The metro includes all of Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts. It appears that Bristol County is growing faster than Rhode Island, thanks to growth in Boston's exurbs.
True - but Rhode Island has only grown by .37% since 2010, and the Providence metro has grown by .87%. The rest has to be made up by Bristol County growth, largely in the northern part of the county near I-495.
Rhode Island was devastated in the recession of 2008. Unemployment went way up.
