According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of July 1, 2022, the population of Rhode Island is estimated to be 1,093,734. However, as of the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Rhode Island was 1,097,379. The population of Rhode Island has been steadily increasing since 1790. Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, but it is the second-most densely populated state, after New Jersey. The states most populous city is Providence, with an estimated residential community of 178,335 persons. The largest ethnic group in Rhode Island is non-Hispanic white, which makes up 72.7% of the population.