Connecticut cities

The best places to live in Connecticut

Connecticut's largest cities ranked on cost, safety, schools, jobs and quality of life. Bristol leads the list.

We scored Connecticut's cities on the same factors as our state rankings, then ranked them. Below are the 10 largest by population. Two scores per city: value (what you get for the cost) and overall livability (everything combined). Tap any city for its full profile.

#	City	Median home	Rent	Value	Overall
9	Danbury	$315,000	$1,568	41	59
11	Stamford	$550,600	$1,981	44	58
12	West Hartford	$336,500	$1,443	66	57
15	Norwalk	$447,200	$1,750	36	50
19	Meriden	$175,700	$1,105	48	45
23	Bridgeport	$194,100	$1,225	23	36
25	New Britain	$166,100	$1,051	28	27
26	New Haven	$207,600	$1,267	15	21
27	Waterbury	$140,700	$1,042	40	21
28	Hartford	$172,100	$1,057	6	17

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Sources: Home prices and rent from Zillow; income and jobs from the U.S. Census; schools from state education data; crime from the FBI; air quality from the EPA. Rankings are within Connecticut. Updated 2026.