The 10 Rhode Island Cities With The Largest Native American Population For 2023


We used data and science to determine the cities in Rhode Island with the largest Native American population.

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Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in Rhode Island with the largest Native American population.

There are three major races in America that come to most of our minds right away:

  1. White
  2. Hispanic
  3. African American

But those are only the major races, there's a whole bunch of other races people are interested in knowing about.

And today, we are going to look at the percent of the population in Rhode Island that are Native American.

Native Americans are not a major portion of the current American Population, but they are still very important.

There are now over 2 million people who identify as Native American living in America, making up .65% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Native American population in Rhode Island is 2,968 - at 0.3% of the total population of Rhode Island.

So, what how does the Native American population stratify across Rhode Island? Which cities and towns in Rhode Island have seen the greatest increase in their Native American population?

The 10 Cities In Rhode Island With The Largest Native American Population For 2023

  1. Newport
  2. Woonsocket
  3. Kingston
  4. Providence
  5. Narragansett Pier
  6. Newport East
  7. Tiverton
  8. Pawtucket
  9. Westerly
  10. Cranston

Which city in Rhode Island had the largest Native American population?

Newport took the number one over all spot for the largest Native American population in Rhode Island for 2023. 1.01% of Newport identify as Native American.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.

To see where Rhode Island ranked as a state on diversity, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in America.

And if you already knew these places were Native American, check out the best places to live in Rhode Island or the most diverse places in Rhode Island.

For more Rhode Island reading, check out:

Cities In Rhode Island With The Largest Native American Population For 2023

Newport, RI

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 25,322
% Native American: 1.01%
# Of Native American Residents: 256
Percent Change Since 2010: 1322.22%
More on Newport: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Woonsocket, RI

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 43,044
% Native American: 0.6%
# Of Native American Residents: 257
Percent Change Since 2010: 247.3%
More on Woonsocket: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Kingston, RI

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 6,496
% Native American: 0.49%
# Of Native American Residents: 32
Percent Change Since 2010: 60.0%
More on Kingston: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Providence, RI

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 188,812
% Native American: 0.49%
# Of Native American Residents: 916
Percent Change Since 2010: -17.55%
More on Providence: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Narragansett Pier, RI

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,265
% Native American: 0.37%
# Of Native American Residents: 12
Percent Change Since 2010: inf%
More on Narragansett Pier: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Newport East, RI

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 11,903
% Native American: 0.26%
# Of Native American Residents: 31
Percent Change Since 2010: inf%
More on Newport East: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Tiverton, RI

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 8,240
% Native American: 0.24%
# Of Native American Residents: 20
Percent Change Since 2010: -75.61%
More on Tiverton: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Pawtucket, RI

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 75,200
% Native American: 0.23%
# Of Native American Residents: 170
Percent Change Since 2010: 261.7%
More on Pawtucket: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Westerly, RI

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 18,241
% Native American: 0.18%
# Of Native American Residents: 32
Percent Change Since 2010: -84.98%
More on Westerly: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Cranston, RI

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 82,654
% Native American: 0.15%
# Of Native American Residents: 126
Percent Change Since 2010: -75.91%
More on Cranston: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Rhode Island With The Largest Native American Population For 2023

We still believe in the accuracy of data -- especially from the census. So that's where we went to get the breakdown of race across Rhode Island.

That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2017-2021 American Community Survey data from the US Census.

Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:

  • Hispanic or Latino
  • White alone*
  • Black or African American alone*
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
  • Asian alone*
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
  • Some other race alone*
  • Two or more races*
* Not Hispanic or latino

Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as American Indian and Alaska Native alone.

We limited our analysis to places with a population greater than 3,000 people. That left us with 17 cities.

We then calculated the percent of residents that are American Indian and Alaska Native. The percentages ranked from 1.01% to 0.0%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of American Indian and Alaska Native population with a higher score being more American Indian and Alaska Native than a lower score. Newport took the distinction of being the most American Indian and Alaska Native, while Valley Falls was the least Native American city.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Rhode Island ranked by population of American Indian and Alaska Native residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

Summary: Native American Populations Across Rhode Island

If you're looking for a breakdown of Native American populations across Rhode Island according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the least Native American places in Rhode Island:

  1. Valley Falls
  2. Pascoag
  3. Cumberland Hill

For more Rhode Island reading, check out:

What Are The Most Native American Places In Rhode Island?

Rank City % Native American Population
1 Newport 1.01% 25,322
2 Woonsocket 0.6% 43,044
3 Kingston 0.49% 6,496
4 Providence 0.49% 188,812
5 Narragansett Pier 0.37% 3,265
6 Newport East 0.26% 11,903
7 Tiverton 0.24% 8,240
8 Pawtucket 0.23% 75,200
9 Westerly 0.18% 18,241
10 Cranston 0.15% 82,654
11 Central Falls 0.13% 22,192
12 Warwick 0.07% 82,666
13 East Providence 0.07% 47,171
14 Greenville 0.02% 8,955
15 Cumberland Hill 0.0% 8,925
16 Pascoag 0.0% 4,471
17 Valley Falls 0.0% 12,064

How Is The Area In ?

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.