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Central Falls.

All Central Falls data Compare Central Falls

22,701people live here $49,285median household income▼ 39% below US $1,200median rent per month▼ 15% below US $352,100median home valueNear US average

What it's like to live in Central Falls

Central Falls is a small city in Rhode Island with rent below the national average and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Central Falls deals with unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, and a poverty rate above the national average.

The good

Rent below the national average
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Above-average unemployment
Below-average household incomes
Low college degree attainment
High poverty rate
High rent burden for renters
Cold winters

How Central Falls compares

Median household income

Central Falls$49,285

Rhode Island avg$87,796

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Central Falls$1,200

Rhode Island avg$1,342

US$1,413

Median home value

Central Falls$352,100

Rhode Island avg$404,200

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Central Falls

Based on Central Falls's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,400

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $48,000 a year
55% of Central Falls renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$70,420

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $35,210
Homes cost 7.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▼ 15% below US

$1,200/mo median rent

Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,200 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices run above average, with a median around $352,100. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $352,100 · 55% of renters cost-burdened

Job market▲ 26% above US

5.4% unemployment

Unemployment here is 5.4%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.

City-level (BLS)

Safety▼ 17% below US

273 violent crimes per 100k

Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.

Property crime 787/100k · Central Falls Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

27 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 27.4 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 5% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

59%

Carpool

14%

Other

13%

Work from home

5.2%

Public transit

4.9%

Walk

3.6%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 82°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 22°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▼ 70% below US

11% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.

Schools

10 public schools inside the boundary

There are 10 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (1 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Central Falls's strongest point is rent below the national average; the main tradeoffs are unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,200/mo) equals 29% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up.

See all the data for Central Falls →·All Rhode Island cities →