According to the Distressed Communities Index (DIC), a data tool that visualizes and compares economic well-being across U.S. communities, “Fifty million Americans live in distressed zip codes, roughly the population of Texas and Florida.” Meanwhile, the largest number of Americans live in prosperous zip codes. The DIC suggests in their key findings that this gap demonstrates “the gravitational pull that helps sustain prosperity in well-off places.”

The DIC was created and is maintained by the Economic Innovation Group (EIG), a bipartisan public policy research organization. The DCI sorts communities by zip code into five distinct tiers: distressed, comfortable, mid-tier, at-risk, and prosperous.

It bases the evaluation on performance across seven economic indicators, sourced primarily from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates—the seven indicators are:

• No high school diploma: Share of the 25 and older population without a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Housing vacancy rate: Share of habitable housing that is unoccupied, excluding properties that are for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use.
• Adults not working: Share of the prime-age (25-54) population that is not currently employed.
• Poverty rate: Share of the population below the poverty line.
• Median income ratio: Median household income as a share of metro area median household income (or state, for non-metro areas and all congressional districts).
• Changes in employment: Percent change in the number of jobs over the past five years.
• Changes in establishments: Percent change in the number of business establishments over the past five years.

 

Rhode Island’s DCI Scores

 

• Statewide, Rhode Island has 25.8% of its population living in a distressed zip code and 22.3% living in a prosperous zip code.
  • In comparison, the United States has 15.2% of its population living in a distressed zip code and 24.9 percent living in a prosperous zip code.
• 02831 (Hope, RI) is the lowest ranked zip code for distress in the state, with a distress score of 0.6 out of 100.
• 02895 (Woonsocket, RI) is the highest ranked zip code for distress in the state, with a distress score of 93.1 out of 100.

 

Providence DCI by Zip Code

02903

Level: Distressed

Population: 12.0K

Ranks 64 out of 67 zip codes in Rhode Island

 

Notable insight: 02903 has almost double the housing vacancy rate as the national average.

 

02904

Level: At risk

Population: 31.2K

Ranks 54 out of 67 zip codes in Rhode Island

 

Notable insight: 02904 has a 2% lower rate of adults not working than the national average.

 

02905

Level: Distressed

Population: 25.7K

Ranks 65 out of 67 zip codes in Rhode Island

 

Notable insight: In 02905, the housing vacancy rate was lower than the national average.

 

02906

Level: Comfortable

Population: 26.4K

Ranks 39 out of 67 zip codes in Rhode Island

 

Notable insight: 02906’s median income ratio surpasses the national median and its rate of residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher is 79.5%, over double the national average.

 

02907

Level: Distressed

Population: 32.7K

Ranks 63 out of 67 zip codes in Rhode Island

Notable insight: In 02907, the change in the number of business establishments in the past five years was higher than the national average.

02908

Level: Distressed

Population: 39.1K

Ranks 61 out of 67 zip codes in Rhode Island

 

Notable insight: 02908 has seen a 12% decrease in the number of jobs over five years, despite seeing a 5.4% change in the number of business establishments.

 

02909

Level: Distressed

Population: 42.6K

Ranks 62 out of 67 zip codes in Rhode Island

 

Notable insight: Similar to 02908, 02909 saw a 4% decrease in employment over five years, despite seeing a 13.8% change in the number of business establishments.

 

Dana Schneider is a writer living in Elmwood with her one-toothed cat named Froggy. With a background in both public policy and poetry, she is nosy about people, their complexities, and how we experience daily life within and despite the structures around us. She also loves eating the “Hungry Man” special at Seaplane Diner on weekend mornings.