Rhode Island
The Impact Project synthesizes publicly available data about the impacts of government change.
State Dashboards provide a snapshot of impacts to states, including the size of the federal workforce, federal dollars, a profile of probationary workers, and impacts to federal programs.
Dashboards will change as the data does, and you may find areas that need updating. Please reach out via [email protected] if you would like to support our work, share data, or provide feedback.
Click here to download state data.
Federal Workforce in Rhode Island
Total Workforce
559,363
Federal Workforce
8,439
Probationary Federal Workforce
874
Sources: OPM.gov (Mar. '24); Census.gov (Dec '24); BLS.gov (Feb. '24)
Federal Funding & State Revenue
Historically, federal dollars have accounted for about a quarter to a third of state revenue. The COVID-19 Pandemic increased those numbers. Approximately 33.33% of the State's 2019 budget came from federal funding, and 43.80% of 2022's budget.
Sources: Pew Trusts; Census.gov; NBER.gov
Summary of State Dots
| Action | Rhode Island Stories |
|---|---|
| Defense | 4 |
| Education | 3 |
| Emergency Services, Public Safety & Law Enforcement | 1 |
| Energy | 5 |
| Food & Agriculture | 11 |
| Housing | 1 |
| Infrastructure | 5 |
| International Development | 9 |
| Natural Resources, Environment & Public Lands | 11 |
| Overarching | 6 |
| Public Health & Healthcare | 26 |
| Research & Academic Research | 10 |
| Social Services | 5 |
| Total | 97 |
Sources: theimpactproject.org
Last Updated: 4/23/2025
DOGE Data Summary
According to DOGE data, 6 contracts, 35 grants and 4 leases have been terminated in Rhode Island.
Source: https://doge.gov/savings
Top Federal Occupations in Rhode Island
This table provides a snapshot of federal occupations in this state. Click here for descriptions of these occupations.
Probationary employees include those employed by a federal agency for a year or less by March, 2024. For some agencies, the probationary period last longer (2-3yrs). In most cases, the probationary period restarts when a worker is promoted.
| Occupation | Total Employees | Probationary Employees |
|---|---|---|
| MECHANICAL ENGINEERING | 793 | 61 |
| ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING | 788 | 35 |
| COMPUTER SCIENCE | 461 | 43 |
| NURSE | 440 | 54 |
| VETERANS CLAIMS EXAMINING | 333 | 49 |
| INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT | 319 | 37 |
| GENERAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING | 262 | 18 |
| MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAM ANALYSIS | 242 | 9 |
| COMPUTER ENGINEERING | 222 | 16 |
| MEDICAL OFFICER | 182 | 22 |
Sources: OPM.gov (2024)
Top Federal Employers in State
| State | Agency | Non-probationary | Probationary | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RI | Department Of The Navy | 4168 | 371 | 4539 |
| RI | Department Of Veterans Affairs | 2019 | 321 | 2340 |
| RI | Department Of The Army | 195 | 47 | 242 |
| RI | Department Of Defense | 181 | 26 | 207 |
| RI | Social Security Administration | 133 | 12 | 145 |
Sources: OPM.gov
Impacted Funding for Food Programs
This summarizes cuts from only a few of the food-related programs impacted by funding changes since January 2025.
The LFS program awards money to states to buy local foods for schools and childcare institutions, and the LFPA program provides funding for state, tribal and territorial governments to buy food produced within the state or within 400 miles of delivery destinations. Both programs have been cancelled.
| State, Tribe, or Territory | Local Food for Schools (FY25) | Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement (FY25) |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $1,730,304 | $1,124,836 |
Source: https://www.usaspending.gov/
Top 5 Counties with Federal Workers
| County | Federal Employees |
|---|---|
| Newport County | 5132 |
| Providence County | 4784 |
| Kent County | 740 |
| Washington County | 657 |
| Bristol County | 98 |
Sources: BLS.gov
Potentially Impacted Federal Programs
Rhode Island administers several federally supported social programs that significantly benefit its residents. These programs address various needs, including healthcare, nutrition, financial assistance, and housing support.
Examples include:
- Medicaid
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program
- Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program
- Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program
Due to federal budget cuts in 2025, some of these programs have already been impacted, and others may be impacted in the future.
State Map
- Rural Counties
- Indigenous Lands
- Majority Non-White
- Poverty Rate >= 20%
- 0 - 4,000
- 4,000 - 7,000
- 7,000 - 10,000
- 10,000 - 15,000
- 15,000 - 25,000
- 25,000 - 35,000
- 35,000 - 50,000
- >50,000
- 0 - 50
- 50 - 100
- 100 - 250
- 250 - 500
- 500 - 1,000
- 1,000 - 5,000
- 5,000 - 10,000
- >10,000
- Statewide Impact
- Location-Specific
Future Analysis
Check back for deeper dives into this data, including consideration of these questions:
- How do these changes impact local and state economies?
- How are local and state governments, NGOs, and businesses responding to federal changes? What gaps are they filling, and what gaps remain?
- How is federal government change evolving over time?
Download Full Data Set
Access a comprehensive Excel file containing all the data shown on this page. This downloadable resource is ideal for further analysis, reporting, or presentations.
“This was my dream job. To get that all taken away from me in just one copy-and-pasted email, it’s a nightmare.” - Anonymous