PROVIDENCE, RI (Feb. 4, 2026) — The RI Life Index, an annual statewide survey conducted by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) and the Brown University School of Public Health, saw virtually no year-over-year improvement in 2025 in persistently low scores for how Rhode Islanders perceive their health and well-being.

The overall score for the 7^th annual survey stood at 57 on a scale of 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more positive perceptions. That’s unchanged from the previous year but down six points since 2021 and stuck at the lowest level since the Index began collecting data. After plummeting in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, scores have generally stabilized but shown little sign of rebounding.

“By following Rhode Islanders’ views on the factors that shape their health and quality of life year after year, the RI Life Index shows not just what people are struggling with... but what is (or is not) getting better,” said Dr. Francesca Beaudoin, interim dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. “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. That perspective helps guide research and gives policymakers, community groups and health leaders a clearer target for building healthier, more equitable communities statewide.”

BCBSRI President and CEO Martha L. Wofford added, “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. Understanding those challenges through the Index enables us to rally around a collective agenda to improve health and well-being for all Rhode Islanders. We’re deeply grateful to every community member who shared their perspective and to the RI Life Index Coalition members who work every day to create a brighter, heathier future for our state.”

BCBSRI and the Brown University School of Public Health launched the RI Life Index in 2019, recognizing that health transcends what happens within the healthcare system and 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 Index measures perceptions of these health-related factors based on a statewide random digit dial survey, conducted in Spanish and English. of a representative sample of Rhode Islanders.

The collected data is then shared publicly to assist efforts to build healthier communities. Survey results and trend data from the last seven years are reported by race, ethnicity, age, and geography (“non-core” communities versus the “core” communities of Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence, and Woonsocket, which have the highest percentage of children living below the federal poverty level). 

The seventh RI Life Index included 2,117 adults from across the state. It was conducted in the first half of the year, prior to disruptions related to the federal government shutdown and SNAP assistance.

Here are some of the key findings: 

• The overall score, when broken down by geographic location, race/ethnicity, and age, ranged from 48 to 63.
• There was little year-over-year change in any individual categories: Quality of Community (51), Community Life (65), Access to Nutritious Food (65), and programs and services for Older Adults (64) and Children (71).
• The lowest score, once again, was Cost of Living (21). Although it remained unchanged overall, the score for Latino/a respondents increased 4 points.
• The next lowest score was Affordable Housing (30), also essentially unchanged from 2024 but down 14 points since 2020.
• Among the meaningful changes in 2025 was a 3-point drop in perceptions about Healthcare Access to 65 from 68 in 2024. The largest declines for this category, ranging from 4 to 5 points, were in Core, Black and Latino/a communities. The survey was conducted in the weeks and months that followed the announcement of the closing of a major primary care practice in Rhode Island
• The 2025 Index also revisited Rhode Islanders’ perceptions of their economic situation—last measured in 2023. The score declined by three points since 2023 and five points since 2020.

Beyond perceptions, the Index also explores lived experience. Food security remained stable overall in 2025, though disparities continue. Higher scores in Non-Core areas contrast with lower scores in Core cities, highlighting socioeconomic differences.

Detailed results of the 2025 survey are available at https://rilifeindex.org.

The RI Life Index Coalition, a group of community partners from across the state, assists in shaping the survey. Coalition members also offer thought leadership on solutions to the challenges identified in the Index. Member organizations include AARP Rhode Island, BCBSRI, Brown University School of Public Health, Brown University Health Community Health Institute, Community Provider Network of Rhode Island, The Economic Progress Institute, Executive office of Health & Human Services, Grow Smart RI, HousingWorks RI, Latino Policy Institute, Legal Key,  the Rhode Island Department of Health, Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Rhode Island Kids Count, Rhode Island Foundation, Rhode Island Parent Information Network, and United Way of Rhode Island.