Welcome to Portsmouth ...

The Town of Portsmouth is located in Newport County<1>.

The location of Portsmouth has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>

When the people of Portsmouth refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Portsmouthite<3>

From the  Census Estimates for 2019, the Town of Portsmouth has a population of 17,248 people<4> (see below for details).

Portsmouth is 200 feet [61 m] above sea level.<5>.

Time Zone: Portsmouth lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time

The telephone area code for Portsmouth: (401)

Population Details ...

Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Portsmouth had an population of 17,248 people. This is a decrease of 0.81% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 0.58% since the 2000 Census).

At the time of the 2010 Census, the Town of Portsmouth had a population of 17,389 people (which is 20.98% of the total population of Newport County). This makes Portsmouth the county's 2nd most populous community.

The population of Portsmouth represents 1.65% of the total population of Rhode Island (which has 1,052,567 people), making it the state's 20th most populous community.

With a 2010 count of 17,389 people, the population of Portsmouth increased 1.4% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 17,149 people).

More information can be found on the Census Page for Portsmouth.

Communities near Portsmouth ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Portsmouth.

• Providence
  (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
  • Providence is located in Providence County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 179,270 people
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on Providence
• New Bedford
  (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bedford
  • New Bedford is located in Bristol County (MA)
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 95,517 people
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on New Bedford
• Fall River
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall River
  • Fall River is located in Bristol County (MA)
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 89,792 people
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on Fall River
• Warwick
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warwick
  • Warwick is located in Kent County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 81,189 people
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on Warwick
• Cranston
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranston
  • Cranston is located in Providence County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 81,142 people
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on Cranston
• East Providence
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Providence
  • East Providence is located in Providence County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 47,337 people
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on East Providence
• Dartmouth
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dartmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dartmouth
  • Dartmouth is located in Bristol County (MA)
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 33,926 people
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on Dartmouth
• South Kingstown
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Kingstown
  • South Kingstown is located in Washington County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,454 people
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on South Kingstown
• West Warwick
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Warwick have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Warwick
  • West Warwick is located in Kent County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,967 people
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on West Warwick
• North Kingstown
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Kingstown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Kingstown
  • North Kingstown is located in Washington County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,278 people
  • Jump to a Google Map centered on North Kingstown

To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.

We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Portsmouth. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Portsmouth.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Portsmouth. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Portsmouth.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Portsmouth. See our Newspapers Page for Portsmouth.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Portsmouth ...

Looking for more information about Portsmouth? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Portsmouth, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Portsmouth.

Off-the-Road Links ...

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

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