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WORKFORCE & INDUSTRY
The Newport-Bristol region offers high quality of life and access to waterfront living, only 70 miles from Boston. Greater Newport has a population of 131,565*, with a workforce that is more educated than 98% of counties in the U.S.
*Source: U.S. Census, 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Workforce
The area has access to a large workforce, with the population of Newport and Bristol combined just slightly less than that of the largest county in the state. Furthermore, Providence is nearby and both Boston and Hartford, CT are less than 2 hours away.
Rhode Island’s population is 1.06 million and growing.
Rhode Island Population
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*Source: U.S. Census, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Educational Attainment
In addition to being home to two universities, the region is surrounded by many top-ranking universities, and attracts a highly educated population.
The two counties outperform 98% of counties in the US in terms of educational attainment:
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Bristol County in RI has the 5th-most adults of age 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher (49.0%) among the 67 New England counties. That compares to an average of 40.0% across the 67 counties.
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Newport County in RI has the 7th-most adults of age 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher (48.1%) among the 67 New England counties. That compares to an average of 40.0% across the 67 counties.
Most Educated Counties in New England
*Source: U.S. Census, 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
*"% BA/BS Degree" refers to adults age 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Universities
Combined Degrees for Salve Regina & Roger Williams, 2019
The region is home to Salve Regina University in Newport and Roger Williams University in Bristol. These two institutions have a total enrollment of over 8,200 students, in subjects ranging from law to biomedical sciences.
Fall 2019 Enrollment
*Source: National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, 2019
*Source: National Center for Education Statistics: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, 2019
Workforce Initiatives
In Rhode Island, the Governor’s Workforce Board connects job seekers and employers. The organization’s four key strategic priorites include:
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Demand-driven investments
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Career pathways
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Aligned policy and networked government
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Data and performance
Industry
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The region has a mix of different types of industry, with a large amount of workers - 47 percent of employed civilians over 16 - employed in the management, business, science and arts occupations. This is a higher percentage of jobs in the sector than is typically found in the U.S., with a location quotient of 1.2.
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For a more detailed look at occupations in the region, please see this PDF of a chart that includes numbers of employees in each county and the region, location quotients, and a more detailed list of occupations.
Earnings by Occupation are detailed further on this PDF.
Occupation for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and Over in Newport and Bristol Counties, 2019
*Source: U.S. Census, 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
*Due to rounding, numbers may not add to 100%
Military Operations
Newport is home to the largest Department of Defense presence in the state of Rhode Island, Naval Station Newport (NAVSTA Newport), which includes the following facilities:
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Naval War College
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Naval Undersea Warfare Center
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Naval Justice School
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Command Leadership School
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Naval Academy Prep School
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Naval Supply Corps School
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Officer Training Command Newport
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Senior Enlisted Academy
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Surface Warfare Officers School
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Marine Corps Detachment Newport
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US Coast Guard
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NOAA Research Vessel H. Bigelow
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Naval Health Clinic N. E. Newport
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Center for Service Support
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Navy Band Northeast
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CNO Strategic Studies Group
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Space & Naval Warfare System
The economic impact of NAVSTA Newport is immense. According to a 2017 study from the Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance, in 2016, the Defense Cluster, which includes jobs directly attributed to the facility, and those that support it, was responsible for 29,196 jobs, which represents 6.2 percent of total employment based in Rhode Island.
