Little Compton is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Rhode Island. With a population of 3,553 people and just one neighborhood, Little Compton is the 38th largest community in Rhode Island.
Little Compton home prices are not only among the most expensive in Rhode Island, but Little Compton real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.
Little Compton is a decidedly white-collar town, with fully 88.16% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Little Compton is a town of professionals, managers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Little Compton who work in management occupations (15.93%), sales jobs (11.78%), and teaching (8.05%).
Of important note, Little Compton is also a town of artists. Little Compton has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Little Compton’s character.
Also of interest is that Little Compton has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 20.46% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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.
Another notable thing is that Little Compton is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Little Compton’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.
Little Compton is a good choice for families with children because of several factors. Many other families with children live here, making it a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic success. Many people own their own single-family homes, providing areas for children to play and stability in the community. Finally, Little Compton’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.
Little Compton is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.
One downside of living in Little Compton is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Little Compton, the average commute to work is 32.59 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average.
As is often the case in a small town, Little Compton doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.
If knowledge is power, Little Compton is a pretty powerful place. 59.97% of the adults in Little Compton have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.
The per capita income in Little Compton in 2022 was $92,058, which is wealthy relative to Rhode Island and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $368,232 for a family of four.
The people who call Little Compton home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Little Compton residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Little Compton include English, Irish, Portuguese, French, and German.
The most common language spoken in Little Compton is English. Other important languages spoken here include Portuguese and Chinese.
The way a neighborhood looks and feels when you walk or drive around it, from its setting, its buildings, and its flavor, can make all the difference. This neighborhood has some really cool things about the way it looks and feels as revealed by NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research. This might include anything from the housing stock to the types of households living here to how people get around.
is a neighborhood that is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Many times, such places have amenities that bring locals and visitors to the waterfront for recreational activities or to check out the scenery. In some densely populated areas that are less financially well-off, the neighborhood waterfront can be relatively industrial and less open to recreation. In addition to being coastal, is a very nautical neighborhood, meaning that it is somewhat historic, walkable, densely populated and on the water. This gives the neighborhood a very nautical feel, with some seaside and shipping feel, which some may really enjoy the sights and sounds of.
In addition, vacant homes and apartments are a significant characteristic of this neighborhood. In fact, with 33.5% of the residential real estate vacant, the neighborhood claims the distinction of having a higher vacancy rate than 96.5% of the neighborhoods in America. This can either be because much of the property is seasonally occupied, like in many vacation areas, or that much of the real estate is more permanently abandoned.
Furthermore, the neighborhood has earned the amazing distinction of having one of the highest rates of detached, single-family homes of any neighborhood in the U.S. With 97.6% of the residential real estate here made up of free-standing single-family homes, there is a greater proportion of single-family homes here than in 95.8% of all neighborhoods in America.
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Portuguese and French ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 18.8% of this neighborhood's residents have Portuguese ancestry and 12.1% have French ancestry.
is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 1.8% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Portuguese at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 97.3% of the neighborhoods in America.
There are two complementary measures for understanding the income of a neighborhood's residents: the average and the extremes. While a neighborhood may be relatively wealthy overall, it is equally important to understand the rate of people - particularly children - who are living at or below the federal poverty line, which is extremely low income. Some neighborhoods with a lower average income may actually have a lower childhood poverty rate than another with a higher average income, and this helps us understand the conditions and character of a neighborhood.
The neighbors in the neighborhood in Little Compton are wealthy, making it among the 15% highest income neighborhoods in America. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 88.5% of the neighborhoods in America. In addition, 2.1% of the children seventeen and under living in this neighborhood are living below the federal poverty line, which is a lower rate of childhood poverty than is found in 74.2% of America's neighborhoods.
The old saying "you are what you eat" is true. But it is also true that you are what you do for a living. The types of occupations your neighbors have shape their character, and together as a group, their collective occupations shape the culture of a place.
In the neighborhood, 54.9% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants, with 24.7% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (9.7%), and 9.6% in government jobs, whether they are in local, state, or federal positions.
The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 95.7% of households.
Culture is the shared learned behavior of peoples. Undeniably, different ethnicities and ancestries have different cultural traditions, and as a result, neighborhoods with concentrations of residents of one or another ethnicities or ancestries will express those cultures. It is what makes the North End in Boston so fun to visit for the Italian restaurants, bakeries, culture, and charm, and similarly, why people enjoy visiting Chinatown in San Francisco.
In the neighborhood in Little Compton, RI, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as English (21.0%). There are also a number of people of Irish ancestry (20.4%), and residents who report Portuguese roots (18.8%), and some of the residents are also of French ancestry (12.1%), along with some German ancestry residents (10.7%), among others.
Even if your neighborhood is walkable, you may still have to drive to your place of work. Some neighborhoods are located where many can get to work in just a few minutes, while others are located such that most residents have a long and arduous commute. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend between 45 minutes and one hour commuting one-way to work (30.5% of working residents), longer and tougher than most commutes in America.
Here most residents (72.0%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also hop out the door and walk to work to get to work (5.4%) . In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.