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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Washington County: 45 seats on 9 elected bodies.

Cities and towns

How many local governments Washington County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 38 local governments in Washington 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, 9 township)99
School districts (school boards)20
Special districts (elected boards)270

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 (5 in Washington 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 Washington County

130,344people
45.5median ageU.S.: 38.9
$106,638 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
8.2%below the U.S.: 12.5%
52.4%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$510,800median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
5%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.1%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
2%U.S.: 8.4%
51.3%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
28.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 3.8% · White 88.9% · Black 1.2% · Asian 2.1% · Other or more than one race 4% (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 Washington County

2.2%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.8%. Rhode Island: 2.9%.
1,523people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
66,556people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
68,079in the September 2026, preliminary.
Unemployment rate, yearly average, Washington County 0.0%2.1%4.1%6.2%8.3% 20162018202020222024

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years
MonthRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
September 2026 (preliminary)2.2%1,52366,55668,079
August 20262.9%1,95765,84667,803
July 20262.8%1,91966,15868,077
June 20262.5%1,71665,74067,456
May 20262.8%1,86565,42767,292
April 20262.6%1,71465,06866,782
March 20264.1%2,80665,42868,234
February 20265.1%3,49364,54568,038
January 20264.6%3,17965,74468,923
December 20253.6%2,43865,84968,287
November 20253.9%2,68865,95568,643
October 2025not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 20252.8%1,93467,94869,882
August 20253.4%2,39067,04169,431
July 20253.4%2,35367,47069,823
June 20253.2%2,26567,71769,982
May 20253.4%2,33267,20469,536
April 20253.2%2,22667,20069,426
March 20253.9%2,70166,77869,479
February 20254.9%3,37366,08969,462
January 20254.5%3,11966,53769,656
December 20243.3%2,30066,93169,231
November 20243.5%2,40166,70969,110
October 20243.3%2,26567,35969,624
Yearly averages
YearRateUnemployedEmployedLabor force
2025 (11 months)3.6%2,52966,89069,419
20243.5%2,42967,04969,478
20232.5%1,74566,99668,741
20222.9%1,97966,60368,582
20215.0%3,39465,16968,563
20207.9%5,26961,60566,874
20193.2%2,16365,87068,033
20183.7%2,48165,37667,857
20174.1%2,81064,91467,724
20165.0%3,34964,02667,375

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 Washington County

59.5 per 100,0002023. Rhode Island: 167.5.
531.9 per 100,0002023. Rhode Island: 1,115.0.
2murders2023, 78 violent crimes in all.

2023 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
20237859.5697531.9
20228766.3675514.2
20208467.2849678.8
20198769.0921730.6
20187156.31,010801.5
20177761.01,194946.4
20168365.71,2841,015.8
By police agency (8)
AgencyYearViolentPropertyPeople served
South Kingstown Police Department20251111932,084
North Kingstown Police Department20251515927,950
Westerly Police Department20241521523,540
Narragansett Police Department202525414,360
Hopkinton Police Department20254168,425
Richmond Police Department20251218,151
Charlestown Police Department20258238,054
New Shoreham Police Department20221101,423

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

2.10 per 1,000 residents2023, 8 agencies serving 124,252 people.
261sworn officers2023, full-time, as of October 31.
84civilian staff2023, full-time.

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

Agencies counted (8), 2023
AgencyOfficersCiviliansPeople served
North Kingstown Police Department561727,943
South Kingstown Police Department581432,225
Westerly Police Department501923,364
Narragansett Police Department401314,545
Charlestown Police Department2168,096
Richmond Police Department1558,216
Hopkinton Police Department1458,449
New Shoreham Police Department751,414
Earlier years
YearOfficersPer 1,000CiviliansAgencies
20232612.10848
20222512.02798
20212421.96698
20202462.07698
20192442.04748
20182412.02718
20172351.97688
20162341.95708

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 Washington County?
About 130,344 people, with a median age of 45.5; the median household income is $106,638 and 8.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Washington County?
2.2% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,523 people unemployed in a labor force of 68,079, against 2.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Washington County?
38 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 9 township, 2 school district and 27 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Washington County?
9: Charlestown, Exeter, Hopkinton, Narragansett, New Shoreham, North Kingstown, Richmond, South Kingstown, Westerly. 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.

Every Rhode Island county (no county government) · Rhode Island's members of Congress

See your members of Congress and every race and measure on your ballot in Washington County, from your address. Your address stays in your browser.Look up my races

See something wrong on this page? Report a problem · Corrections