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 24,684 people and eight associated neighborhoods, Newport is the 14th largest community in Rhode Island. Much of the housing stock in Newport was built prior to World War II, 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.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 15.68% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. 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. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Newport. 51.80% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.

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.