Washington County Named Rhode Island's Least Lonely County, Study Finds

A new analysis of federal health data ranks Washington County as the least lonely county in Rhode Island, with 29.8% of adults reporting that they feel lonely always, usually or sometimes.

The finding comes from an analysis conducted by Mood.com using estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's PLACES program. The analysis examined loneliness rates across 1,996 counties and county equivalents in 39 states.

Washington County ranked fifth among the five Rhode Island counties included in the analysis.

That may sound like a low ranking, but in this case, fifth was the good news.

Providence County had the highest reported loneliness rate in Rhode Island at 38.1%, followed by Kent County at 35.5%, Bristol County at 32% and Newport County at 31.6%.

The difference between Washington and Providence counties was 8.3 percentage points.

These numbers offer an interesting look at a subject that can be easy to overlook in a community where people may regularly see familiar faces at local businesses, town events, schools, parks and community organizations.

Still, the numbers do not mean that Washington County is free from loneliness.

Nearly three out of every 10 adults included in the county estimate reported feeling lonely at least sometimes.

The analysis also looked at whether adults reported having social support. In Washington County, 18.7% of adults were reported as lacking social support, compared with 24.7% in Providence County.

Rhode Island overall ranked eighth among the 39 states included in the analysis, with 35.9% of adults reporting loneliness. The national figure was 34.9%.

David Charles, CEO of Mood.com, said the findings demonstrate that loneliness can vary significantly from one community to another.

"What these figures show is how local loneliness is," Charles said. "Two counties that sit side by side can be several percentage points apart."

The underlying data comes from the CDC's PLACES program, which provides local estimates of a range of health-related measures. Mood.com analyzed the CDC data and ranked the counties based on reported loneliness.

For Charlestown and the rest of Washington County, the numbers provide an interesting snapshot of community life.

They also raise a more important question that statistics alone cannot answer:

What is it about Washington County that may help people stay connected?

The analysis was conducted by Mood.com using CDC PLACES data. The findings represent reported loneliness and should not be interpreted as a measure of how lonely every individual resident of Washington County is.