Work & commute · Providence

Work & commute in Providence, RI

About one in 3 of Providence’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Warwick (7%), Cranston (7%) and East Providence (4%). Half commute less than 5 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

36%

25,014 of 70,103 working residents

Typical commute

5 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

25 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

14%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 45,089 Providence residents head out of town to work, 25,014 work right here, and 80,239 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Providence.

45,089live here, work elsewhere

25,014live and work here

80,239work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Providence goes to work

Providence (in town)right here

36%25,014

Warwick8.3 mi away

7%5,076

Cranston5 mi away

7%4,929

East Providence3.4 mi away

4%2,730

Pawtucket4.3 mi away

4%2,498

Johnston5.2 mi away

3%2,375

North Kingstown17.5 mi away

3%2,128

Boston, MA40.9 mi away

3%1,883

Lincoln6.6 mi away

3%1,817

Smithfield7.8 mi away

2%1,415

Everywhere elseother towns and states

29%20,238

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Providence commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

69%

16%

10%

69%Under 10 mi

16%10–24 mi

10%25–50 mi

4%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Providence is a job hub

1.50jobs per working resident

A job hub

1.5 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Providence are

105,253 jobs are based in Providence. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Providence’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Providence

105,253 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)5%

Trade, transport & utilities10%

Services (health, schools, offices…)85%

$1,250 a month or less10%

$1,251–$3,333 a month24%

Over $3,333 a month66%

Jobs Providence residents hold

70,103 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)15%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)69%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month33%

Over $3,333 a month54%

+3%

Jobs based in Providence, 2013 → 2023: 102,337 → 105,253. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.