026.
| Westerly | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,257 a month | $1,371 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 76% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
704 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 51 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 704 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Westerly.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Westerly has chilly winters and pleasant summers. Westerly’s July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 26% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 19% of residents (24% statewide). 46% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 38% across Rhode Island.
| Westerly | Rhode Island towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 14% | 18% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 21% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 46% | 37% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2 points. Across Rhode Island, 50.9% of residents are women. Among residents 25 to 34, 68% are men (RI 51%). Median age: women 54.9, men 47.6.
| Westerly | RI | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.5% | 10% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.9% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.4% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.9% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.5% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.7% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.7% | 13.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.9% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.5% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.8% | 10.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.9% | 26.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.8% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.7% | 8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.1% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.7% | 15.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of Westerly
About 5 of every 100 Westerly residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Rhode Island.
Coastal flooding makes up 10% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
15% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, so the town is fuller in summer than its census count suggests.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
17 places in Westerly on the National Register of Historic Places.
34 notable people were born in Westerly.
Town in Rhode Island
Westerly is a town on the southwestern coastline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661, and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. The Town of Westerly is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state with a population of 23,359 as of the 2020 census. The western and northern borders of Westerly are defined by a natural border of the Pawcatuck River, with the bordering town of Hopkinton defined by the Pawcatuck River, while holding a straight border to the east with Charlestown. The Pawcatuck River flows on the western border of Westerly, and was once renowned for its own species of Westerly salmon, three of which are displayed on the town'…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Westerly.
| Town | RI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westerly | #20 | A− | C− | B+ | B | A |
| Hopkinton | #17 | A− | C | A | B+ | A |
| Bradford | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ashaway | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Charlestown | #16 | A | C | A− | B+ | A |
Bradford and Ashaway aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Westerly with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Westerly grades A− overall, better than 78% of U.S. towns and #20 of 38 in Rhode Island. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and B 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 Westerly sits nearer the middle.
34 notable people were born here, including Ruth Buzzi and Billy Gilman.
