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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Providence County: 117 seats on 24 elected bodies. 5 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Cities and towns

How many local governments Providence County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 50 local governments in Providence County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of governmentCensus count (2022)Listed on this page
Cities, towns, villages and townships (6 municipal, 10 township)1616
School districts (school boards)10
Special districts (elected boards)330

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 (14 in Providence 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 Providence County

664,854people
38median ageU.S.: 38.9
$78,787 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
13.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%
32.3%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$373,600median home valueU.S.: $332,700
6.6%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
20.9%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
4%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
5.4%U.S.: 8.4%
47.3%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
32%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 25.6% · White 56.5% · Black 7% · Asian 4.2% · Other or more than one race 6.7% (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 Providence County

3.3%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.2%. Rhode Island: 2.9%.
11,512people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
339,231people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
350,743in the September 2026, preliminary.
Unemployment rate, yearly average, Providence County 0.0%2.6%5.2%7.8%10.4% 20162018202020222024

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years
MonthRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
September 2026 (preliminary)3.3%11,512339,231350,743
August 20264.3%14,910334,869349,779
July 20264.1%14,278337,523351,801
June 20263.5%12,335335,392347,727
May 20263.7%12,838333,773346,611
April 20263.7%12,741331,112343,853
March 20265.3%18,588332,749351,337
February 20266.2%21,595328,875350,470
January 20265.8%20,413334,523354,936
December 20254.9%17,307336,642353,949
November 20255.1%18,190338,697356,887
October 2025not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 20254.2%15,008345,879360,887
August 20255.1%18,280340,693358,973
July 20254.9%17,560343,908361,468
June 20254.5%16,074344,274360,348
May 20254.5%16,235341,634357,869
April 20254.4%15,626341,184356,810
March 20255.1%18,102339,153357,255
February 20255.9%21,218336,800358,018
January 20255.4%19,425338,936358,361
December 20244.5%16,056341,647357,703
November 20244.7%16,947341,914358,861
October 20244.3%15,598342,990358,588
Yearly averages
YearRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
2025 (11 months)4.9%17,548340,709358,257
20244.6%16,507341,934358,441
20233.2%11,206337,567348,773
20223.5%11,898332,286344,184
20215.9%20,285323,059343,344
20209.9%33,788308,335342,123
20193.7%12,844329,831342,675
20184.3%14,710326,813341,523
20174.7%16,102322,908339,010
20165.5%18,369317,997336,366

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 Providence County

192.6 per 100,0002024. Rhode Island: 154.8.
1,176.7 per 100,0002024. Rhode Island: 1,033.9.
18murders2024, 1,292 violent crimes in all.

2024 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.

Earlier years
YearViolentRatePropertyRate
20241,292192.67,8931,176.7
20231,385210.58,6061,307.7
20221,443220.110,3271,575.0
20211,693256.49,8811,496.2
20201,897297.19,5391,494.1
20191,866292.411,6561,826.7
20181,838288.612,4641,957.1
20171,958307.712,8732,022.9
20162,060324.713,2252,084.5
By police agency (16)
AgencyYearViolentPropertyPeople served
Providence Police Department20255613,060195,376
Cranston Police Department20257574484,734
Pawtucket Police Department202517394977,252
East Providence Police Department20243532447,555
Woonsocket Police Department202516465644,779
Cumberland Police Department20251714937,735
North Providence Police Department20253422134,901
Johnston Police Department20253924730,522
Lincoln Police Department20252324723,727
Central Falls Police Department20256318123,119
Smithfield Police Department20251417822,605
Burrillville Police Department202465116,728
North Smithfield Police Department2025613612,957
Scituate Police Department202551210,816
Glocester Police Department202541110,632
Foster Police Department2025374,636

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

1.94 per 1,000 residents2023, 16 agencies serving 658,087 people.
1,274sworn officers2023, full-time, as of October 31.
275civilian staff2023, full-time.

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

Agencies counted (16), 2023
AgencyOfficersCiviliansPeople served
Providence Police Department42781189,590
Pawtucket Police Department1503175,100
Cranston Police Department1412882,484
Woonsocket Police Department951842,973
East Providence Police Department911946,663
North Providence Police Department601533,880
Johnston Police Department601429,584
Smithfield Police Department451521,997
Cumberland Police Department451036,502
Central Falls Police Department35822,534
Lincoln Police Department32722,731
North Smithfield Police Department27412,464
Burrillville Police Department24416,440
Scituate Police Department16810,457
Glocester Police Department17610,207
Foster Police Department974,481
Earlier years
YearOfficersPer 1,000CiviliansAgencies
20231,2741.9427516
20221,2591.9226016
20211,2971.9626816
20201,2721.9927316
20191,2872.0228316
20181,2661.9928816
20171,2702.0029516
20161,2631.9928716

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 Providence County?
About 664,854 people, with a median age of 38; the median household income is $78,787 and 13.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Providence County?
3.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 11,512 people unemployed in a labor force of 350,743, against 4.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Providence County?
50 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 6 municipal, 10 township, 1 school district and 33 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Providence County?
24: Burrillville, Central Falls, Cranston, Cranston, Cumberland, Cumberland, East Providence, East Providence, Foster, Glocester, Johnston, Johnston, Lincoln, North Providence, North Providence, North Smithfield, Pawtucket, Pawtucket, Providence, Providence, Scituate, Smithfield, Woonsocket, Woonsocket. 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.

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

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