Providence’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Providence.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Rhode Island thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Providence. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Providence neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Providence hoods need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Providence area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Blackstone ranks way above the rest.
We examined 23 of Providence’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live. These places don’t quite measure up to Providence’s reputation.
Table Of Contents: Top 10 | Methodology | Summary | Table
So what’s the worst neighborhood to live in Providence for 2025? According to the most recent census data, Hartford looks to be the worst neighborhood in Providence.
Read on to see how we determined the places around Providence that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.
For more Rhode Island reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Rhode Island
- Cheapest Places To Live In Rhode Island
- Most Dangerous Cities In Rhode Island
The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Providence For 2025
/10
Population: 6,286
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 421
Property Crime Per 100k: 1,672
Median Home Value: $181,500 (3rd worst)
Median Income: $38,131 (2nd worst)
More on Hartford: Data
/10
Population: 7,030
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 349
Property Crime Per 100k: 1,836
Median Home Value: $127,667 (worst)
Median Income: $27,440 (worst)
More on Lower South Providence: Data
/10
Population: 5,417
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 808
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,016
Median Home Value: $229,650 (12th worst)
Median Income: $43,021 (4th worst)
More on Olneyville: Data
/10
Population: 6,009
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 382
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,130
Median Home Value: $223,100 (10th worst)
Median Income: $45,408 (8th worst)
More on Washington Park: Data
/10
Population: 6,674
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 453
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,931
Median Home Value: $169,620 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $43,450 (6th worst)
More on Charles: Data
/10
Population: 11,315
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 470
Property Crime Per 100k: 1,862
Median Home Value: $199,460 (6th worst)
Median Income: $42,194 (3rd worst)
More on Wanskuck: Data
/10
Population: 2,444
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 281
Property Crime Per 100k: 1,661
Median Home Value: $216,533 (8th worst)
Median Income: $57,834 (14th worst)
More on Reservoir: Data
/10
Population: 7,553
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 361
Property Crime Per 100k: 3,933
Median Home Value: $352,217 (17th worst)
Median Income: $52,291 (13th worst)
More on Federal Hill: Data
/10
Population: 5,789
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 529
Property Crime Per 100k: 2,597
Median Home Value: $415,413 (20th worst)
Median Income: $51,724 (12th worst)
More on Smith Hill: Data
/10
Population: 4,377
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,143
Property Crime Per 100k: 9,545
Median Home Value: $365,950 (18th worst)
Median Income: $49,838 (11th worst)
More on Downtown: Data
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Providence neighborhoods in 2025
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Providence:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Providence.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2025. This report is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in Providence.
Skip to the end to see the list of all 23 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Providence
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Providence with Hartford landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Providence are Hartford, Lower South Providence, Olneyville, Washington Park, Charles, Wanskuck, Reservoir, Federal Hill, Smith Hill, and Downtown.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Providence aren’t all bad. Blackstone takes the cake as the best place to live in Providence.
The best neighborhoods in Providence are Blackstone, College Hill, Elmhurst, Wayland, and Mount Pleasant.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
For more Rhode Island reading, check out:
Most Dangerous Neighborhoods To Live In Providence For 2025?
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hartford | 6,286 | $181,500 | $38,131 |
| 2 | Lower South Providence | 7,030 | $127,667 | $27,440 |
| 3 | Olneyville | 5,417 | $229,650 | $43,021 |
| 4 | Washington Park | 6,009 | $223,100 | $45,408 |
| 5 | Charles | 6,674 | $169,620 | $43,450 |
| 6 | Wanskuck | 11,315 | $199,460 | $42,194 |
| 7 | Reservoir | 2,444 | $216,533 | $57,834 |
| 8 | Federal Hill | 7,553 | $352,217 | $52,291 |
| 9 | Smith Hill | 5,789 | $415,413 | $51,724 |
| 10 | Downtown | 4,377 | $365,950 | $49,838 |
| 11 | Elmwood | 10,675 | $238,175 | $43,068 |
| 12 | West End | 17,334 | $199,133 | $45,261 |
| 13 | Fox Point | 3,314 | $387,860 | $63,560 |
| 14 | South Elmwood | 3,657 | $223,425 | $49,439 |
| 15 | Valley | 5,127 | $239,300 | $59,559 |
| 16 | Hope | 3,175 | $291,880 | $76,286 |
| 17 | Silverlake | 11,958 | $200,456 | $49,563 |
| 18 | Mount Hope | 6,103 | $302,912 | $77,826 |
| 19 | Mount Pleasant | 11,438 | $196,250 | $64,063 |
| 20 | Wayland | 3,252 | $502,825 | $89,275 |
| 21 | Elmhurst | 10,551 | $219,680 | $68,504 |
| 22 | College Hill | 8,697 | $619,683 | $92,475 |
| 23 | Blackstone | 6,526 | $459,340 | $128,378 |