PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

48.6
Life Score / 100
B-
Grade (curved)
#214
of 387 metros
45%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Providence ranks #214 of 387 US metros, ahead of 45% - carried by its safety (89/100) and held back most by schools (14/100).

89
strongest: Safety
88
then: Wages
14
weakest: Schools
7
weighted dimensions

Where Providence sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

49 45th percentile higher than 45% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). This entry sits in this band. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Providence Life Score

Providence's composite score of 48.6 out of 100, a grade of B-, places the metro at rank #214 of 387, ahead of 45% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Safety (89/100) and Wages (88/100), which pull the composite upward, while Schools (14/100) and Cost of Living (15/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 101.8 (rent-RPP 103.9). BLS median salary $77,588, 683,510 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Home Health and Personal Care Aides). HUD 2BR FMR $1,527/mo (studio $1,203).

FBI UCR (RI): 155 violent, 1040 property/100K. NCES: 13.8:1 ratio, 13.3% charter. DOL infant childcare $15,433/yr. EPA: 13 Superfund sites (RI). Ranks #211-#217 below.

Dimension detail

How Providence scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 15/100 (20%)
Wages 88/100 (20%)
Rent 30/100 (15%)
Safety 89/100 (15%)
Schools 14/100 (10%)
Childcare 16/100 (10%)
Environment 72/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

101.8
Cost Index (RPP)
$77,588
Avg Median Salary
$1,527
2BR Fair Market Rent
155
Violent Crime/100K (RI)
13.8:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$15,433
Infant Childcare/yr (RI)
13
Superfund Sites (RI)
683,510
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Providence With...

Providence vs Wildwood Compare → Providence vs Waterloo Compare → Providence vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Providence outranks 45% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#211 Waterbury-Shelton, CT 48.7 B-
#212 Ogden, UT 48.7 B-
#213 Ocala, FL 48.7 B-
#214 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA 48.6 B-
#215 Savannah, GA 48.6 B-
#216 Kennewick-Richland, WA 48.5 B-
#217 Midland, TX 48.5 C+

Using Providence's Life Score

Providence is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is safety (89/100) and its weakest is schools (14/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Providence head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Providence lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Providence's biggest strengths? ▼
Providence's strongest dimensions are Safety (89/100), Wages (88/100), Environment (72/100). Safety is top-tier nationally.
What are Providence's weakest areas? ▼
Providence's lowest-scoring dimensions are Schools (14/100), Cost of Living (15/100), Childcare (16/100). Schools weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Providence compared to the national average? ▼
Providence's Regional Price Parity is 101.8 (1.8% more than national); rent RPP 103.9.
What is the average salary in Providence? ▼
Providence median salary: $77,588, 683,510 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Home Health and Personal Care Aides.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Providence's 48.6/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.