Most Americans have never been to small town Rhode Island. However, as the Rhode Islander who live there know, small town Rhode Island is an awesome place to call home.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Rhode Island has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Ocean State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.
After analyzing more than 10 of Rhode Island’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Rhode Island where you’d never want to live:
9.7% unemployment · $62,535 median income
5.4% unemployment · $101,932 median income
Data | Movers
0.0% unemployment · $120,235 median income
1.7% unemployment · $92,971 median income
7.5% unemployment · $82,192 median income
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
4.1% unemployment · $102,266 median income
8.8% unemployment · $121,369 median income
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
3.0% unemployment · $103,707 median income
1.7% unemployment · $140,196 median income
4.5% unemployment · $120,250 median income
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Rhode Island’s statewide median.
Rhode Island statewide median: $499,272
Rhode Island statewide median: $87,796
Rhode Island statewide median: 5.8%
On the map
Where Rhode Island’s worst small towns are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Rhode Island is lousy or not?
To rank the worst small towns to live in Rhode Island, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.
We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.
Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (The lower, the worse)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
- Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
- Education (Number of high school dropouts)
- High Crime
We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 10 to be exact.
We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2026, which is our eleventh time ranking the worst small places to live in Rhode Island.
The full plate
Worst Small Towns In Rhode Island
Click any column to sort. Search by town name.
| Rank | Town | Population | Unemployment Rate | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harrisville | 1,767 | 9.7% | $438,499 | $62,535 |
| 2 | Hope Valley | 2,297 | 5.4% | $552,756 | $101,932 |
| 3 | Harmony | 1,006 | 0.0% | $421,701 | $120,235 |
| 4 | Chepachet | 1,923 | 1.7% | $345,118 | $92,971 |
| 5 | Narragansett Pier | 3,167 | 7.5% | $1,051,534 | $82,192 |
| 6 | Melville | 1,631 | 4.1% | $0 | $102,266 |
| 7 | Pascoag | 4,410 | 8.8% | $450,851 | $121,369 |
| 8 | Ashaway | 1,722 | 3.0% | $424,418 | $103,707 |
| 9 | Carolina | 1,048 | 1.7% | $489,637 | $140,196 |
| 10 | Bradford | 1,511 | 4.5% | $426,342 | $120,250 |
Source: FBI crime data + U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 10 Rhode Island towns between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Rhode Island
If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Ocean State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
The worst small towns in Rhode Island are Harrisville, Hope Valley, Harmony, Chepachet, Narragansett Pier, Melville, Pascoag, Ashaway, Carolina, and Bradford. Not sold on Rhode Island? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Worst Small Towns In Rhode Island FAQs
What is the worst small town in Rhode Island?
Harrisville is the worst small town in Rhode Island for 2026, according to the data. The median household income there is $62,535 and unemployment sits at 9.7%.
What are the worst small towns in Rhode Island?
The worst small towns in Rhode Island are Harrisville, Hope Valley, Harmony, Chepachet, Narragansett Pier, Melville, Pascoag, Ashaway, Carolina, and Bradford. We ranked all 10 Rhode Island towns with between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Why does Harrisville rank as the worst small town?
Harrisville posts the worst combined score on the measures we track: unemployment at 9.7%, a median income of $62,535, and a median home value of $438,499. Low housing demand and dropout rates factor in too.
Which small town in Rhode Island came out best?
Bradford lands at the bottom of the worst-towns ranking, which makes it the best of the 10 small towns we scored. Our separate best small towns in Rhode Island ranking covers the happier end in detail.
How serious is this ranking?
The data is real — density, unemployment, housing demand, income, dropouts, and crime — but the framing is infotainment. If you love your small town, the numbers will not change that; they just say times are tougher in these 10 places.
