Providence’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Providence.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Rhode Island thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Providence. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Providence neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Providence hoods need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Providence area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Blackstone ranks way above the rest.
We examined 23 of Providence’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live. These places don’t quite measure up to Providence’s reputation.
Table Of Contents: Top 10 | Methodology | Summary | Table
So what’s the worst neighborhood to live in Providence for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Lower South Providence looks to be the worst neighborhood in Providence.
Read on to see how we determined the places around Providence that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.
For more Rhode Island reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Rhode Island
- Cheapest Places To Live In Rhode Island
- Most Dangerous Cities In Rhode Island
The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Providence For 2024
/10
Population: 7,030
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 605
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,767
Median Home Value: $127,667 (worst)
Median Income: $27,440 (worst)
More on Lower South Providence: Data
/10
Population: 6,286
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 612
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,135
Median Home Value: $181,500 (3rd worst)
Median Income: $38,131 (2nd worst)
More on Hartford: Data
/10
Population: 5,417
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 924
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,300
Median Home Value: $229,650 (12th worst)
Median Income: $43,021 (4th worst)
More on Olneyville: Data
/10
Population: 6,674
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 712
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,196
Median Home Value: $169,620 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $43,450 (6th worst)
More on Charles: Data
/10
Population: 6,009
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 460
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,014
Median Home Value: $223,100 (10th worst)
Median Income: $45,408 (8th worst)
More on Washington Park: Data
/10
Population: 11,315
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 648
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,390
Median Home Value: $199,460 (6th worst)
Median Income: $42,194 (3rd worst)
More on Wanskuck: Data
/10
Population: 5,789
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 848
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,371
Median Home Value: $415,413 (20th worst)
Median Income: $51,724 (12th worst)
More on Smith Hill: Data
/10
Population: 7,553
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 580
Property Crime Per 100k: 4,716
Median Home Value: $352,217 (17th worst)
Median Income: $52,291 (13th worst)
More on Federal Hill: Data
/10
Population: 4,377
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,774
Property Crime Per 100k: 13,060
Median Home Value: $365,950 (18th worst)
Median Income: $49,838 (11th worst)
More on Downtown: Data
/10
Population: 2,444
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 347
Property Crime Per 100k: 1,651
Median Home Value: $216,533 (8th worst)
Median Income: $57,834 (14th worst)
More on Reservoir: Data
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Providence neighborhoods in 2024
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Providence:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Providence.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024. This report is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in Providence.
Skip to the end to see the list of all 23 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Providence
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Providence with Lower South Providence landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Providence are Lower South Providence, Hartford, Olneyville, Charles, Washington Park, Wanskuck, Smith Hill, Federal Hill, Downtown, and Reservoir.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Providence aren’t all bad. Blackstone takes the cake as the best place to live in Providence.
The best neighborhoods in Providence are Blackstone, College Hill, Elmhurst, Wayland, and Mount Hope.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
For more Rhode Island reading, check out:
Most Dangerous Neighborhoods To Live In Providence For 2024?
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lower South Providence | 7,030 | $127,667 | $27,440 |
| 2 | Hartford | 6,286 | $181,500 | $38,131 |
| 3 | Olneyville | 5,417 | $229,650 | $43,021 |
| 4 | Charles | 6,674 | $169,620 | $43,450 |
| 5 | Washington Park | 6,009 | $223,100 | $45,408 |
| 6 | Wanskuck | 11,315 | $199,460 | $42,194 |
| 7 | Smith Hill | 5,789 | $415,413 | $51,724 |
| 8 | Federal Hill | 7,553 | $352,217 | $52,291 |
| 9 | Downtown | 4,377 | $365,950 | $49,838 |
| 10 | Reservoir | 2,444 | $216,533 | $57,834 |
| 11 | West End | 17,334 | $199,133 | $45,261 |
| 12 | Elmwood | 10,675 | $238,175 | $43,068 |
| 13 | South Elmwood | 3,657 | $223,425 | $49,439 |
| 14 | Fox Point | 3,314 | $387,860 | $63,560 |
| 15 | Hope | 3,175 | $291,880 | $76,286 |
| 16 | Valley | 5,127 | $239,300 | $59,559 |
| 17 | Silverlake | 11,958 | $200,456 | $49,563 |
| 18 | Mount Pleasant | 11,438 | $196,250 | $64,063 |
| 19 | Mount Hope | 6,103 | $302,912 | $77,826 |
| 20 | Wayland | 3,252 | $502,825 | $89,275 |
| 21 | Elmhurst | 10,551 | $219,680 | $68,504 |
| 22 | College Hill | 8,697 | $619,683 | $92,475 |
| 23 | Blackstone | 6,526 | $459,340 | $128,378 |