Bristol County, RI jobs, unemployment and layoffs

Bristol County’s unemployment rate is 2.4%. No layoff notices here in the last 12 months. 16 open professional jobs are in its cities.

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Bristol County economy

2.4%
unemployment, Sep 2026
2.9% the month before
26,320
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
50,568
people in Bristol County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$110,926
median household income
Source: Census ACS
54%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Where Bristol County ranks

Where Bristol County placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.

November 2026

#3Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in New England54% · of 42
#9Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the Northeast54% · of 100
#14Counties with the lowest unemployment in the Northeast2.4% · of 100
#14Counties with the lowest unemployment in New England2.4% · of 42
#14Counties where unemployment fell the most in New England−0.5 points · of 24

Bristol County outlook: Steady

Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.

Private-sector jobs up 7.8% from 2022 to 2025
Population down 1.5% from 2020 to 2025
Unemployment 2.4%, down 0.5 points from a year ago
Sectors adding the most jobs: professional & technical (+300 jobs)

Local job-market news

Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Bristol County. Each link goes to the publisher.

I-95 will close overnight in Cranston this weekend. Here's how to avoid it.The Draft Wire · Oct 14, 2026

Learn and get funded in Bristol County

Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.

Bristol County layoffs

No layoff notices naming Bristol County in the last 12 months are on file. The WARN Act covers employers with 100 or more workers, so smaller layoffs are not in it.

All layoff notices in the state

Employers hiring most in Bristol County

Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.

Vatn Systems6 open roles
Ducommun3 open roles
Composite Energy Technologies2 open roles
Blount Fine Foods1 open role
Dental3651 open role
Genworth1 open role
KVH Industries1 open role
Nava Public Benefit1 open role
Roger Williams University1 open role

Colleges in Bristol County

Colleges in Bristol County
College	City	Type	Students
Roger Williams University	Bristol	Private non-profit 4-year	1,000–4,999
Roger Williams University School of Law	Bristol	Private non-profit 4-year	Under 1,000

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Bristol County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.

Laid off in Rhode Island? How to file for unemployment in Rhode Island (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).

Rhode Island Governor's Workforce Board
Bristol, Kent, Newport, Providence, Washington

Cities in Bristol County

Other Rhode Island counties

All of Rhode Island

Laid off or looking for work in Bristol County?

See what to do first and the jobs open near you.

See your options after a layoff

Sources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from Rhode Island’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Rhode Island unemployment benefits and severance rules.

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