About one in 13 people in Kent County, Rhode Island, lives below the poverty line
In Kent County, 7.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kent County's score
In Kent County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 79.2. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 13.4. About one in 31 people (3.2%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 96% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Kent 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, Kent County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.7%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (22.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.2 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 rent22.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.7% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
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- 42.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.8% · August 202529th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people137.8 · 202555th percentile
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- 32.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202640th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.4% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
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- 29.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.2% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.3% · second quarter of 202623rd percentile
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- 13.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.8% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.8% · 20248th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance3.2% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$91,417 · 20249th 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 Kent 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 Kent County, 20.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kent County
Rhode Island
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Kent County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 19.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Kent County, Rhode Island, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Kent County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 3.8% in 2009 to 5.7% in 2010.
The share of households in Kent County getting SNAP food aid tripled from 2009 to 2023, reaching 12.5%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 12.5% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Kent County, Rhode Island.
How Kent County has changed
Kent County's population rose by about a quarter to 172,450, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 149,482. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Kent County, Rhode Island.
The number of jobs located in Kent County fell most sharply after its 2005 high, from 81,852 in 2005 to 71,540 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Kent County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 76,660
High on the chart: 81,852 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Kent County, Rhode Island.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.9% | 2024 7.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $33,233 | 2024 $91,417 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Kent County's history
1750
East Greenwich designated shire town when Kent County separated from Providence County 1750. Wikipedia
1772
Rhode Island formed first Navy in East Greenwich June 12 1772 with ships Katy and Washington. Wikipedia
2010
A flood in March 2010 did $1.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in March 2010 did $25.65 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 170,363, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1978
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kent County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Kent County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Kent County, in Rhode Island and Connecticut, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Kent County ranks 3rd of the four; Providence County is highest, at 23.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providence County, RI | 65 | 14.8% | 23.1% |
| Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 35 | 7.7% | 21.8% |
| Kent County, RI | 31 | 7.8% | 19.8% |
| Washington County, RI | 10 | 7.8% | 17.3% |
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 Kent County the poorest county in Rhode Island?
No, Kent County's poverty rate was 7.8% in 2024, 2nd highest 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, Kent County ranks 2nd of 5 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kent 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.
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 Kent County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.