Bristol County, Rhode Island
The least populous of Rhode Island's 5 counties.
CountyFIPS 44001
- Population
- 50,001
- -780 (-1.5%) since 2020
- Land area
- 24.1
- square miles. A further 46.1% of the total area is water
- Population density
- 2,072
- people per square mile, computed rather than published
- County seat
- Bristol
- Bristol County has no county government.
- Established
- 1747
- 278 years ago
- Largest city
- Not available
- No incorporated place lies within this county.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; Wikidata (CC0), Wikidata. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
Satellite view
Aerial imagery of Bristol County with its boundary drawn on top. A map shows you the shape; this shows you what is inside it, and which side of the line a place falls on.
Where Bristol County ranks
Position among the 5 counties of Rhode Island, and among all 3,144 US counties and county-equivalents. Computed from the figures on this page.
| Measure | Value | In Rhode Island | Nationally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 50,001 | 5th of 5 | 1,014th of 3,144 |
| Land area | 24.1 sq mi | 5th of 5 | 3,115th of 3,144 |
| Population density | 2,072 per sq mi | 1st of 5 | 70th of 3,144 |
| Median household income | $114,490 | 1st of 5 | 71st of 3,143 |
Full data for Bristol County
| Measure | Value | Source and vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 50,001 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Population in 2020 | 50,781 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| 2020 estimates base? | 50,789 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Land area | 24.1 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Water area | 20.6 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Total area | 44.7 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Population density? | 2,072 per sq mi | Computed: Vintage 2025 estimates divided by 2025 Gazetteer land area |
| Median household income | $114,490 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median home value | $513,800 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median age | 44.2 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Households | 20,104 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Housing units | 21,615 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026. Population density is computed here, not published: it divides the Vintage 2025 population estimate by the 2025 Gazetteer land area, which are two different Census products. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
How the population changed
The Census Bureau publishes the components behind an estimate, not just the total. For the year to July 2025:
- Births minus deaths
- -206
- 304 births, 510 deaths
- Net migration
- +57
- More people moved in than moved out.
Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
The 4 areas bordering Bristol County
Ordered by the length of the border actually shared, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which no other county reference presents.
| Bordering area | State | Shared border | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newport County | Rhode Island | 11 mi | 83,051 |
| Bristol County | Massachusetts | 8.4 mi | 593,640 |
| Kent County | Rhode Island | 4.1 mi | 173,495 |
| Providence County | Rhode Island | 3.8 mi | 678,179 |
Source: US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
All 5 counties of Rhode Island
Open the interactive Rhode Island county map, or jump straight to any of them.
Data on this page last rebuilt 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.