Fastest Growing Cities in Rhode Island (2026)

City
Rank
Annual Change
2026 Pop.
2020 Pop.
Glocester11.13%10,7329,984
Lincoln21.05%23,96222,497
North Smithfield30.92%13,10912,584
Burrillville40.76%17,05616,143
Woonsocket50.7%44,89243,160
West Warwick60.67%31,69930,992
Foster70.61%4,6564,466
Portsmouth80.53%17,56617,837
Coventry90.5%36,46135,730
Smithfield100.49%22,73622,116
Scituate110.48%10,81910,363
Central Falls120.48%23,23422,552
Providence130.45%196,192190,713
Cranston140.45%85,02682,792
Cumberland150.44%37,78036,377
Pawtucket160.44%77,40375,514
Johnston170.43%30,62629,588
East Providence180.42%48,45247,046
North Providence190.32%34,94634,119
West Greenwich200.3%6,7706,532
East Greenwich210.27%14,83014,305
Warwick220.17%84,32782,860
North Kingstown230.14%27,92527,702
New Shoreham240.14%1,4101,404
Richmond250.06%8,1338,053
South Kingstown260%32,00931,928
Hopkinton27-0.01%8,3928,392
Jamestown28-0.11%5,4745,551
Bristol29-0.24%21,91822,475
Warren30-0.33%11,03311,155
Westerly31-0.34%23,06123,327
Barrington32-0.34%16,90317,151
Exeter33-0.37%6,5166,463
Charlestown34-0.37%7,9727,995
Little Compton35-0.42%3,5203,613
Narragansett36-0.54%14,21414,511
Middletown37-0.59%16,40517,059
Newport38-0.71%24,07825,103
Tiverton39-0.75%15,69016,335

Rhode Island Growth Overview

Rhode Island's cities with over 1,000 residents show varied growth patterns from 2020 to 2025. Glocester leads with 1.13% annualized growth, followed by Lincoln (1.05%) and North Smithfield (0.92%). The largest population centers are Providence (196,192), Cranston (85,026), and Warwick (84,327). Of the 39 cities over 1,000 population, 26 are growing while 13 experienced population decline. Overall, cities averaged 0.18% annualized growth, with total urban population growing by 1.96% annually.