Best Places02812, RI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 02812, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
02812 ranks 5,283rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 02812
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
02812's strengths and weaknesses
Where 02812 ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 94% of zip codes
Where 02812 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Short commute34.7 minutes each way, better than only 12% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,325 a month, better than only 13% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 17% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 02812
A household needs to earn about $138,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 02812 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $114,626, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 02812's effective rate of 1.31%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 02812
02812's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 02812.
Who works in 02812, and how
Work in 02812 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 02812
The coast is about 19 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 02812, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 02812, month by month
02812 sees roughly 103 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 degrees. January highs sit near 40, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 31° | 22° |
| April | 57° | 47° | 38° |
| July | 82° | 72° | 63° |
| October | 65° | 54° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 02812
The nearest airport, Westerly State, is about 11 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bradley International, about 62 miles away.
The best schools in and around 02812
Schools across 02812 average an A−, better than 76% of zip codes.
Top middle schools
- Chariho Regional Middle SchoolB · 47% proficient
Top high schools
- Chariho High SchoolB+ · 56% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 02812 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
02812 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 02812 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 02812
Is 02812 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 02812 ranks 5,283rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on heat safety, health care access, and low crime, and lowest on state finances and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 02812 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $492,205. The overall cost of living runs about 16% above the national average. Set against a $114,626 median income, cost of living beats 73% of zip codes.
Is 02812 safe?
Yes, 02812 is safer than 98% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $99 per resident a year.
Compare 02812 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 02812. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 02812 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
02812 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 02812: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 02812: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 02812: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 02812: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
02812 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.