Safest places to live in Rhode Island
The counties and cities with the lowest natural disaster risk, ranked from FEMA's National Risk Index and checked against storm, hurricane and earthquake records.
Bristol County has the lowest natural disaster risk in Rhode Island, followed by Newport County and Washington County. At the other end, Providence County carries the highest risk in the state, mostly from inland flooding. Ranks use FEMA's overall risk score, which weighs expected yearly losses against how vulnerable and how resilient each county is.
Lowest-risk counties
All 5 counties ›50,793 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 2 tornadoes since 1950, 11 hurricanes within 65 miles, 18 federal declarations.2Newport County
85,564 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 1 tornadoes since 1950, 13 hurricanes within 65 miles, 20 federal declarations.3Washington County
129,802 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 3 tornadoes since 1950, 12 hurricanes within 65 miles, 22 federal declarations.4Kent County
170,332 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 2 tornadoes since 1950, 12 hurricanes within 65 miles, 20 federal declarations.5Providence County
660,349 people. Top hazard: Inland flooding. 12 tornadoes since 1950, 12 hurricanes within 65 miles, 21 federal declarations.
Lowest-risk cities
All cities ›Kent County, 83,175 people2Providence
Providence County, 191,767 people3Cranston
Providence County, 83,250 people4Pawtucket
Providence County, 75,893 people5East Providence
Providence County, 47,281 people6Woonsocket
Providence County, 43,521 people
Cities with 25,000 or more people. The rating is for the county the city is in.
Highest-risk counties
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 12 tornadoes since 1950, 12 hurricanes within 65 miles, 21 federal declarations.2Kent County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 2 tornadoes since 1950, 12 hurricanes within 65 miles, 20 federal declarations.3Washington County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 3 tornadoes since 1950, 12 hurricanes within 65 miles, 22 federal declarations.4Newport County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 1 tornadoes since 1950, 13 hurricanes within 65 miles, 20 federal declarations.5Bristol County
Top hazard: Inland flooding. 2 tornadoes since 1950, 11 hurricanes within 65 miles, 18 federal declarations.
Before you move
A county rating is an average. Inside any county, homes near rivers, coasts or steep slopes carry more risk than the rest. Look up the exact address with our flood zone lookup, ask the seller about past flood or storm claims, and get an insurance quote before you commit.
Questions
What is the safest county in Rhode Island from natural disasters?
Bristol County has the lowest overall risk score in Rhode Island, rated very low by FEMA's National Risk Index. Its biggest remaining hazard is inland flooding.
What is the safest city in Rhode Island from natural disasters?
Warwick sits in Kent County, which has the lowest risk score of any Rhode Island county containing a city of 25,000 or more people. County ratings cover the whole county, so check the flood zone of any address you are considering.
Which counties in Rhode Island have the highest disaster risk?
Providence County, Kent County and Washington County have the highest overall risk scores in the state.
Does a low rating mean no disasters?
No. A low rating means lower expected losses compared with other US counties, after accounting for how many people and buildings are exposed and how well the area recovers. Floods and severe storms can happen anywhere, and most flood claims come from outside mapped high-risk zones.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); NOAA Storm Events and HURDAT2; USGS earthquake catalog; OpenFEMA declarations since 1953.