North Kingstown’s recent statistics describe a town of about 28,000 people with roots reaching back to 1641. The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 population estimate was 27,938, while the 2025 estimate was 27,885. Alongside those estimates, the town’s FY24 Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) records a population of 27,719 and summarizes municipal activity, schools, infrastructure, and finances.
Contents
- Population and historical foundations
- Age, identity, and households
- Housing, education, work, and income
- Town services and public safety
- Schools, libraries, and community life
- Land, water, recreation, and planning
- FY24 finances and debt
Population and historical foundations
North Kingstown’s population has changed gradually across the available Census benchmarks. The 2010 Census counted 26,486 residents, and the 2020 Census counted 27,732. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated 27,938 residents in 2024 and 27,885 in 2025. These figures are not all the same kind of measurement: the 2010 and 2020 numbers are decennial Census counts, while the 2024 and 2025 figures are estimates.
The Census Bureau reported a 0.7% population change from April 1, 2020, to July 1, 2024, and a 0.5% change from April 1, 2020, to July 1, 2025. The two estimates also show a small difference between the 2024 and 2025 reference points: 27,938 compared with 27,885.
The FY24 PAFR places the town’s settlement in 1641 and its incorporation in 1674. It also says North Kingstown operates under a home rule charter adopted in 1954. The PAFR describes the town as covering 54 square miles, while the U.S. Census Bureau reports 43.17 square miles of land area in 2020. These are different geographic measures, so they should not be treated as interchangeable.
The Census Bureau reported 642.4 people per square mile in 2020. The FY24 PAFR says the Town Council has five members, providing a compact figure for one part of the town’s civic structure.
Age, identity, and households
North Kingstown’s age profile includes both younger residents and a substantial older population. Residents under age 5 represented 3.0% of the population, and residents under age 18 represented 17.8%. Residents age 65 and older represented 23.0%. The Census Bureau reported that female persons made up 51.7% of the population.
The Census Bureau’s race and ethnicity measures provide another view of the community. White alone residents represented 89.0% of the population, Black alone residents 0.9%, American Indian and Alaska Native alone residents 0.1%, and Asian alone residents 3.0%. Residents identifying with two or more races represented 6.1%. Hispanic or Latino residents represented 2.7%.
These categories describe separate Census concepts and should be read according to the labels used by the source. In particular, Hispanic or Latino origin is reported separately from the race categories above. The figures are best understood as a set of demographic indicators rather than as a single total to be recombined.
The Census Bureau reported 1,849 veterans for 2020–2024. Foreign-born residents represented 6.2% of the population during the same period. Among residents under age 65, 6.2% had a disability, while 2.5% had no health insurance.
Digital access was widespread in the 2020–2024 Census period. Households with a computer represented 96.4%, and households with a broadband Internet subscription represented 95.0%. Those measures indicate the share of households with the specified technology or subscription, rather than the share of individual residents.
Housing, education, work, and income
Homeownership was a prominent part of the housing profile. The owner-occupied housing rate was 74.7% in 2020–2024. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $543,700. For owners with a mortgage, median selected monthly owner costs were $2,598; for owners without a mortgage, the corresponding median was $1,062. The median gross rent was $1,268.
Educational attainment was high among residents age 25 and older. The Census Bureau reported that 97.2% were high school graduates or higher, and 55.6% held a bachelor’s degree or higher. These percentages use the population age threshold specified by the source and are not measures of school enrollment.
The civilian labor force participation rate among residents age 16 and older was 65.3% in 2020–2024. Female labor force participation in that age group was 59.4%. The mean travel time to work was 25.7 minutes.
The median household income was $126,293, and per capita income was $65,021. The poverty rate was 6.1%. Income measures describe different statistical units: median household income refers to households, while per capita income is calculated per person. The poverty rate is a percentage of the population as defined by the Census measure.
Retail activity also appears in the Census profile. Total retail sales in 2022 were $736,327,000, and retail sales per capita were $26,497. The sales year is 2022, so these figures should be kept distinct from the 2020–2024 demographic and economic measures.
Town services and public safety
The FY24 PAFR records a broad range of municipal service activity. The Police Department handled 35,974 calls for service, produced 1,391 incident reports, made 445 physical arrests, recorded 859 traffic accidents, and handled 2,948 prosecutions.
Fire department responses totaled 6,718, while ambulance responses totaled 4,363. The department also completed 363 residential fire inspections and recorded 234 box alarms. These are service counts from FY24 and are not population estimates.
Animal Control handled 922 calls for service and completed 35 adoptions. For a town with a local-history and heritage interest, the figures also show how civic life extends beyond historic milestones into recurring public responsibilities and animal-welfare services.
Streets and Highway crews swept 156 miles of streets and completed 5.62 miles of road paving. Code Enforcement issued 2,870 permits and performed 5,325 inspections. Planning processed 19 subdivision and land development applications, 28 Zoning Board of Review applications, and 27 Historic District Commission applications.
The Historic District Commission figure is one direct indicator of current administrative activity related to preservation and the built heritage. It sits alongside the older historical dates in the PAFR: settlement in 1641, incorporation in 1674, and the 1954 home rule charter.
Schools, libraries, and community life
The FY24 PAFR lists enrollment at individual North Kingstown schools. North Kingstown High School had 1,316 students. Wickford Middle School had 351, and Davisville Middle School had 449. Davisville Academy had 20 students.
The elementary-school enrollment figures were 333 at Fish Cove Elementary School, 264 at Forest Park Elementary School, 446 at Hamilton Elementary School, 252 at Quidnessett Elementary School, and 339 at Stony Lane Elementary School.
| School | FY24 enrollment |
|---|---|
| North Kingstown High School | 1,316 |
| Davisville Middle School | 449 |
| Hamilton Elementary School | 446 |
| Davisville Academy | 20 |
The table highlights selected enrollment figures reported in the PAFR; it is not a separate school-system total.
Recreation ran 65 programs and served 3,678 participants. The libraries held 215,172 volumes in their collection, recorded 16,357 reference requests, and welcomed 100,119 visitors. Senior Services delivered 7,098 Meals on Wheels and handled 41,513 service calls.
Together, these figures cover several kinds of community participation: organized recreation, library collections and visits, reference assistance, meal delivery, and senior-service contacts. Each count measures a different activity and should not be combined into a single attendance figure.
Land, water, recreation, and planning
North Kingstown’s municipal statistics also reflect its land and water infrastructure. The Harbormaster billed 588 moorings and 28 commercial dock bills, and boat patrol logged 850 hours. The town’s enterprise funds recorded 35 new water connections. Average daily water consumption was 2,751,678 gallons, while average daily sewer treatment was 205,808 gallons.
The town golf course recorded 48,993 rounds played. At the Transfer Station, refused material collected totaled 5,752 tons and recyclables collected totaled 2,866 tons. These figures identify the material streams separately; they do not state a combined waste total.
The FY24 PAFR also records 27 Historic District Commission applications, 19 subdivision and land development applications, and 28 Zoning Board of Review applications. Together, these counts show the volume of several planning and land-use processes during FY24 without implying that every application was approved.
FY24 finances and debt
As of June 30, 2024, the town reported total assets of $224,305,998, total liabilities of $174,735,065, and total net position of $49,570,993. The PAFR reported that net position increased by $20,849,712 from FY23. It also recorded a $2,642,098 decrease in the Sewer Assessment net liability, a $5,601,617 decrease in liabilities from general obligation bonds, and a $13,127,687 decrease in net pension liabilities during FY24.
Education represented about 68.0% of governmental activities expenses. Public safety represented 18.1%, public works 5.5%, and general government 4.5%. These percentages describe the distribution of governmental activities expenses in the PAFR.
The town’s OPEB was 18.2% funded as of June 2024. The actuarially determined OPEB contribution for FY24 was $1,636,770, and the town contributed $1,210,532, equal to 74.0% of that determined contribution.
At the end of FY24, the General Fund unassigned fund balance was $18,206,369, equal to 17.34% of total general fund expenditures and other net financing uses. The School Department’s unrestricted fund balance was negative $29,172. Debt service and major bond funds had a combined fund balance of $2,291,220, while non-major governmental funds had a total fund balance of $9,261,726.
The town’s debt limit was $180,015,536, based on a net assessed valuation of $6,000,511,850. As of June 30, 2024, outstanding general obligation bonds were $47,939,091, equal to 26.63% of the town’s debt-limit threshold. The original principal on currently outstanding bonds was $82,857,239, and 1% interest on that principal equaled $828,572.
The FY24 PAFR reported a Moody’s rating of Aa2 and an S&P rating of AA+. Those ratings are the labels stated in the report for the town’s obligations.