Rhode Islanders’ perceptions of the factors that affect their health and well-being showed virtually no improvement in 2025, remaining at the lowest levels recorded since the statewide survey began seven years ago.
The overall score for the RI Life Index, an annual partnership between Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and the Brown University School of Public Health, stood at 57 on a scale of 0 to 100 — unchanged from the previous year but down six points since 2021. After plummeting in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, scores have generally stabilized but shown little sign of rebounding.
“Seven years of results make clear this year isn’t just a blip. It’s part of a longer pattern, suggesting many people feel the conditions that impact daily life haven’t meaningfully changed,” said Dr. Francesca Beaudoin, interim dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.
The 2025 survey included 2,117 adults from across the state and was conducted in the first half of the year, prior to disruptions related to the federal government shutdown and SNAP assistance.
Cost of living once again received the lowest score at 21, followed by affordable housing at 30 — down 14 points since 2020. The overall score, broken down by geographic location, race/ethnicity and age, ranged from 48 to 63.
Among the more significant changes in 2025 was a three-point drop in perceptions of healthcare access, falling to 65 from 68 the year prior. The largest declines in that category, ranging from four to five points, were in core communities — Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence and Woonsocket — and among Black and Latino/a respondents. The survey was conducted in the weeks and months following the announced closing of a major primary care practice in the state.
The index also revisited Rhode Islanders’ perceptions of their economic situation, last measured in 2023. That score declined by three points since 2023 and five points since 2020.
“The 2025 results reflect the many challenges that Rhode Islanders continue to face in their everyday lives, from finding safe, affordable housing to putting nutritious food on the table,” said BCBSRI President and CEO Martha L. Wofford.
The RI Life Index was launched in 2019, recognizing that factors such as housing, food security, employment, education and quality of life — collectively known as social determinants of health — contribute to health disparities. The survey is conducted in Spanish and English using a random digit dial methodology.
Detailed results are available at rilifeindex.org.
