Bristol County, RI elected officials: mayors and town and city councils

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Bristol County: 10 seats on 2 elected bodies.

Cities and towns

How many local governments Bristol County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 8 local governments in Bristol County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of governmentCensus count (2022)Listed on this page
Cities, towns, villages and townships (0 municipal, 3 township)32
School districts (school boards)10
Special districts (elected boards)40

Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).

About these counts

The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments (1 in Bristol County), though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.

Who lives in Bristol County

50,490people
44.2median ageU.S.: 38.9
$114,490 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
6.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
53%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$513,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700
3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
9.7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
5.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
2.3%U.S.: 8.4%
45.8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
29.1%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4.2% · White 88.3% · Black 1% · Asian 2.6% · Other or more than one race 3.9% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)

Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).

About these figures

The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.

Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.

Jobs in Bristol County

2.4%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.9%. Rhode Island: 2.9%.
623people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
25,697people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
26,320in the September 2026, preliminary.
Unemployment rate, yearly average, Bristol County 0.0%1.9%3.9%5.8%7.8% 20162018202020222024

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years
MonthRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
September 2026 (preliminary)2.4%62325,69726,320
August 20262.9%76725,49426,261
July 20262.9%75925,66626,425
June 20262.6%67525,47326,148
May 20262.8%72625,33726,063
April 20262.5%65525,06825,723
March 20263.9%1,03325,24126,274
February 20264.9%1,27824,93626,214
January 20264.4%1,18425,42726,611
December 20253.5%91825,50026,418
November 20253.8%1,00825,56026,568
October 2025not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 20252.9%79126,23327,024
August 20253.5%95425,93526,889
July 20253.5%94826,19627,144
June 20253.2%87826,20427,082
May 20253.4%90326,01226,915
April 20253.2%84725,91126,758
March 20253.7%98625,72926,715
February 20254.7%1,24925,54826,797
January 20254.4%1,18225,71126,893
December 20243.3%89125,88526,776
November 20243.5%94825,86326,811
October 20243.4%90726,08826,995
Yearly averages
YearRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
2025 (11 months)3.6%96925,86726,836
20243.5%94625,97226,918
20232.5%66826,10926,777
20222.7%70925,87226,581
20214.7%1,26825,47426,742
20207.4%1,93824,26426,202
20193.0%79325,94826,741
20183.4%91825,76626,684
20173.9%1,03125,59026,621
20164.7%1,24425,31326,557

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Rhode Island's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.6% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.

Crime reported in Bristol County

68.1 per 100,0002025. Rhode Island: 144.1.
374.7 per 100,0002025. Rhode Island: 910.5.
0murders2025, 34 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
YearViolentRatePropertyRate
20253468.1187374.7
20243262.9252495.7
20232651.7236469.0
20224588.5250491.9
20214284.1279558.6
20202653.9282585.0
20193878.2329677.2
20183674.0317651.8
20174183.6361735.8
20163469.5444907.8
By police agency (3)
AgencyYearViolentPropertyPeople served
Bristol Police Department2025105421,874
Barrington Police Department202567416,967
Warren Police Department2025185911,065

Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in Rhode Island · the U.S.

Police staffing

1.71 per 1,000 residents2023, 3 agencies serving 50,316 people.
86sworn officers2023, full-time, as of October 31.
23civilian staff2023, full-time.

2023 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.

Agencies counted (3), 2023
AgencyOfficersCiviliansPeople served
Bristol Police Department35722,024
Warren Police Department27811,143
Barrington Police Department24817,149
Earlier years
YearOfficersPer 1,000CiviliansAgencies
2023861.71233
2022921.81173
2021831.66213
2020901.87213
2019911.87223
2018861.77213
2017871.77213
2016831.70223

Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.

Quick answers

What is the population of Bristol County?
About 50,490 people, with a median age of 44.2; the median household income is $114,490 and 6.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Bristol County?
2.4% in September 2026 (preliminary): 623 people unemployed in a labor force of 26,320, against 2.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Bristol County?
8 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 3 township, 1 school district and 4 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Bristol County?
2: Barrington, Warren. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Rhode Island Department of State's Government Directory of city and town officials; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.

Bristol County's 2026 ballot and results · Every Rhode Island county (no county government) · Rhode Island's members of Congress

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