Bars and taverns in Rhode Island: 209 locations, n/a jobs
Official counts for bars and taverns in Rhode Island, 2026 Q1: how many there are, whether they are adding jobs, what they pay, and how Rhode Island compares with the other states. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, refreshed each quarter.
Rhode Island against the country · 2026 Q1
| Rhode Island | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Bars and taverns with employees | 209 | 41,912 |
| Per 100,000 residents | 18.8 | 12.3 |
| Jobs | 1,874 | 395,676 |
| Jobs, year over year | n/a | -2.0% |
| Locations, year over year | n/a | -0.6% |
| Average weekly wage | $472 | $515 |
| Rank among states, density | 12 of 49 | |
| Rank among states, job growth | n/a |
What the numbers say
Rhode Island has 209 bars and taverns with payroll, employing 1,874 people. At 18.8 per 100,000 residents the market is denser than the country as a whole, number 12 among the 49 states with published data. BLS withholds the year-over-year change for Rhode Island, so the trend has to be read from the national line.
Average pay at bars and taverns in Rhode Island is $472 a week, 8% below the national figure of $515. Budget labor from this number, not from a national guide.
Over five years, from 2021 to 2023, the number of bars and taverns in Rhode Island moved -0.4%, from 245 to 244.
Bars and taverns in Rhode Island, annual average
- 2021245
- 2022251
- 2023244
Jobs at bars and taverns in Rhode Island
- 20211,900
- 20222,225
- 20232,161
What counts as "bars and taverns" here
Drinking places that serve alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption: bars, taverns, pubs, nightclubs and cocktail lounges. Food may be served but drinks are the main line. The code is NAICS 722410. BLS counts establishments that report payroll, so a one-person business with no employees is not in these figures; in trades with many solo operators the true number of businesses is higher.
Before you open one in Rhode Island
A statewide figure tells you which way the wind blows. It does not tell you whether the corner you are looking at has the households, the income and the gap in competition to support one more. A counts the bars and taverns within reach of one address in Rhode Island, reads the county trend from the same BLS table, and scores the plan. The saturation check does a city-level version for free.
Questions people ask
How many bars and taverns are there in Rhode Island?
BLS counted 209 bars and taverns with employees in Rhode Island in 2026 Q1, employing 1,874 people. Owner-only businesses with no payroll are not in that count. That is 18.8 per 100,000 residents, against 12.3 nationally.
Are bars and taverns growing in Rhode Island?
BLS suppresses the year-over-year change for bars and taverns in Rhode Island for confidentiality, so the trend cannot be read from the quarterly file.
Is Rhode Island a crowded market for bars and taverns?
Rhode Island has 18.8 bars and taverns per 100,000 residents, denser than the country as a whole, ranking 12 of 49 states. Density is a statewide average; a Neur report counts the competitors around one address.
Bars and taverns in every state
Densest first. The number is bars and taverns per 100,000 residents in 2026 Q1.
Other business types in Rhode Island
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector, NAICS 722410, 2026 Q1 (quarterly) and annual averages (five-year series); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year population estimates. This page is generated from those feeds and rewritten when a new quarter publishes. All 14 business types in Rhode Island · Growth ranking for Rhode Island · Bars and taverns by state