The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Bristol County is a county of Rhode Island with 50,490 residents. Its economy produced $2,697 million in 2024 (ranked #5 of 5 counties) and had 15,186 jobs with an average annual pay of $58,617 (#5 for pay). The unemployment rate was 2.4% in 2026M09. It is part of the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metropolitan area (central county).
Bristol County produced about $2,697 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 3.4% of the combined output of the 5 counties of Rhode Island that BEA reports (about 4.6% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 5th of 5 on that measure. Per resident that is $53,416, 27% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $72,954. In current dollars output grew 10.7% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 15,186 jobs located in Bristol County on average in 2024, spread over 2,349 employer sites (about 6 jobs per site). That is 0.30 jobs for every resident, below the 0.44 of the typical county in Rhode Island, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $58,617, 12% below the average of all counties in the state ($58,617 against $66,834). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 2.8% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are accommodation and food services (18.0% of private jobs, $28,228 a year on average), health care and social assistance (17.9% of private jobs, $51,811 a year on average), educational services (15.6% of private jobs, $57,097 a year on average). Together they hold 51.5% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is wholesale trade at $117,225 a year, followed by professional and technical services ($108,627). The county is specialised in several industries: educational services (5.2 times the US share, 1,640 jobs); other services (except public administration) (1.6 times the US share, 730 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: accommodation and food services ($28,228), retail trade ($38,793). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Bristol County was 2.4%, 18% below the average of the state's counties (2.4% against 2.9%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 26,320. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 2.4% (2026M09) to 4.9% (2026M02); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $114,490 (ACS 2020–2024), 30% above the state median ($114,490 against $87,796). None of the largest places of the guide has this as its main county, which usually means a smaller or more rural county; the figures above still describe the whole county.
Counties close to Bristol County in output are Washington County, Newport County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 5 counties of Rhode Island ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 50,490 | 5 of 5 |
| GDP 2024 | $2,697 million | 5 of 5 |
| GDP per resident | $53,416 | 5 of 5 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 15,186 | 5 of 5 |
| Average annual pay | $58,617 | 5 of 5 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +2.8% | 2 of 5 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 2.4% | 3 of 5 |
| Median household income | $114,490 | 1 of 5 |
Federal jobs in Rhode Island (98) →All cities of Rhode IslandState guide: Rhode Island
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
None of the 30 largest places of Rhode Island has this as its main county, so the guide has no city page here. County figures on the other tabs are complete.
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 1,886 | 18.0% | $28,228 | 1.37 |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,880 | 17.9% | $51,811 | 0.86 |
| Educational services | 1,640 | 15.6% | $57,097 | 5.22 |
| Retail trade | 1,220 | 11.6% | $38,793 | 0.80 |
| Professional and technical services | 969 | 9.2% | $108,627 | 0.92 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 730 | 7.0% | $44,191 | 1.60 |
| Administrative and waste services | 560 | 5.3% | $56,114 | 0.63 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 446 | 4.3% | $36,618 | 1.75 |
| Finance and insurance | 404 | 3.9% | $96,025 | 0.66 |
| Wholesale trade | 385 | 3.7% | $117,225 | 0.64 |
| Real estate and rental | 170 | 1.6% | $62,143 | 0.72 |
| Information | 126 | 1.2% | $114,528 | 0.44 |
| Management of companies | 76 | 0.7% | $66,795 | 0.30 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 26,320 |
| Employed residents | 25,697 |
| Unemployed residents | 623 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.4% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 15,186 |
| Employer sites | 2,349 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence County | 664,854 | $46,727 million | $70,281 | 288,107 | $68,852 | 3.3% |
| Kent County | 171,456 | $12,418 million | $72,429 | 75,845 | $63,016 | 2.5% |
| Washington County | 130,344 | $9,768 million | $74,940 | 59,183 | $62,700 | 2.2% |
| Newport County | 84,657 | $8,771 million | $103,610 | 42,622 | $68,656 | 2.3% |
| Bristol County | 50,490 | $2,697 million | $53,416 | 15,186 | $58,617 | 2.4% |
50,490 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$2,697 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
2.4% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
15,186 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $58,617 (BLS QCEW).