With state nicknames including the "Ocean State", the "Plantation State", and "Little Rhody", the coastal New England state Rhode Island is one of the unique in the contiguous U.S. Covering a diminutive 1,545 square miles (mi²), Rhode Island is the smallest state in the country in terms of surface area. However, Rhode Island's small size enables it to boast the second-highest population density in the country at 1,074 people/mi²—higher than any state other than New Jersey (and the non-state District of Columbia)—even though its estimated 2023 population of 1,110,822 (0.33% of the U.S. total) is the 44th-largest/seventh-smallest of any state.
Providence is Rhode Island's capital and most populous city. Its estimated population of 194,801 is roughly 17.5% of the state's total population.
Rhode Island's economy is mainly based on health care, tourism, and manufacturing. Located in Newport, Rhode Island, the White Horse Tavern opened for business in 1673 and is said to be the oldest operating restaurant in the U.S. and the 10th-oldest in the world.
Rhode Island was the last of the 13 original colonies to ratify the Constitution, entering the Union in May 1790. The state has been reliably Democratic since 1928, only voting Republican four times—twice for Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956, Nixon in 1972, and Reagan in 1984, when he won every state except Minnesota. In 2020, Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by just over 20%.
Since its first participation in 1792, the Ocean State has had four electoral votes, except for the 1910s and 1920s, when it had five. It has the most electoral votes proportional to size—one for every 303 square miles. Heading into releasing the 2020 Census results, the state had been projected to lose an electoral vote.
Rhode Island Gender and Religion Statistics
The median age across the population of this state is approximately 39.9 years of age. The state's ratio of females to males is approximately 51.5% females to 48.5% males.
Regarding the most preferred religions across the Rhode Island population, 75% identify with a Christian-based faith, 5% are affiliated with non-Christian-based faiths, and 20% are unaffiliated with any religion in particular or do not practice any religion at all.
According to a 2022 study from the U.S. Census Bureau, this state's local governments consist of 39 cities, towns, villages, and 84 special districts. There are five counties in Rhode Island. Although Rhode Island is divided into counties, it has no local government at the county level.
Rhode Island was one of the 13 original States and has had nearly its present boundaries since Colonial times. However, a long-standing boundary dispute with Massachusetts involved a sizable exchange of territory when finally settled by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1862. Census coverage included all of Rhode Island from 1790 on.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Rhode Island was:
White: 77.03%
Two or more races: 6.59%
Black or African American: 6.36%
Other race: 6.1%
Asian: 3.45%
Native American: 0.41%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.06%
Muslims are under 5,000.
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