Bristol is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Rhode Island. With a population of 22,128 people and four associated neighborhoods, Bristol is the 18th largest community in Rhode Island.

Housing costs in Bristol are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Rhode Island.

Also of interest is that Bristol has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 7.96% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Bristol is also a college town, where lots of students live while attending area colleges. Because of the high percentage of people living in Bristol enrolled in college, Bristol has a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared towards the needs and activities of students.

Bristol, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the town.

Overall, Bristol’s crime rate is one of the lowest in the nation, which makes a great place to live if safety is an important concern.

One of the nice things about Bristol is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

The education level of Bristol ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Bristol, 45.43% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree.

The per capita income in Bristol in 2022 was $46,559, which is middle income relative to Rhode Island, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $186,236 for a family of four.

The people who call Bristol home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Bristol residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Bristol include Italian, Irish, Portuguese, English, and German.

The most common language spoken in Bristol is English. Other important languages spoken here include Portuguese and Spanish.