In terms of land area, it is the third-smallest county in the United States, at only 25 square miles (65 km2).

[5] Bristol County is included in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn constitutes a portion of the greater Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT Combined Statistical Area.

The new Rhode Island county was formed in 1746 with the full modern territory of Bristol, Barrington, and Warren.

The highest point in the county is Mount Hope, in Bristol, which stands 217 feet (66 m) above sea level.

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 50,648 people, 19,033 households, and 13,361 families living in the county.

There were 19,881 housing units at an average density of 805 per square mile (311/km2).

24.7% were of Portuguese, 18.6% Italian, 12.4% Irish, 10.5% English and 5.9% French ancestry.

Of all households 25.10% were made up of individuals, and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 49,875 people, 19,150 households, and 12,750 families living in the county.