Best PlacesElmwood, Providence, RI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Elmwood, Providence, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Elmwood, Providence ranks 5,010th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. The schools pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on clean air.
The best neighborhoods in Elmwood, Providence
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.
Elmwood, Providence's strengths and weaknesses
Where Elmwood, Providence ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 77% of neighborhoods
- Short commute20.8 minutes each way, better than 75% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 73% of neighborhoods
Where Elmwood, Providence ranks low
- School gradeF, better than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Elmwood, Providence
A household needs to earn about $96,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Elmwood, Providence home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $48,471, 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 Elmwood, Providence's effective rate of 1.07%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Elmwood, Providence
Elmwood, Providence's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Elmwood, Providence.
Who works in Elmwood, Providence, and how
Work in Elmwood, Providence centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in Elmwood, Providence
The coast is about 30 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Elmwood, Providence, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Elmwood, Providence, month by month
Elmwood, Providence sees roughly 65 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 32° | 23° |
| April | 62° | 49° | 39° |
| July | 87° | 75° | 65° |
| October | 68° | 56° | 46° |
Flying in and out of Elmwood, Providence
The nearest airport, Rhode Island Tf Green International, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Edward Lawrence Logan International, about 44 miles away.
The best schools in and around Elmwood, Providence
Schools across Elmwood, Providence average an F, better than 1% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- William D'abate Elem. SchoolF · 10% proficient
- Lillian Feinstein El. SchoolF · 6% proficient
- Highlander Elementary CharterF · 5% proficient
Top middle schools
- West Broadway Middle SchoolF · 7% proficient
Top high schools
- Paul Cuffee Upper SchoolF · 10% proficient
- Dr. Jorge Alvarez HsF · 3% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Elmwood, Providence school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Elmwood, Providence 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 Elmwood, Providence against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Elmwood, Providence
Is Elmwood, Providence a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Elmwood, Providence ranks 5,010th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on clean air, walkability, and a strong job market, and lowest on the schools and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Elmwood, Providence expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $353,204. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $48,471 median income, cost of living beats 12% of neighborhoods.
Is Elmwood, Providence safe?
Elmwood, Providence is safer than 54% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $333 per resident a year.
Compare Elmwood, Providence with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Elmwood, Providence. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Elmwood, Providence 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.
Elmwood, Providence detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Elmwood, Providence: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Elmwood, Providence: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Elmwood, Providence: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Elmwood, Providence: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Elmwood, Providence 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.