Newport is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Rhode Island. With a population of 24,717 people and eight associated neighborhoods, Newport is the 14th largest community in Rhode Island. Newport has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

Newport home prices are not only among the most expensive in Rhode Island, but Newport real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Newport is a military town: the armed forces employs 7.78% of the workforce, making the military a major focus of life in the city. In the civilian sector, Accommodation and Education are important in the local economy and are the city’s largest civilian employers, employing 16.56% and 12.87% of the civilian workforce respectively.

Of important note, Newport is also a city of artists. Newport has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Newport’s character.

Also of interest is that Newport has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in Newport telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 15.68% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

In addition, Newport is a college town. There are a lot of students in Newport attending college, and as a result Newport provides a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared to the needs and activities of students.

Newport, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.

Newport is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

If knowledge is power, Newport is a pretty powerful place. 51.80% of the adults in Newport have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Newport in 2022 was $55,691, which is wealthy relative to Rhode Island and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $222,764 for a family of four. However, Newport contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Newport is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Newport home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Newport residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Newport include Irish, English, Italian, German, and Portuguese.

The most common language spoken in Newport is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Portuguese.