Rhode Island Demographics

The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Providence County, in the city of Cranston.[24] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2005, Rhode Island had an estimated population of 1,076,189, which is a decrease of 3,727, or 0.3%, from the prior year and an increase of 27,870, or 2.7%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 15,220 people (that is 66,973 births minus 51,753 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 14,001 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 18,965 people, and migration within the country produced a net decrease of 4,964 people.

The five largest ancestry groups in Rhode Island are: Italian (19%), Irish (18.4%), French-Canadian (17.3%),[25] English (12%), and Portuguese (8.7%).

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 8.07% of the population aged 5 and over speaks Spanish at home, while 3.80% speaks Portuguese, 1.96% French, and 1.39% Italian [6].

6.1% of Rhode Island's population were reported as under 5, 23.6% under 18, and 14.5% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 52% of the population.

Rhode Island has a higher percentage of Italian-Americans (concentrated in the city of Providence) and a higher percentage of Americans of Portuguese ancestry (who dominate Bristol County), including Portuguese Americans and Cape Verdean Americans, than any other state in the nation. French-Canadians form a large part of northern Providence County whereas Irish-Americans have a strong presence in Newport and Kent counties. Yankees of English ancestry still have a presence in the state as well, especially in Washington county, and are often referred to as "Swamp Yankees."

The religious affiliations of the people of Rhode Island are[26]:

• Christian – 87.5%
  • Roman Catholic – 63.6%,
  • Protestant – 21.6%
    • Baptist – 6.3%
    • Episcopalian – 5.1%
    • Protestant - other – 3.2%,
    • Protestant, no denomination – 7%,
  • Other Christian – 2.3%
• Jewish – 1.6%,
• Muslim – 0.4%
• Self-identified non-religious – 6%,
• Other religious – 4.5%;.

Rhode Island is home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence and the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island.

Rhode Island has the highest percentage of Roman Catholics[27] in the nation mainly due to large Irish, Italian and French-Canadian immigration in the past; recently, significant Portuguese, Puerto Rican, and Cape Verdean communities have also been established in the state. Though it has the highest overall Catholic percentage of any state, none of Rhode Island's individual counties ranks among the ten most Catholic in the United States, as Catholics are very evenly spread throughout the state.[27] Rhode Island and Utah are the only two states in which a majority of the population are members of a single religious body.

Rhode Island Population Density Map