About one in 13 people in Newport County, Rhode Island, lives below the poverty line
In Newport County, 7.7% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Newport County's score
In Newport County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 86.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 9.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Newport 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, Newport County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (28.5%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.3 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 rent23.0% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.5% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
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- 29.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202638th 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 behind3.5% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.5% · second quarter of 20269th percentile
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- 10.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.1% · August 202511th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people46.5 · 20258th percentile
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- 9.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.7% · 20246th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.8% · 20248th percentile
- People with a disability12.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$97,763 · 20246th 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 Newport 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 Newport County, 25.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Newport County
Rhode Island
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Newport County had its largest rise, from 5.1% in 1969 to 10.4% in 1974.
In Newport County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 16.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Newport County, Rhode Island, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Newport County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.9% in 2011 to 6.7% in 2012.
The share of households in Newport County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 8.2%
Low on the chart: 3.5% 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, Newport County, Rhode Island.
How Newport County has changed
Newport County's population fell 9% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
High on the chart: 92,091 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Newport County, Rhode Island.
The number of jobs located in Newport County had its largest rise in the last span, from 37,195 in 2020 to 42,997 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Newport County fell to its lowest on the chart in 1995, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 31,634 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Newport County, Rhode Island.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.7% | 2024 7.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $33,675 | 2024 $97,763 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Newport County's history
1703
Constituted June 22, 1703, as one of two original counties of Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Wikipedia
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 94,559. The 2020 Census counted 85,643, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A flood in March 2010 did $3.52 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1978
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Newport County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Newport County beside its neighbors
All one counties that border Newport County, in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, score higher than it does.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol County, MA | 51 | 10.2% | 23.3% |
| Newport County, RI | 16 | 7.7% | 16.1% |
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 Newport County the poorest county in Rhode Island?
No, Newport County's poverty rate was 7.7% in 2024, 4th 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, Newport County ranks 3rd of 5 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Newport 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 Newport 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 Newport County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.