Rhode Island’s Safest Cities of 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

According to our most recent  State of Safety report, Rhode Islanders are more concerned about their safety in general than the average American, although the state boasts some of the lowest crime rates. 

Following an increase last year, Rhode Island's violent crime rate held steady this year at 2.0 incidents per 1,000 people—the fourth-lowest in the nation. Property crime in The Ocean State saw a small increase since last year, but the overall rate stayed at 13.1 incidents per 1,000 residents, still well below the nationwide rate of 20.7 incidents per 1,000. Rhode Island ranks fifth-lowest in the US for property crime.

In contrast to the slight rise of property crime incidences, Rhode Islanders told us that they’re 20% less concerned about property crimes than they were last year. Although 73% of Americans say crime is increasing, only 64% of Rhode Islanders agreed.

• Statewide, the property crime rate (13.1) increased by around 5%, but it's still 37% below the nationwide rate (20.7).
• Burglary accounts for just 10% of property crimes in The Ocean State, which is below the national proportion of 13%.
• All 10 of the safest cities reported lower property crime rates than state and national levels.
• 22% of respondents told us they experienced a property crime in the 12 months prior to the survey, which is a 21% decrease year over year, and the eight-lowest rate in the US.
• Concern about property crime fell from 54% last year to 43%, making Rhode Island the fifth-least worried about property crime.

• 66% of survey respondents in Rhode Island are proactive about property protection (US 75%).
• The top forms of property protection in Rhode Island were security cameras (38%) and dogs (27%).
• 33% of Rhode Islanders surveyed said they increase security measures in the 12 months prior to the survey.

• 31% of survey respondents in Rhode Island reported experiencing package theft in the 12 months prior to the survey, which is below the US average of 35%.
• 49% of participants expressed a high level of concern about package theft, slightly lower than the US average of 53%.
• Of those who try to thwart package thieves (72%), the preferred methods of package protection in Rhode Island are verified delivery (30%) and doorbell cameras (27%).

Rhode Island’s violent crime rate (2.0) is 49% lower than the nationwide rate, and the fourth lowest in the country. Reports of violent crime experiences rose for the second year in a row, and Rhode Islanders are less worried about violent crime than most of the country.

• 61% of survey participants in The Ocean State said their state is a safe place to live (US 45%), a jump of 19 percentage points since our last survey.
• Rhode Island sees a smaller percentage of murders and assaults in its violent crime numbers, but its reports of rape and robbery are more prevalent compared to nationwide averages.
• Nearly half of survey respondents (48%) told us they're highly worried about violent crime—a drop from last year and 14% below the national level of concern (50%).
• 24% of Rhode Island survey participants say they use some form of personal protection (US 36%).
• The most common types of personal protection used by Rhode Island respondents this survey year were pepper spray (42%) and concealed firearms (25%).

• 41% of Rhode Islanders told us they worry about gun violence—that’s 11 percentage points lower than last year.
• While concern about gun violence dropped 21% year over year, reported experiences with it rose 86%, from 7% to 13% if respondents who reported a personal experience with gun violence (US 12%).
• In 2023, there were no mass shooting incidents in Rhode Island.
• 1 in 4 Rhode Island respondents who use some measure of personal protection, carry a concealed firearm (US 41%).
• Just 11% of respondents rely on a firearm to protect their home (US 28%).

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 18 cities met our criteria to be considered for ranking.
• Bristol and South Kingstown held on to the top 2 spots for the fifth consecutive year.
• East Providence climbed 4 spots to round out the top  safest cities in Rhode Island.
• The violent crime rate in the safest cities is 0.6 incidents per 1,000 people—70% lower than the state rate (2.0).
• All of the safest cities reported fewer than 30 violent crimes each.
• The safest cities collective reported 68% fewer robberies, proportionately, than the state overall.
• The property crime rate in the safest cities is 6.1 incidents per 1,000 people—54% lower than the state rate (13.1).
• Surprisingly, the safest cities saw a bigger proportion of burglaries (14%) than the state and the US (10% and 13%, respectively).

• Best Home Security Systems
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• Burglary Stats & Facts
• Over 50% Of All Burglaries Are Residential—How To Protect Your Family
• The Best Personal Safety Devices for Every Situation

Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.

• 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
  • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.