What kinds of homes are in Portsmouth, RI?

Name: Types of homes in Portsmouth, RI, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

Portsmouth, RI has 8,612 (±397) homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is about 374 homes per square mile of land.

74.8% are detached single-family houses.

8.8% are in buildings of two to four units.

5.7% are in buildings of five or more units.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Housing units: 8,612 (±397)
Detached houses: 74.8%
2–4 unit buildings: 8.8%
5+ unit buildings: 5.7%

Homes in Portsmouth by building size

Housing units by units in structure, 2020–2024
Building type	Portsmouth	Newport County	Rhode Island	United States
Single-family, detached	74.8% (±3.8 points)	62.9%	55.7%	61.3%
Single-family, attached (townhouse, rowhouse)	7.6% (±2.4 points)	5.7%	4.0%	6.2%
2 units	4.5% (±2.3 points)	8.4%	10.4%	3.4%
3 or 4 units	4.3% (±1.9 points)	9.1%	11.6%	4.3%
5 to 9 units	1.4% (±1.1 points)	3.4%	4.8%	4.5%
10 to 19 units	0.6% (±0.6 points)	2.1%	3.4%	4.3%
20 or more units	3.7% (±1.5 points)	6.2%	9.1%	10.3%
Mobile home	3.0% (±1.8 points)	2.0%	0.9%	5.6%
Boat, RV, van, etc.	0.0% (±0.6 points)	0.2%	0.0%	0.1%

In Portsmouth, the share of homes in buildings of five or more units is lower than in Newport County (11.7%).

It is also lower than in Rhode Island (17.3%).

It is lower than the national figure (19.1%).

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units in places near Portsmouth

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Portsmouth
Place	Distance	Homes in buildings of 5 or more units	Compared with this place
Portsmouth	—	5.7% (±2.0 points)	—
Middletown	5.0 mi	13.0% (±3.0 points)	Higher
Newport East	5.3 mi	17.7% (±4.3 points)	Higher
Tiverton	5.3 mi	8.3% (±2.2 points)	Not measurably different
Bristol	5.8 mi	15.8% (±4.0 points)	Higher
Tiverton (community)	6.1 mi	13.0% (±4.3 points)	Higher
Jamestown	6.7 mi	3.2% (±3.6 points)	Not measurably different
Newport	8.2 mi	20.5% (±3.0 points)	Higher
Little Compton	8.7 mi	0.0% (±3.6 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Little Compton, RI (0.0%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Middletown, RI (13.0%), Newport East, RI (17.7%), Bristol, RI (15.8%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units across Newport County, place by place

Rank	Place	Homes in buildings of 5 or more units
1	Newport	20.5% (±3.0 points)
2	Middletown	13.0% (±3.0 points)
3	Tiverton	8.3% (±2.2 points)
4	Portsmouth	5.7% (±2.0 points)
5	Jamestown	3.2% (±3.6 points)
6	Little Compton	0.0% (±3.6 points)

The figures for Portsmouth include the places inside it that have pages of their own: Melville.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Portsmouth

How many homes are in Portsmouth?

Portsmouth, RI has an estimated 8,612 (±397) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Are most homes in Portsmouth houses or apartments?

74.8% are detached houses and 7.6% attached houses, while 14.5% are in buildings of two or more units.

How many two-family and small multifamily homes are in Portsmouth?

8.8% of homes in Portsmouth are in buildings of two to four units, the small rental buildings that are often owner-occupied.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Portsmouth town, Newport County, Rhode Island

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Portsmouth town, Newport County, Rhode Island (county subdivision:57880, in state:44 county:005).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0007PE, DP04_0007PM, DP04_0008PE, DP04_0008PM, DP04_0009PE, DP04_0009PM, DP04_0010PE, DP04_0010PM, DP04_0011PE, DP04_0011PM, DP04_0012PE, DP04_0012PM, DP04_0013PE, DP04_0013PM, DP04_0014PE, DP04_0014PM, DP04_0015PE, DP04_0015PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.