Real Cost of Owning in Barrington, RI: Taxes
Barrington markets itself as Rhode Island's highest-income, best-schools bedroom suburb, and the income data backs that up. What the income data does not predict is the tax rate: Barrington's mill rate is meaningfully higher than neighboring Bristol's, and higher than the statewide median, despite Barrington households earning well above the state average. This page walks through the confirmed tax number, the income range behind it, and a housing market that is moving fast enough that a stale price figure could genuinely mislead you -- with the sourcing and vintage attached to every number, so you know which figures are locked-in government data and which are one-time snapshots to re-verify before you rely on them financially.
The Confirmed Number: Barrington’s FY2026 Mill Rate
Start with the number that is actually nailed down. Per the Rhode Island Division of Municipal Finance's own FY2026 tax rate document (municipalfinance.ri.gov, "2025 Tax Rates," assessment date December 31, 2024), Barrington's FY2026 rate is $15.34 per $1,000 of assessed value. That is a primary-source, government-published figure, not a secondary aggregator's estimate.
The detail worth underlining is that this $15.34 rate applies identically to both residential and commercial real estate in Barrington. There is no separate, lower owner-occupied residential rate here -- whatever a parcel is assessed at, the same $15.34-per-$1,000 rate applies whether it is a house or a storefront.
Higher Than Bristol, Higher Than the State Median -- Despite Higher Incomes
This is the single most useful, counterintuitive fact on this page. Immediately south across the Barrington River, Bristol's own confirmed FY2026 rate is $10.61 per $1,000 -- meaningfully lower than Barrington's $15.34, even though Barrington is by a wide margin the wealthier of the two towns. Per seaportre.com's 2026 report, a secondary aggregator source rather than the state's own document, Rhode Island's FY2026 town rates reportedly range from $4.79 (Little Compton, the lowest) to $21.52 (Foster, the highest) on the residential side, with a statewide median of roughly $12.70. Barrington's confirmed $15.34 sits solidly above that median.
Do not assume "highest income in the state" translates to "lowest taxes." It does not, at least not on this metric. A household comparing Barrington to Bristol or to the statewide median should budget for a noticeably higher mill rate here, and weigh that against what the town's schools and location are worth to that household specifically. Treat the $4.79-to-$21.52 range and the $12.70 median as directionally reliable but secondary-sourced, since they were not independently re-verified town-by-town against the state's own document for this page; Barrington's own $15.34 figure, and Bristol's $10.61, are the two numbers here confirmed against the primary state source.
Income Context: A Real Range, Not One Tidy Number
Barrington's median household income is genuinely high by Rhode Island standards, but the exact figure depends on which source and which year you use, and this page deliberately does not collapse that into a single number. Per Neilsberg's analysis of Census data, Barrington's median household income was $150,542 in 2023 (up from $147,860 in 2020) -- roughly 1.74 times the Rhode Island statewide average. An older, still-cited figure from Wikipedia's 2017 American Community Survey estimate puts median household income at $117,408, describing Barrington at that time as "the wealthiest town in Rhode Island," with a median family income of $139,591 and a poverty rate of just 2.8%.
Both figures point the same direction -- Barrington is at or near the top of Rhode Island's income rankings -- but they are six years and roughly $33,000 apart, and neither has been re-verified here against the very latest Census release. Read the $150,542 figure as the more current data point, and the $117,408 figure as an older but consistent floor, rather than picking either one as this year's definitive number.
What Homes Actually Cost: A Fast-Moving, Low-Inventory Snapshot
This is the figure that needs the most care, and it is a genuinely different kind of market than a slower-moving town. Zillow's own home-values page for Barrington (fetched directly for this research) shows an average home value, ZHVI, of $795,810, up 1.3% over the past year. At that same snapshot, there were 35 homes for sale, a median list price of $846,800, and homes were typically going pending within 8 days -- a fast, low-inventory market where a listing you see today may already be under contract by the time you act on it.
ZHVI is a smoothed value index, not a median sale price, and it is not the same metric a lender or an agent will quote you from a comparable-sales pull. Redfin's own market-trends page for Barrington could not be fetched for this research -- the request returned a 403 error -- so this page deliberately does not state a Redfin median sale price or days-on-market figure. Inventing one would be worse than leaving the gap open. If a specific median-sale-price or trend figure matters to your decision, pull it fresh, directly from Redfin, Zillow, or a local MLS, at the time you are actually evaluating a property, and confirm the pending-in-8-days pace is still holding before you assume you have time to deliberate.
A Cost Signal Worth Watching: The $250 Million School Bond
Barrington's schools are the town's core draw -- Barrington Public Schools rank #1 of 36 districts in Rhode Island per Niche's 2026 rankings -- but that reputation is currently colliding with physical capacity. Per EastBayRI.com and WPRI reporting, the school committee is bringing a $250 million bond referendum to voters this fall (2026) to fund elementary school expansions and modernize Barrington High School, after years of using modular buildings and improvised classroom space to handle enrollment growth. School committee chair Patrick McCrann has noted the state would reimburse up to 55% of project costs, "lessening the burden on taxpayers," and if approved, the district must submit its next application stage to the Rhode Island Department of Education by February.
None of that is a confirmed future tax increase, and this page does not attempt to project one -- state reimbursement, bond structure, and the referendum outcome itself are all still open. It is, however, a real, dated, sourced signal that a meaningful new cost item may be heading toward Barrington's tax bills on top of the already-above-median $15.34 mill rate, and a prospective buyer should ask directly about the referendum's status and any resulting tax-rate change before assuming today's rate is fixed for the long term.
A Practical Checklist Before You Rely on Any Number Here
First, treat the $15.34-per-$1,000 FY2026 mill rate as confirmed against the state's own document, but re-check it directly with the Town of Barrington assessor's office before closing, since rates reset annually and this page reflects one specific fiscal year -- and ask specifically whether the $250 million school bond referendum has passed and, if so, how it has affected the rate. Second, do not anchor to a single household-income figure -- the two sourced figures are $150,542 (2023, Neilsberg/Census) and an older $117,408 (2017 ACS, Wikipedia), and Barrington's current number should be re-pulled from the Census Bureau's latest American Community Survey release rather than either figure cited here.
Third, treat the Zillow ZHVI of $795,810 and the 35-homes-for-sale, 8-day-pending snapshot as a point-in-time picture of a fast, thin market, not a median sale price -- get a current comparable-sales pull from a Rhode Island-licensed agent, or a fresh, directly fetched Redfin or Zillow figure, before making an offer, and move quickly once you find something you actually want. Finally, confirm every figure on this page with a Rhode Island-licensed tax professional or real estate agent before relying on it financially. Nothing here is tax, legal, or financial advice.
Ready to talk to a local Barrington, RI agent?
Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Figures cited: Barrington's FY2026 property tax rate of $15.34 per $1,000 of assessed value, applied identically to residential and commercial real estate, per the Rhode Island Division of Municipal Finance's own FY2026 "2025 Tax Rates" document (municipalfinance.ri.gov, assessment date December 31, 2024) -- a primary state source; Bristol's own confirmed FY2026 rate of $10.61 per $1,000 is cited from the same source for comparison. Statewide FY2026 context (residential range $4.79 to $21.52, median roughly $12.70) per seaportre.com's 2026 report, a secondary aggregator source not independently re-verified town-by-town against the state's own document. Median household income figures of $150,542 (2023, Neilsberg's analysis of Census data, up from $147,860 in 2020) and $117,408 (2017 American Community Survey estimate, per Wikipedia, alongside a median family income of $139,591 and a 2.8% poverty rate) are both cited without reconciliation. Zillow's Barrington home-values page, fetched directly for this research, showed an average home value (ZHVI) of $795,810, up 1.3% year over year, 35 homes for sale, a median list price of $846,800, and homes typically pending within 8 days -- a snapshot of a fast, low-inventory market, not a verified median sale price. Redfin's Barrington market-trends page could not be fetched during this research (403 error), so no Redfin median sale price or trend figure is stated here; re-pull that figure directly before relying on it. The $250 million school construction bond referendum (fall 2026) and the #1-of-36 Rhode Island school district ranking are per EastBayRI.com, WPRI reporting, and Niche's 2026 rankings, respectively. Always re-verify current tax rates, income data, and home-price figures directly with the Town of Barrington assessor's office, the U.S. Census Bureau, and a current real-estate or MLS source, and consult a Rhode Island-licensed tax professional or real estate agent before relying on any figure on this page.