The Providence, RI market, by the numbers

Who lives in Providence, RI

Its principal cities are Providence and Warwick; the metro crosses into Massachusetts.

Income in Providence, RI: a median of $87,040 per household against $80,734 nationally, so 8 percent above the national figure. The median home value of $422,500 is 27 percent above the national figure.

Owner-occupied housing 63.2%, 2 points below the US share, which is the figure home-service advertisers should watch. Providence, RI has a median age of 40.7 (1.8 years above the national median). Unemployment in the civilian labor force is 5.7%, about the same as the US share. The share of adults with a bachelor's or above is 35.3%, about the same as the US share.

Against the state as a whole, the median income is about the same as the Rhode Island figure, the median home value is 5 percent higher than the Rhode Island figure, and the number of businesses per resident is 5 percent thinner than the Rhode Island figure; see the Rhode Island page for the full figures.

Competition, counted

The establishment count for Providence, RI is 42,731. Set against the population that is 25.4 per 1,000 residents, in line with the national figure, against 25 nationally. The home-services trades that most often advertise locally number 2,958 establishments, a 6.9% share, 2 points above the US share.

The last column divides the local share of establishments by the national share (1.00 = the same mix as the US).

Where competition is thickest: landscaping services, electrical contractors, plumbing and HVAC contractors and automobile dealers all hold a larger share of the local base than they do nationally. Landscaping services are the clearest case: 1,137 establishments, 1.9 times the share they hold nationally. Less common here than nationally: physicians' offices, real estate lessors, general freight trucking and dentists. Physicians' offices number just 776, about 70% of the US share, which is room for a well-run operator to be the obvious choice. Specialty trade contractors, road and paving contractors and legal services track the US share closely.

By raw count the largest categories here are restaurants (3,670), landscaping services (1,137) and legal services (1,004). Scaled to residents, restaurants run 217.9 per 100,000, more than landscaping services or legal services. Sector view: the home-services trades index at 1.4 times the national share, medical and dental practices at about 72% of.

How to advertise in Providence, RI

A crowded category like landscaping services, electrical contractors and plumbing and HVAC contractors rewards precision: exact-match search terms, service-area fencing, Local Services Ads where the trade is eligible, and a Business Profile that is answered daily. Broad campaigns get outspent. A business in physicians' offices, real estate lessors and general freight trucking enters a lightly contested auction. That is the time to build organic visibility and a review base before the category fills in. Residents here are older than the US median (1.8 years above the national median); they search, read reviews and call, which puts the weight on search, the listing and the phone.