South Kingstown is a 56.37-square-mile Rhode Island community with a July 1, 2025 population estimate of 32,009. The figures below place its recent population history, residents, housing, household resources, and economy in context, with each measurement period kept explicit.
Contents
- Population and geographic scale
- Age, sex, race, and background
- Households, housing, and mobility
- Education, technology, and health
- Income, poverty, and employment
- Business activity and transportation
- A second housing-cost perspective
Population and geographic scale
The U.S. Census QuickFacts series provides several useful reference points for South Kingstown’s population. Its April 1, 2020 population estimate base was 31,930, while the 2020 census counted 31,931 people. The 2010 census counted 30,639 residents. QuickFacts reports that the population changed by 0.2% from the April 1, 2020 base to July 1, 2025.
The more recent estimates show a small movement within that broader period. The July 1, 2024 population estimate was 32,094, compared with 32,009 on July 1, 2025. These are estimates for the specified dates, not new decennial census counts.
| Population or geographic measure | Figure | Period or reference |
|---|---|---|
| Population estimate | 32,009 | July 1, 2025 |
| Population estimate | 32,094 | July 1, 2024 |
| Census population | 31,931 | 2020 census |
| Census population | 30,639 | 2010 census |
| Population estimate base | 31,930 | April 1, 2020 |
| Land area | 56.37 square miles | 2020 |
| Population density | 566.5 people per square mile | 2020 |
| Population density | 542.8 people per square mile | 2010 |
The U.S. Census QuickFacts density figures rose from 542.8 people per square mile in 2010 to 566.5 in 2020. Read alongside the land-area figure, that describes a community whose population is distributed across more than 56 square miles rather than concentrated in a small urban footprint.
Age, sex, race, and background
South Kingstown’s age profile includes a substantial older-adult population. Residents age 65 and over represented 23.0% of the population, while residents under age 18 represented 14.0%. Children under age 5 accounted for 3.8%. Together, these measures help distinguish the population’s age groups, though they should not be added together because they describe overlapping boundaries only in the sense that they are separate age categories within the whole population.
Female persons made up 52.5% of the population, according to U.S. Census QuickFacts.
QuickFacts reports the following race and ethnicity measures:
- White alone: 86.7%.
- Black or African American alone: 3.4%.
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 1.0%.
- Asian alone: 3.6%.
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.1%.
- Two or more races: 3.7%.
- Hispanic or Latino: 5.5%.
- White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 84.7%.
These categories are reported as population shares by the U.S. Census QuickFacts source. Race and Hispanic or Latino origin are separate statistical concepts in Census reporting, so the percentages should not be treated as a single mutually exclusive list or summed as though they were one classification system.
The community also included 1,283 veterans in the 2020–2024 estimates. Foreign-born residents represented 6.4% of the population. Language use provides another measure of background: 7.6% of residents age 5 and over spoke a language other than English at home.
Households, housing, and mobility
U.S. Census QuickFacts estimated 11,360 households for 2020–2024. The average household size was 2.31 persons. Residential continuity was high: 88.2% of people age 1 and over lived in the same house one year earlier, using the same 2020–2024 estimate period.
Homeownership was also high by the QuickFacts measure. The owner-occupied housing unit rate was 75.4%. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $560,200. Housing costs varied according to whether the owner had a mortgage:
| Housing measure | Figure | Period or reference |
|---|---|---|
| Owner-occupied housing unit rate | 75.4% | U.S. Census QuickFacts |
| Median value of owner-occupied units | $560,200 | U.S. Census QuickFacts |
| Median monthly owner costs with a mortgage | $2,388 | U.S. Census QuickFacts |
| Median monthly owner costs without a mortgage | $994 | U.S. Census QuickFacts |
| Median gross rent | $1,368 | U.S. Census QuickFacts |
| Households | 11,360 | 2020–2024 estimates |
| Persons per household | 2.31 | U.S. Census QuickFacts |
The median gross rent was $1,368 in the QuickFacts figures. These medians describe different housing-cost groups and should not be combined into a single typical monthly cost for all South Kingstown residents.
Education, technology, and health
Educational attainment was high among South Kingstown residents age 25 and over. U.S. Census QuickFacts reports that 95.9% had at least a high school diploma, and 60.3% held a bachelor’s degree or higher. Those measures use the age-25-and-over population, not all residents.
Digital access was widespread in the 2020–2024 estimates. Computers were present in 96.4% of households, while 93.3% had a broadband internet subscription. The two figures measure related but distinct household conditions: having a computer is not the same as subscribing to broadband service.
Health-related QuickFacts measures show that 6.4% of residents under age 65 had a disability. Among residents under age 65, 2.0% were without health insurance. These are age-limited measures and should not be interpreted as percentages of the entire population.
The local profile combines high rates of educational attainment and household connectivity with measurable needs related to disability and insurance coverage. The statistics do not identify individual circumstances, but they do show why community history and heritage work takes place within a population with varied ages, resources, and access needs.
Income, poverty, and employment
The median household income was $108,960 in 2020–2024 dollars, according to U.S. Census QuickFacts. Per capita income was $48,310 in 2020–2024 dollars. The inflation-adjusted dollar designation is important: these figures are expressed in the stated dollar basis rather than presented as an undated nominal amount.
Despite the relatively high median income, 8.9% of residents were in poverty in the same QuickFacts profile. A median describes the middle household, while a poverty share describes the proportion below the applicable poverty threshold; the measures answer different questions and are not contradictory.
Labor-force participation was 56.2% for residents age 16 and over. For women age 16 and over, the civilian labor-force participation rate was 52.2%. Mean travel time to work was 25.0 minutes. These measures describe participation and commuting, not the number of jobs located within South Kingstown or the employment status of every resident.
The following figures summarize the household and individual economic measures:
- Median household income: $108,960 in 2020–2024 dollars (U.S. Census QuickFacts).
- Per capita income: $48,310 in 2020–2024 dollars (U.S. Census QuickFacts).
- Residents in poverty: 8.9% (U.S. Census QuickFacts).
- Civilian labor-force participation among residents age 16 and over: 56.2% (U.S. Census QuickFacts).
- Civilian labor-force participation among women age 16 and over: 52.2% (U.S. Census QuickFacts).
- Mean travel time to work: 25.0 minutes (U.S. Census QuickFacts).
Business activity and transportation
The U.S. Census QuickFacts economic measures use 2022 dollar totals for selected industries. Retail sales totaled $472,361 thousand in 2022, equivalent to $472.361 million when the reported unit is converted from thousands. Retail sales per capita were $14,729 in 2022.
Health care and social assistance receipts or revenue totaled $439,591 thousand in 2022. Accommodation and food services sales totaled $132,328 thousand in 2022. The categories measure different kinds of activity, and the reported totals should not be interpreted as a complete measure of the town’s economy.
| Selected economic measure | Reported figure | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Retail sales | $472,361 thousand | 2022 |
| Retail sales per capita | $14,729 | 2022 |
| Health care and social assistance receipts/revenue | $439,591 thousand | 2022 |
| Accommodation and food services sales | $132,328 thousand | 2022 |
| Mean travel time to work | 25.0 minutes | QuickFacts |
For a local-history audience, these figures offer a present-day economic frame around South Kingstown’s heritage. Retail, food service, and health care activity each describe a different way that residents and visitors use the community, while the commute figure points to the daily travel patterns of the working population.
A second housing-cost perspective
The 2022 Housing Fact Book from HousingWorks RI at RWU reports a different set of housing figures for South Kingstown. Its median owner household income was $122,772. Median monthly owner cost was $3,069 for owners with a mortgage and $1,004 for owners without a mortgage. Median gross rent was $1,352.
| HousingWorks RI at RWU measure | Figure | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Median owner household income | $122,772 | 2022 Housing Fact Book |
| Median monthly owner cost with a mortgage | $3,069 | 2022 Housing Fact Book |
| Median monthly owner cost without a mortgage | $1,004 | 2022 Housing Fact Book |
| Median gross rent | $1,352 | 2022 Housing Fact Book |
These figures are best read as a separate 2022 Housing Fact Book snapshot rather than substituted into the U.S. Census QuickFacts series. For example, the Housing Fact Book median gross rent was $1,352, while the QuickFacts median gross rent was $1,368; the difference may reflect the source’s period, methodology, or underlying estimate, and the supplied figures do not establish a reason. Keeping the source labels and periods visible avoids treating the two snapshots as if they were one measurement.
The two housing perspectives also show why date and source matter when describing South Kingstown. QuickFacts reports a $560,200 median value for owner-occupied housing units and a 75.4% owner-occupied housing unit rate, while the 2022 Housing Fact Book reports owner income and monthly-cost measures. Together, they provide multiple indicators of housing conditions without turning unlike measures into unsupported totals or trends.