Best Bridgeport Suburbs To Live For 2020


We analyzed over 23 places around Bridgeport to identify the most kickass place to live.

Editor’s Note: Data has been updated for 2020. This is our sixth time ranking the best Bridgeport suburbs.

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Big city living isn't for everyone--but at the same time, urban areas certainly have their perks.

There's the culture, the food, the arts, the food, the energy, and you know, the food. But there are drawbacks. There's traffic, expensive parking, expensive housing--pretty much, expensive everything, depending on which big city you're looking at.

But that's where the suburbs come in--they have all of the benefits of being near big cities, without actually having to be big cities.

Of course, not all suburbs of Bridgeport are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. So without further ado...

What's the best suburb of Bridgeport? Oyster Bay Cove ranks as the best suburb of Bridgeport for 2020 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Oyster Bay Cove, you're probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.

We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 Bridgeport 'burbs better than the rest--but first, a bit about our methodology.

Note: This result may differ from our state wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a larger selection of suburbs.
Or feel free to check out some more reading about Connecticut:

The 10 Best Bridgeport Suburbs To Live For 2020

Oyster Bay Cove, NY

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,170
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $233,750
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%
Poverty Rate: 0.6%
More on Oyster Bay Cove: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Oyster Bay Cove is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Bridgeport area. We'll tell you the good about "Awesome Oyster Bay Cove."

Everyone here is rich; families average $233,750 a year, which is the 1st highest in the Bridgeport region. And only 2.05% are out of work. Homes average more than $1,506,800 each.

Bayville, NY

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 6,708
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Median Income: $105,469
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
Poverty Rate: 4.7%
More on Bayville: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Bayville is the second best 'burb we looked at near Bridgeport for 2020.

It ranks 8th for incomes in the area and only 3.31% of residents lack insurance, good for 6th best.

Northport, NY

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,348
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Income: $115,068
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%
Poverty Rate: 5.1%
More on Northport: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Here in Northport, it's really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you'll see in the Bridgeport metro area.

The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.

But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Northport.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 3,676
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 2)
Median Income: $215,962
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 5.7%
More on Lloyd Harbor: Real Estate | Data

Lloyd Harbor ranks as the 4th best suburb of Bridgeport for 2020.

You won't find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Lloyd Harbor and the schools are some of the best around.

Port Jefferson, NY

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 7,871
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Income: $108,592
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Poverty Rate: 5.2%
More on Port Jefferson: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Coming in as the fifth best is Port Jefferson.

Port Jefferson gets kudos for having the 8th most expensive homes in the Bridgeport area, where houses sell for an average of $501,700. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.

Lake Grove, NY

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 11,130
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Income: $105,709
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
Poverty Rate: 4.8%
More on Lake Grove: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Lake Grove is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here's why.

Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 2.36% which is 3rd best in the area.

According to online reports, Lake Grove is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Bridgeport area, meaning you need to get in soon.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 9,459
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 2)
Median Income: $143,105
Unemployment Rate: 8.8%
Poverty Rate: 4.8%
More on Rye Brook: Real Estate | Data

The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Rye Brook.

Rye Brook schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.

And, it's only 27.7 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.

Harrison, NY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 27,956
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 1)
Median Income: $124,000
Unemployment Rate: 6.3%
Poverty Rate: 5.4%
More on Harrison: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Harrison is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.

A solid 3.5% of people lack insurance, good for 8th in the area.

Shelton, CT

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 41,155
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 1)
Median Income: $94,446
Unemployment Rate: 5.3%
Poverty Rate: 4.4%
More on Shelton: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Is 'Everything Better In Shelton?'

Almost.

It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it's really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.

Islandia, NY

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 3,345
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Income: $95,379
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 4.1%
More on Islandia: Real Estate | Data | Photos

And rounding out the top ten for 2020 is Islandia.

This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It's far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.

How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Bridgeport for 2020

Figuring out the best suburbs around Bridgeport was pretty simple; we just needed to list several things that people like, and then find out which cities have the most of those things.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:

  • Low unemployment rate
  • High Median household incomes
  • Population density (lots of things to do)
  • High home values
  • A lot of college educated people
  • Low poverty
  • High rate of insured families

Then we used the newest American Community Survey data for 2014-2018 to research each suburb.

FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Bridgeport.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 23 suburbs to evaluate around Bridgeport.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 23 in each category, where 1 was the "best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index the "Best Suburb near Bridgeport." We're lookin' at you, Oyster Bay Cove. You can download the data here.

Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best of the best. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.

Welcome to the Best Bridgeport 'Burbs of 2020

We said it once and we'll say it again--life in the big city isn't for everyone. At least not all the time.

So if you're hankering for some of the amenities of a larger city like Bridgeport, but don't want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might just be for you.

For more Connecticut reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Bridgeport Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income
1 Oyster Bay Cove, CT 2,170 $233,750
2 Bayville, CT 6,708 $105,469
3 Northport, CT 7,348 $115,068
4 Lloyd Harbor, CT 3,676 $215,962
5 Port Jefferson, CT 7,871 $108,592
6 Lake Grove, CT 11,130 $105,709
7 Rye Brook, CT 9,459 $143,105
8 Harrison, CT 27,956 $124,000
9 Shelton, CT 41,155 $94,446
10 Islandia, CT 3,345 $95,379
11 Milford, CT 52,349 $89,583
12 Stamford, CT 129,026 $89,309
13 Mount Kisco, CT 10,894 $82,330
14 Norwalk, CT 88,436 $82,474
15 Port Chester, CT 29,418 $65,317
16 Naugatuck, CT 31,481 $70,512
17 West Haven, CT 54,918 $58,112
18 Ansonia, CT 18,860 $53,540
19 Danbury, CT 84,479 $71,672
20 Brewster, CT 2,087 $53,086
21 New Haven, CT 130,529 $41,142
22 Derby, CT 12,596 $56,301
23 Waterbury, CT 108,672 $41,617

How Is Your Town In ?

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.