Rhode Island Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown
Rhode Island has 217,771 business records in Factur’s directory — the 44th-most of any U.S. state, or 0.3% of the national total. Providence leads its cities with 22.2% of the state’s records, Industrial & mechanical is the largest sector at 27.3%, and Rhode Island ranks 43rd for large employers (500+ employees).
Data as of July 2026. The figures come from Factur’s U.S. business directory, spanning 7 Rhode Island cities and 4 industry sectors. They count records, not unique companies: one company can have more than one record (see the methodology). Every number links to the browsable list behind it. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite these figures with a link back to this page.
Key findings
- Rhode Island ranks 44th nationally with 217,771 business records — 0.3% of all 64,799,929 U.S. records in the directory.
- A national-average share of large employers. Rhode Island is 43rd for records of companies with 500+ employees (267), with 12.3 per 10,000 records against 14.0 nationally (36th of 52 states).
- Providence is the state’s largest business hub, with 22.2% of all Rhode Island records.
- Business is concentrated in a few metros: Providence, Warwick and Cranston together hold 38.7% of the state’s records.
How Rhode Island ranks nationally
Rhode Island and its closest neighbours by total business records. Select a state to open its own study.
Top Rhode Island cities by number of business records
These 7 cities account for 52.2% of all records in Rhode Island. Select any city to browse its full company list.
Rhode Island businesses by industry
Every record is classified by its primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes; the shares are of all Rhode Island records. Select a sector to see those Rhode Island companies.
Rhode Island businesses by size
Most records in every state are small businesses. In Rhode Island, 1.28% of records with a known size have 51 or more employees, against 1.77% nationally. 71 records belong to companies with $1 billion or more in revenue.
| Employees | Records | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-50 | 212,695 | 98.72% | 98.23% |
| 51-200 | 1,965 | 0.91% | 1.37% |
| 201-1000 | 662 | 0.31% | 0.33% |
| 1001-5000 | 84 | 0.04% | 0.05% |
| 5001+ | 39 | 0.02% | 0.02% |
What the numbers show
Rhode Island’s 217,771 records place it 44th nationally, 0.3% of the U.S. total, and 43rd for large employers. Activity clusters in its largest metros — Providence, Warwick and Cranston alone account for 38.7% of the state’s records — and its industry mix is close to the national average. For buyers and sellers, that means the deepest pools of suppliers sit in a handful of cities and sectors; the charts above link straight into each so you can shortlist by capability and region.
Frequently asked questions
How many businesses are in Rhode Island?
Factur’s directory has 217,771 business records for Rhode Island, the 44th-most of any U.S. state. That counts records rather than unique companies: a company can have more than one record, so the number of distinct businesses is lower.
How many large companies are in Rhode Island?
267 Rhode Island records belong to companies with 500 or more employees, 43rd among U.S. states, or 12.3 per 10,000 records against 14.0 nationally. Large companies often have several records (one per department or location), so this overstates the number of distinct large employers.
Which Rhode Island city has the most businesses?
Providence has the most, with 22.2% of the state’s records.
What is the largest industry in Rhode Island?
Industrial & mechanical is the largest sector, at 27.3% of Rhode Island records.
Where does this data come from?
From Factur’s U.S. business directory as of July 2026, classified by city and by primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes. Every figure on this page links to the list behind it.
Cite this data
Free to use with attribution — please credit Factur and link back to this page.
Factur. (2026). Rhode Island Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown. data.facturmfg.com. https://data.facturmfg.com/insights/rhode-island<a href="https://data.facturmfg.com/insights/rhode-island">Rhode Island Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown</a> — data by FacturMethodology
Figures count records in Factur’s U.S. business directory as of July 2026, classified by city and primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes. Records cover manufacturers, suppliers and businesses of all sizes. They are not a count of unique companies: one company can have several records (for example one per department or location), and some records are duplicates. That affects large companies most, so treat raw totals as an upper bound and rely on the ranks, shares and comparisons, which it affects much less. These are directory totals, not official census figures. Percentages are computed against the Rhode Island directory total; size shares use records with a known employee count. Data compiled by Factur, a sales and marketing firm for B2B manufacturers.
Looking for a specific industry in Rhode Island? Browse the Rhode Island directory → or contact us for a custom data pull.