This article shows U.S. Census totals for Washington County, Rhode Island, broken down by municipality, from 1900 to 2000.

Like most areas of New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

, Washington County

Washington County, Rhode Island

Washington County, commonly known colloquially as South County, is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Washington County borders Kent County to the north, New London County in Connecticut to the west, Suffolk County in New York to the southwest, the Atlantic...

 is (and has been at all times since well before the 20th century) entirely divided into incorporated municipalities. There is no unincorporated territory. For any census, adding up the totals for each municipality should yield the county total.

There are two types of municipalities in Rhode Island, towns and cities. The tables in the New England Historical U.S. Census Totals series differentiate between towns and cities; however, there have never been any cities in Washington County. Like some of the other New England states, Rhode Island once also had "districts", which were essentially small and/or recently incorporated town-like communities that did not have the full privileges of a town. The present-day town of Narragansett was a district early in the 20th century.

For more information on the New England municipal system, see New England town

New England town

The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...

.

Corporate changes since 1900

• 1901 - Narragansett, formerly a district, fully incorporated as a town

• 1963 - New Shoreham, formerly part of Newport County, joined Washington County

1900

County Total: 24,154

• Westerly 7,541
• South Kingstown 4,972
• North Kingstown 4,194
• Hopkinton 2,602
• Narragansett (district) 1,523
• Richmond 1,506
• Charlestown 975
• Exeter 841

1910

County Total: 24,942

• Westerly 8,696
• South Kingstown 5,176
• North Kingstown 4,048
• Hopkinton 2,324
• Richmond 1,633
• Narragansett 1,250
• Charlestown 1,037
• Exeter 778

1920

County Total: 24,932

• Westerly 9,952
• South Kingstown 5,181
• North Kingstown 3,397
• Hopkinton 2,316
• Richmond 1,301
• Exeter 1,033
• Narragansett 993
• Charlestown 759

1930

County Total: 29,334

• Westerly 10,997
• South Kingstown 6,010
• North Kingstown 4,279
• Hopkinton 2,823
• Richmond 1,535
• Exeter 1,314
• Narragansett 1,258
• Charlestown 1,118

1940

County Total: 32,493

• Westerly 11,199
• South Kingstown 7,282
• North Kingstown 4,604
• Hopkinton 3,230
• Exeter 1,790
• Richmond 1,629
• Narragansett 1,560
• Charlestown 1,199

1950

County Total: 48,542

• North Kingstown 14,810
• Westerly 12,380
• South Kingstown 10,148
• Hopkinton 3,676
• Narragansett 2,288
• Exeter 1,870
• Richmond 1,772
• Charlestown 1,598

1960

County Total: 59,054

• North Kingstown 18,977
• Westerly 14,267
• South Kingstown 11,942
• Hopkinton 4,174
• Narragansett 3,444
• Exeter 2,298
• Richmond 1,986
• Charlestown 1,966

1970

County Total: 85,706

• North Kingstown 29,793
• Westerly 17,248
• South Kingstown 16,913
• Narragansett 7,138
• Hopkinton 5,392
• Exeter 3,245
• Charlestown 2,863
• Richmond 2,625
• New Shoreham 489

1980

County Total: 93,317

• North Kingstown 21,938
• South Kingstown 20,414
• Westerly 18,580
• Narragansett 12,088
• Hopkinton 6,406
• Charlestown 4,800
• Exeter 4,453
• Richmond 4,018
• New Shoreham 620

1990

County Total: 110,006

• South Kingstown 24,612
• North Kingstown 23,786
• Westerly 21,605
• Narragansett 15,004
• Hopkinton 6,873
• Charlestown 6,478
• Exeter 5,461
• Richmond 5,351
• New Shoreham 836

2000

County Total: 123,546

• South Kingstown 27,921
• North Kingstown 26,326
• Westerly 22,966
• Narragansett 16,361
• Charlestown 7,859
• Hopkinton 7,836
• Richmond 7,222
• Exeter 6,045
• New Shoreham 1,010