Kingston is a village and a census-designated place within the town of South Kingstown in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and the site of the main campus of the University of Rhode Island.

For a time, starting in the late 1770s, the preacher Jemima Wilkinson, known as the Public Universal Friend resided and gave sermons in the town.

[7] As late as the 1900s inhabitants of Kingston called a species of solidago "Jemima weed", because its appearance in the town coincided with the preacher's first visit to the area.

The historic district is located just outside the campus of the University of Rhode Island and contains many fine examples of 18th and 19th century architecture.

[10] In addition to the university, major businesses in Kingston include APC by Schneider Electric and the Arnold Lumber Company.

Educational institutions in Kingston include: Religious denominations represented with churches, mosques, and synagogues in Kingston or on the university campus are Roman Catholicism, the United Church of Christ, Episcopalians, United Methodists, Baptists, Islam, and Judaism.

[12] The 2020 United States census counted 7,825 people, 717 households, and 426 families in Kingston.