Rhode Island’s Safest Cities of 2026

See crime rates for the safest cities.

According to official FBI data and our most recent State of Safety report, residents of Rhode Island experience below-average levels of gun violence, violent crime, package theft, and property crime in the nation. Rhode Islanders also worry about these issues less than the average American, yet only 50% say they feel safe calling The Ocean State home. 

The violent crime rate in Rhode Island is 1.68 incidents per 1,000 people, which is lower than the national average of 4.43 and the third lowest violent crime rate nationwide. We weren't able to report a statewide violent crime rate last year due to insufficient data, but in our 2024 report, Rhode Island reported a higher violent crime rate of 2.0.

Property crime in The Ocean State also decreased in recent years, falling from 16.5 incidents per 1,000 people in 2024 to 11.65 incidents in this year's report. That's lower than the national property crime rate of 22.89 and the fourth lowest property crime rate nationwide.  

Half of the Rhode Islanders we surveyed said they felt safe in their state, which represents no change in confidence year-over-year. That puts them slightly below the national average of 52%. 

Our survey results don't suggest a clear reason for this below-average feeling of safety. Rhode Islanders' experiences with property crime, and package theft fell year over year while violent crime and gun violence experiences remained the same, and Rhode Islanders are among those least likely to experience these crimes nationwide.

Daily concern about overall safety and security also remains at 41%, and Rhode Island residents are among those most likely to believe crime is decreasing (22% RI, 16% US). 

Property crime experiences and concerns decreased in Rhode Island year over year, reaching some of the lowest levels nationwide. 

• 14% of Rhode Islanders experienced a property crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, down from 19% the year before (US 21%).
• Only residents in New Hampshire (11%) and Massachusetts (6%) experienced less property crime than Rhode Islanders.
• Concern about property crime fell slightly from 38% to 37% year over year, which is the fifth lowest percentage nationwide (US 46%).
• Property crime is the least worrisome crime issue among Rhode Island residents.
• Package theft experiences decreased from 37% to 30% year over year (US 31%).
• Concern about package theft fell from 50% to 41% (US 44%).
• 25% of Rhode Islanders said they don't use any form of security to protect their property.
• Rhode Islanders who do protect their property prefer to use security cameras (48%) and guard dogs (28%).

In our latest survey, Rhode Islanders reported no change in their violent crime experiences. However, they're feeling less worried about violent crime than the year before. 

• 10% said they experienced a violent crime first-hand in the 12 months prior to our survey, which is the same percentage as the year before (US 12%).
• Concern about violent crime fell from 55% to 43% year over year (US 55%).
• 22% of Rhode Island survey participants say they use some form of personal protection.
• Rhode Island residents prefer to protect themselves with pepper spray (59%), pocket knives (27%), and firearms (27%).

• 5% of Rhode Islanders said they experienced gun violence in the 12 months prior to our survey, which is the same percentage as the year before (US 9%).
• Only residents of Arizona, New Hampshire, and South Dakota reported lower levels of gun violence experiences (3% each).
• Concern about gun violence fell slightly from 55% to 53% year over year (US 55%).
• 1 mass shooting event took place in Rhode Island in 2025.

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 18 cities met the criteria for ranking this year.
• Bristol is the safest city in Rhode Island for the seventh consecutive year.
• The property crime rates in Bristol and North Providence decreased for the second year in a row.
• East Providence, Westerly, West Warwick, and Cranston saw year-over-year decreases in both property crime and violent crime.
• 1 murder was reported in Rhode Island's 10 safest cities. It happened in Cranston. 
• All of Rhode Island's safest cities reported 1 or more rapes.
• No robberies were reported in Bristol, Cumberland, North Kingstown, Westerly, and Coventry. 

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