The local economy of Rhode Island and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
3.7%
-0.6 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Bristol County 2.9%, highest Providence County 4.2%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,487
+4.2%vs a year ago
486,940 jobs at 49,057 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
2,113
+42.7%this year vs last year
Most in Providence County 1,007, Kent County 569.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
-1,176
-1.4 per 1,000residents
27,510 moved in and 28,686 moved out. Most newcomers came from Massachusetts.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Rhode Island gas price
$4.30
+$1.29vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Kent County $4.23, highest Washington County $4.42. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Rhode Island, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
30K
+0.1%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
444K
+1.2%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (19.3%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$27.5B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$61,992
Highest sector: Utilities $137,496.
Per employee per year
Share of Rhode Island's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 40,595 | $26,987 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 22,030 | $73,779 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 21,605 | $46,108 |
| Grocery Stores | 10,980 | $30,349 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 10,068 | $95,368 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 10,008 | $98,391 |
| Offices of Physicians | 9,130 | $113,841 |
| Individual and Family Services | 9,025 | $37,400 |
| Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities | 8,927 | $86,757 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) | 8,207 | $50,308 |
| Employment Services | 8,130 | $62,026 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 7,473 | $49,902 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Rhode Island, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Rhode Island is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Rhode Island, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Rhode Island was 3.7% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 4.3% a year earlier. 555,779 people were employed out of a labor force of 577,129. Among its counties, Bristol County had the lowest rate (2.9%) and Providence County the highest (4.2%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Rhode Island was $1,487 in Q1 2026, up 4.2% from a year earlier, across 486,940 jobs at 49,057 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 171 new homes in Rhode Island in August 2026 (69 single-family and 31 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 1,496, up 42.7% from the same months last year, and 2,113 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Providence County (1,007), Kent County (569), Washington County (290) over the last 12 months.
No, more people moved out than in. From 2022 to 2023, 27,510 people moved to Rhode Island and 28,686 moved away, a net loss of 1,176 (-1.4 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and most people who left went to Massachusetts, Florida, Connecticut.
Regular gasoline in Rhode Island averaged $4.30 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.29 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.29. Among its counties, Kent County had the lowest regular price ($4.23) and Washington County the highest ($4.42).
Health Care and Social Assistance (85,644 employees), Accommodation and Food Services (52,438 employees), Retail Trade (49,704 employees) were the largest sectors in Rhode Island in 2023. In all, 29,510 business locations employed 444,256 people at an average pay of $61,992 a year.