Westerly is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Rhode Island. With a population of 23,223 people and five associated neighborhoods, Westerly is the 15th largest community in Rhode Island.

Housing costs in Westerly are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Rhode Island.

Of important note, Westerly is also a town of artists. Westerly has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Westerly’s character.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 8.93% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

One of the nice things about Westerly is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

The citizens of Westerly are among the most well-educated in the nation: 41.62% of adults in Westerly have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree, whereas the average US city has 21.84% holding at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Westerly in 2022 was $54,398, which is upper middle income relative to Rhode Island, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $217,592 for a family of four. However, Westerly contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Westerly home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Westerly residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Westerly include Italian, Irish, English, German, and French.

The most common language spoken in Westerly is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Italian.