Groundwork

Real estate · County · Rhode Island

Real estate businesses in Providence County, RI

How Providence County, RI compares with other counties and the U.S. for real estate businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #994 of 2,229 scored counties
#1 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island

Listings
769
41 chain locations (5%)
Official establishments
493
+23.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$4.6B
On rent and homeowner costs · $17,894 a household
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
139
39% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
29.7
23% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
678,179
+2.8% since 2020

See the real estate businesses around any address in Providence County

The site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Providence County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 769 real estate businesses in Providence County. Of those, 41 are chain locations, or 5%, against 6% across the U.S. That is 29.7 per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.

Households in Providence County spend about $4.6B a year on rent and homeowner costs, or $17,894 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 39% above the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in.

In 2023, official counts showed 493 businesses with payroll in Providence County classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors, up 23.6% from 2019. That is one for every 526 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Another 2,618 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Providence County.

Population estimates put the population change in Providence County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for real estate businesses in Providence County is 52 (upper middle), #994 of 2,229 scored counties and #1 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island.

How Providence County compares

The same measures for Rhode Island and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.

Real estate in Providence County, RI compared with Rhode Island and the U.S.
MeasureProvidence CountyRhode IslandU.S.
Listings per 10k households29.733.938.5
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)139128100
Households per official establishment526500414
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+23.6%+18.8%+15.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.8%+1.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs$17,894$18,750$16,661
Median household income$78,787$87,796$80,734
Groundwork market score5265

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
399 → 493+23.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,134
Annual payroll, 2023
$153.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
2,618Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
76941 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,071The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
10
Amount
$1.2M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Providence County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.

Population and households in Providence County

Population, 2025 estimate
678,179+2.8% since 2020
Households
259,210
Median age
39.4
Homes lived in by their owners
57%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
410 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,624
Median household income
$78,787+33.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$103,369
Median home value
$373,600
Jobs located here
293,972
Daytime population
648,043Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Providence County?

These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Providence County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Real estate across Rhode Island

Every Rhode Island market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Rhode Island for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in Rhode Island, with Providence County marked.

Top counties in Rhode Island

Counties in Rhode Island ranked for real estate businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsHousing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)Population growthU.S. rank
1Providence County, RI5276929.7139+2.8%#994 of 2,229
2Washington County, RI4818234.61360.0%#1,181 of 2,229
3Kent County, RI4332744.999+1.8%#1,477 of 2,229
4Bristol County, RI427135.3138−1.5%#1,509 of 2,229
5Newport County, RI3515040.7114−2.9%#1,866 of 2,229

Other business types in Providence County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many real estate businesses are in Providence County, RI?

Providence County has 769 real estate businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 41 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 493 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 23.6% from 2019. Official counts list 2,618 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Providence County, RI spend on rent and homeowner costs?

About $4.6B a year, or $17,894 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 769 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 39% above the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 259,210 households in Providence County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Providence County, RI compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?

Providence County has 29.7 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 139, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Providence County would have about 1,071, against 769 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 526 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 23.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.

How fast is Providence County, RI growing?

Population estimates put Providence County at 678,179 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 259,210 households. The median household income in Providence County is $78,787 a year, 2% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Providence County scores 52 for real estate businesses (upper middle), #994 of 2,229 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Providence County. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

How the score works · Top markets for real estate businesses · All 56 business types in Providence County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Providence County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

The button opens the report at the center of Providence County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.