Census Data for Charlestown

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Charlestown a population of 7,846 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Charlestown a population of 7,827 people.

The community of Charlestown is located in Washington County. The 2010 Census gave Washington County; a population of 127,097 people. This means that Charlestown had 6.16% of the county's total population, making it Washington's 6th most populous community.

At the same time, Rhode Island had a population of 1,052,567 people, meaning that Charlestown had 0.74% of the total population of Rhode Island - making it the state's 32nd most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Charlestown has a total area of 59.3 square miles [153.7 km²]. Of this total, 36.45 square miles [94.4 km²] is land, with the balance (38.58%) being water (22.89 square miles [59.3 km²]).

Washington County has a land area of 329.2 square miles [852.7 km²]. At 36.45 square miles [94.4 km²], Charlestown has 11.07% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a community like Charlestown, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the community.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Charlestown reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Charlestown might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   41° 22' 16"   (or 41.37°)
  • Lon:   -71° 40' 49"   (or -71.68°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Charlestown had 5,142 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 7,827 people, this averages 1.52 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Charlestown had a land area of 36.45 square miles [94.4 km²]. This translates to 86.7 Housing Units per square mile [33.46 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Charlestown had 4,797 Housing Units, a population of 7,859 people and a land area of 36.84 square miles [95.4 km²]. This gives a density of 1.64 people per Housing Unit and 80.9 Housing Units per square mile [31.24 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 Census and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Charlestown and you need to be careful when comparing numbers between the censuses. More information about the nature of these the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Washington County ...

The community of Charlestown is located in Washington County<4>.

The county had a population of 127,097 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 7,827 people, Charlestown represented 6.16% of the county's total.

In addition, where the community of Charlestown has a population density of 131.9 people per square mile [50.9 people/km²], Washington County averages 386 people per square mile [149 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Washington County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Charlestown, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Charlestown. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Charlestown or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Charlestown, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Charlestown.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   41.371371°   (or 41°22'16" N)
  • Lon:   -71.680335°   (or -71°40'49" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   41.385256°   (or 41°23'6" N)
  • Lon:   -71.668133°   (or -71°40'5" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 6,063 feet to the southwest<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#1220080) to Charlestown. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Charlestown. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   41.416767°   (or 41°25'0" N)
  • Lon:   -71.666175°   (or -71°39'58" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 3 miles to the south<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Charlestown. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Charlestown.

Miscellaneous Information for Charlestown ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Washington County or the community of Charlestown:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Charlestown:
  • GNIS ID for Charlestown: 1220080
  • GNIS ID for Washington County: 1219782
  • GNIS ID for State of Rhode Island: 1219835

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 44 (Rhode Island)
  • County Code: 009 (Washington County)
  • Place Code: 14500 (Charlestown)
  • State & County Code: 44/009 (Rhode Island / Washington County)
  • State & Place Code: 44/14500 (Rhode Island / Charlestown)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Charlestown is located in Census Region #1 (the Northeast Region) and Division #1 (the New England Division).

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Charlestown.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Charlestown. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Rhode Island: https://www.ri.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)