Elevation of Providence
9ft
above sea level · 3 m
Providence is the capital of Rhode Island and its most populous city, with 195,310 people. Of the 50 state capitals, it’s the lowest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 41.82° N · 71.41° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 41° 49′ 26″ N · 71° 24′ 46″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 19T · 299,618 E · 4,633,049 N
- Zone 19 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- UTC−5 · UTC−4 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 195,310 people
- 18.4 sq mi of land · 10,609 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from February 2022: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Providence had 195,310 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 2.3% more than in April 2020, when it had 190,898. Its 18.4 sq mi of land work out to 10,609 people/sq mi; the state average is 1,078 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 36 places the Census counts in Rhode Island (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 18% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Providence County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 0.3 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other state capitals
Providence sits at 9 ft (3 m) above sea level. Of the 50 state capitals, the highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft). The average is 1,098 ft: Providence is 1,089 ft below it.
The highest point in Rhode Island is Jerimoth Hill, at 812 ft according to the USGS: 803 ft above Providence, 19 mi away in a straight line.
- 50 Providence 9 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
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Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Providence.
What is the elevation of Providence?
Providence is 9 feet (3 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Providence?
Latitude 41.82399 and longitude -71.41283, in decimal degrees (41° 49′ 26″ N · 71° 24′ 46″ W). In UTM, zone 19: 299,618 E and 4,633,049 N, on NAD83.
How does Providence rank among the highest state capitals?
It’s the lowest of the 50 state capitals. The highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft).
What county is Providence in?
Providence County, Rhode Island.
Which is higher, Providence or Boston?
Boston. Providence sits at 9 ft and Boston at 48 ft: a difference of 39 ft, 41 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know