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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Newport County: 38 seats on 6 elected bodies. 38 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Cities and towns

How many local governments Newport County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 14 local governments in Newport County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of governmentCensus count (2022)Listed on this page
Cities, towns, villages and townships (1 municipal, 5 township)66
School districts (school boards)00
Special districts (elected boards)80

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 (6 in Newport 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 Newport County

84,657people
46.9median ageU.S.: 38.9
$103,514 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
8.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
54.1%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$609,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700
5.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
8.4%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
3.9%U.S.: 8.4%
49.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
30.4%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 6.7% · White 82.4% · Black 3.2% · Asian 1.7% · Other or more than one race 6% (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 Newport County

2.3%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.0%. Rhode Island: 2.9%.
961people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
40,811people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
41,772in the September 2026, preliminary.
Unemployment rate, yearly average, Newport County 0.0%2.2%4.4%6.5%8.7% 20162018202020222024

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years
MonthRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
September 2026 (preliminary)2.3%96140,81141,772
August 20262.9%1,21940,45441,673
July 20263.0%1,25940,61241,871
June 20262.6%1,07840,33841,416
May 20262.9%1,17840,14141,319
April 20262.9%1,20539,90341,108
March 20264.5%1,87040,15042,020
February 20265.5%2,29539,59241,887
January 20265.2%2,22940,36842,597
December 20254.0%1,66240,35842,020
November 20254.1%1,73740,34942,086
October 2025not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 20253.0%1,28241,69042,972
August 20253.5%1,50741,19142,698
July 20253.5%1,50641,44542,951
June 20253.4%1,44341,60343,046
May 20253.7%1,56641,29242,858
April 20253.6%1,56041,26342,823
March 20254.5%1,91140,98842,899
February 20255.5%2,35940,54442,903
January 20255.2%2,23440,82243,056
December 20243.7%1,56941,03542,604
November 20243.9%1,65140,85142,502
October 20243.5%1,48241,36442,846
Yearly averages
YearRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
2025 (11 months)4.0%1,70641,05042,756
20243.9%1,67641,14642,822
20232.8%1,17841,33942,517
20223.0%1,27341,48042,753
20215.2%2,23840,84143,079
20208.3%3,53638,88342,419
20193.2%1,38241,75443,136
20183.7%1,59241,54343,135
20174.1%1,77541,39443,169
20164.9%2,12340,89243,015

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 Newport County

112.3 per 100,0002025. Rhode Island: 144.1.
731.6 per 100,0002025. Rhode Island: 910.5.
0murders2025, 93 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
YearViolentRatePropertyRate
202593112.3606731.6
20248499.4716847.0
2023102121.1681808.4
202294110.5745876.0
2021123145.3750886.0
2020158193.3658805.0
2019109132.09891,197.5
2018127152.61,1511,382.6
2017116139.91,3161,586.8
2016116141.01,2421,510.2
By police agency (6)
AgencyYearViolentPropertyPeople served
Newport Police Department20254631924,287
Portsmouth Police Department202575217,253
Middletown Police Department20251810716,474
Tiverton Police Department2025219215,814
Jamestown Police Department20250135,471
Little Compton Police Department20251233,532

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

2.42 per 1,000 residents2023, 6 agencies serving 84,245 people.
204sworn officers2023, full-time, as of October 31.
41civilian staff2023, full-time.

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

Agencies counted (6), 2023
AgencyOfficersCiviliansPeople served
Newport Police Department761624,553
Middletown Police Department41316,749
Tiverton Police Department301116,180
Portsmouth Police Department33217,625
Jamestown Police Department1455,550
Little Compton Police Department1043,588
Earlier years
YearOfficersPer 1,000CiviliansAgencies
20232042.42416
20222012.36386
20212042.41526
20202062.52466
20192072.51436
20182082.50446
20172202.65586
20162012.44446

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 Newport County?
About 84,657 people, with a median age of 46.9; the median household income is $103,514 and 8.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Newport County?
2.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 961 people unemployed in a labor force of 41,772, against 3.0% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Newport County?
14 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 municipal, 5 township and 8 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Newport County?
6: Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth, Tiverton. 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.

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

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