Census Data for South Kingstown

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave South Kingstown a population of 30,419 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave South Kingstown a population of 30,639 people.

The community of South Kingstown is located in Washington County. The 2010 Census gave Washington County; a population of 126,979 people. This means that South Kingstown had 24.13% of the county's total population, making it Washington's most populous community.

At the same time, Rhode Island had a population of 1,052,567 people, meaning that South Kingstown had 2.91% of the total population of Rhode Island - making it the state's 10th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for South Kingstown has a total area of 79.8 square miles [206.6 km²]. Of this total, 56.4 square miles [146.2 km²] is land, with the balance (29.23%) being water (23.31 square miles [60.4 km²]).

Washington County has a land area of 329.2 square miles [852.7 km²]. At 56.4 square miles [146.2 km²], South Kingstown has 17.14% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a community like South Kingstown, 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 South Kingstown reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of South Kingstown 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° 24' 39"   (or 41.41°)
  • Lon:   -71° 32' 50"   (or -71.55°)
  • 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, South Kingstown had 13,218 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 30,639 people, this averages 2.32 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows South Kingstown had a land area of 56.4 square miles [146.2 km²]. This translates to 165.7 Housing Units per square mile [64 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: South Kingstown had 11,291 Housing Units, a population of 27,921 people and a land area of 57.1 square miles [147.9 km²]. This gives a density of 2.47 people per Housing Unit and 141.5 Housing Units per square mile [54.6 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for South Kingstown 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 South Kingstown is located in Washington County<4>.

The county had a population of 126,979 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 30,639 people, South Kingstown represented 24.13% of the county's total.

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 South Kingstown, 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 South Kingstown. 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 South Kingstown 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 South Kingstown, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for South Kingstown.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   41.410844°   (or 41°24'39" N)
  • Lon:   -71.547470°   (or -71°32'50" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   41.447453°   (or 41°26'50" N)
  • Lon:   -71.527293°   (or -71°31'38" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 2 miles to the south<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 (#1220090) to South Kingstown. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of South Kingstown. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   41.416768°   (or 41°25'0" N)
  • Lon:   -71.549504°   (or -71°32'58" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 2,230 feet to the south<6> of the point given by the GNIS for South Kingstown. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for South Kingstown.

Miscellaneous Information for South Kingstown ...

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 South Kingstown:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to South Kingstown:
  • GNIS ID for South Kingstown: 1220090
  • 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: 67460 (South Kingstown)
  • State & County Code: 44/009 (Rhode Island / Washington County)
  • State & Place Code: 44/67460 (Rhode Island / South Kingstown)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • South Kingstown 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 South Kingstown.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for South Kingstown. 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)