About one in 15 people in Bristol County, Rhode Island, lives below the poverty line
In Bristol County, 6.7% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bristol County's score
In Bristol County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 60.5. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 4.5. About one in 43 people (2.3%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 99% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bristol County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Bristol County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 60.5 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.7% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.8% · fiscal year 202739th percentile
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- 23.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202626th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.9% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
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- 13.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.2% · August 20252nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.8% · second quarter of 20266th percentile
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- 11.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.7% · August 202510th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people55.7 · 202511th percentile
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- 4.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.7% · 20243rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.8% · 20241st percentile
- People with a disability11.9% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- People without health insurance2.3% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$113,867 · 20242nd percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Bristol County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Bristol County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bristol County
Rhode Island
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bristol County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 343% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Bristol County, Rhode Island, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bristol County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 3.2% in 2009 to 4.7% in 2010; 8.2% in 2019 to 6.7% in 2020.
The share of households in Bristol County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 5.3%
Low on the chart: 3.2% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bristol County, Rhode Island.
How Bristol County has changed
Bristol County's population fell most sharply after its 2004 high, from 52,213 in 2004 to 50,075 in 2009.
Bristol County's population rose 12% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 52,213 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bristol County, Rhode Island.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Bristol County rose by about a quarter to 15,131, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 15,131 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bristol County, Rhode Island.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.3% | 2024 6.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $36,828 | 2024 $113,867 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Bristol County's history
1778
Marquis de Lafayette used Joseph Reynolds House as headquarters 1778 during Battle of Rhode Island. Wikipedia
2008
Lightning in June 2008 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in March 2010 did $5.91 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 50,793, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1978
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bristol County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bristol County beside its neighbors
All two counties that border Bristol County, in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, score higher than it does. Of the group, Bristol County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Bristol County gets the largest, at 23.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providence County, RI | 65 | 14.8% | 23.1% |
| Bristol County, MA | 51 | 10.2% | 23.3% |
| Bristol County, RI | 7 | 6.7% | 13.4% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Bristol County the poorest county in Rhode Island?
No, Bristol County's poverty rate was 6.7% in 2024, the lowest of 5 in Rhode Island (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Providence County, at 14.8%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Bristol County ranks 5th of 5 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bristol County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Rhode Island Legal Services (RILS)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Bristol County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Bristol County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.