County outline
Where Newport County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 32.7% of Newport County’s measured area and water for 67.3%. Its combined area converts to 812.3 square kilometers or approximately 200,723 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 102.431 | 265.295 | 65,555.8 |
| Water | 211.198 | 547 | 135,166.7 |
| Total | 313.629 | 812.295 | 200,722.6 |
How Newport County compares
By original Census land area, Newport County ranks #4 of 5 in Rhode Island and #3090 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.608 times the Rhode Island county-equivalent median of 168.6 square miles. It accounts for 9.9% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Rhode Island ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Newport County
The Census Bureau estimates that 83,051 people lived in Newport County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #716 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #4 of 5 in Rhode Island. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 85,642, the population has declined by 2,591 (−3%), compared with +1.6% for Rhode Island as a whole.
With 102.4 square miles of land, that is 811 people per square mile (313 per km²), placing Newport County #226 nationally for density and #4 in Rhode Island. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Rhode Island median is 1,029. Put another way, there are about 0.789 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 85,498 | 85,561 | 84,770 | 83,734 | 83,357 | 83,051 |
| Change | — | +63 | −791 | −1,036 | −377 | −306 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Newport County
Newport County is divided into 6 cities and towns. In Rhode Island, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Newport city, with 24,251 residents (29.2% of the county). The largest by land is Tiverton town, at 29.1 mi², or 28.4% of the county’s land.
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newport cityCounty seat | 24,251 | −3.6% | 7.656 | 7.5% |
| Portsmouth town | 17,474 | −2.2% | 23 | 22.5% |
| Middletown town | 16,502 | −3.4% | 12.7 | 12.4% |
| Tiverton town | 15,809 | −3.4% | 29.1 | 28.4% |
| Jamestown town | 5,480 | −1.3% | 9.448 | 9.2% |
| Little Compton town | 3,535 | −2.2% | 20.5 | 20.1% |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Newport County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Newport County is a central county of the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 6 county equivalents have 1,708,161 residents on 1,587 square miles of land; Newport County accounts for 6.5% of the land and 4.9% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #211 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #40 by population. It belongs to the Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Providence County | 678,179 | 409.5 |
| Bristol CountyMassachusetts | 593,640 | 553.1 |
| Kent County | 173,495 | 168.6 |
| Washington County | 129,795 | 329.3 |
| Newport County | 83,051 | 102.4 |
| Bristol County | 50,001 | 24.1 |
ZIP codes
8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Newport County, and each lies mostly inside the county.
0283502837028400284102842028710287202878
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Newport County
Newport County shares a land border with 1 county equivalent, including 1 in Massachusetts. Bristol County has 5.4 times its land area.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Newport | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol CountyMassachusetts | 553.1 | 5.4× larger | Compare |
How big is Newport County compared with U.S. states?
Newport County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 10 times as much. Rhode Island’s county land could hold about 10 areas the size of Newport County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 10.1 miles (16.3 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Newport County?
Newport County has more land than 132 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Newport County at #2,814 nationally by total area, 276 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 67.3%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 66.2 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Newport County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #3089 | Union County, New Jersey | 102.8 | Compare |
| #3090 | Newport County, Rhode Island | 102.4 | This county |
| #3091 | Robertson County, Kentucky | 99.6 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 41.501045, -71.283063. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 265,294,703 m²; AWATER: 547,000,896 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Newport County?
Newport County, Rhode Island has 102.4 square miles (265.3 km²) of land and 211.2 square miles of water, for a total area of 313.6 square miles. It ranks #3090 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Newport County the largest county in Rhode Island?
No. Newport County ranks #4 of 5 in Rhode Island by land area. The largest is Providence County, with 409.5 square miles of land.
What counties border Newport County?
Newport County shares a land border with Bristol County, Massachusetts.
What is the population of Newport County?
The Census Bureau estimates Newport County had 83,051 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #716 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 811 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Newport County?
The county seat of Newport County is Newport.
What cities and towns are in Newport County?
Newport County has 6 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Newport city, Portsmouth town, Middletown town, Tiverton town, and Jamestown town.
Is Newport County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 6 county equivalents and 1,708,161 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Newport County?
8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Newport County, and 8 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Newport County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 10.1 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Newport County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 65,556 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 200,723 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.