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 23,298 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.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 8.32% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. 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.

Westerly is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

The citizens of Westerly are very well educated compared to the average community in the nation: 39.91% of adults in Westerly have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in Westerly in 2018 was $50,919, 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 $203,676 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.