You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in Connecticut. Best suburbs in Connecticut. Best counties in Connecticut.
Etc., etc., etc.
But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Constitution State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in Connecticut based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.
We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in Connecticut ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.
$152,559 median income · 2.9% unemployment
Data | Movers
$163,714 median income · 2.9% unemployment
$178,194 median income · 2.7% unemployment
$119,500 median income · 2.8% unemployment
$143,583 median income · 0.1% unemployment
$201,397 median income · 0.8% unemployment
$91,250 median income · 2.8% unemployment
$159,688 median income · 4.7% unemployment
$132,326 median income · 2.1% unemployment
Data | Movers
$81,250 median income · 3.4% unemployment
Data | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Connecticut’s statewide median.
Connecticut statewide median: $95,781
Connecticut statewide median: $436,407
Connecticut statewide median: 5.6%
On the map
Where Connecticut’s best small towns are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Connecticut
We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in Connecticut possible.
Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 65 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 65, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Connecticut. Top of that list — Mystic.
This is our eleventh time ranking the best small places to live in Connecticut.
The full plate
Best Small Towns In Connecticut
Click any column to sort. Search by town name.
| Rank | Town | Population | Median Income | Median Home Value | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mystic | 4,483 | $152,559 | $640,872 | 2.9% |
| 2 | Weatogue | 2,672 | $163,714 | $514,791 | 2.9% |
| 3 | Madison Center | 1,981 | $178,194 | $1,001,274 | 2.7% |
| 4 | Wilton Center | 1,682 | $119,500 | $669,895 | 2.8% |
| 5 | Noank | 1,859 | $143,583 | $632,665 | 0.1% |
| 6 | West Simsbury | 3,000 | $201,397 | $598,409 | 0.8% |
| 7 | Woodmont | 1,661 | $91,250 | $556,541 | 2.8% |
| 8 | Southport | 1,568 | $159,688 | $1,301,966 | 4.7% |
| 9 | Pemberwick | 3,665 | $132,326 | $1,118,315 | 2.1% |
| 10 | Niantic | 3,123 | $81,250 | $503,381 | 3.4% |
| 11 | Ne | 1,898 | $164,821 | $622,317 | 3.3% |
| 12 | Glenville | 2,656 | $220,865 | $1,366,196 | 10.0% |
| 13 | North Granby | 1,451 | $110,741 | $457,341 | 0.0% |
| 14 | Byram | 4,633 | $99,734 | $997,230 | 11.4% |
| 15 | Essex Village | 2,705 | $102,885 | $894,343 | 0.7% |
| 16 | Old Saybrook Center | 1,659 | $93,875 | $554,400 | 0.0% |
| 17 | East Hampton | 3,347 | $123,929 | $419,506 | 1.5% |
| 18 | Saybrook Manor | 1,358 | $119,670 | $697,014 | 2.6% |
| 19 | Canton Valley | 1,186 | $91,678 | $383,834 | 0.0% |
| 20 | Georgetown | 1,932 | $181,364 | $940,137 | 7.1% |
| 21 | Salmon Brook | 2,343 | $74,375 | $386,213 | 0.0% |
| 22 | Crystal Lake | 2,024 | $143,882 | $430,341 | 0.0% |
| 23 | Higganum | 1,742 | $127,759 | $486,992 | 0.0% |
| 24 | Litchfield | 1,251 | $109,773 | $524,585 | 6.5% |
| 25 | South Coventry | 1,434 | $107,767 | $385,975 | 0.0% |
| 26 | Guilford Center | 2,263 | $82,273 | $692,732 | 3.4% |
| 27 | South Woodstock | 1,340 | $97,801 | $294,506 | 5.5% |
| 28 | Thomaston | 1,988 | $79,674 | $341,707 | 3.9% |
| 29 | Lake Pocotopaug | 4,875 | $118,150 | $369,085 | 3.1% |
| 30 | Watertown | 3,897 | $103,200 | $381,343 | 2.3% |
| 31 | Durham | 3,347 | $152,396 | $494,741 | 5.5% |
| 32 | Westbrook Center | 2,501 | $74,618 | $516,813 | 2.0% |
| 33 | Old Mystic | 3,340 | $130,903 | $407,385 | 3.2% |
| 34 | Deep River Center | 2,407 | $71,447 | $397,988 | 2.1% |
| 35 | Clinton | 3,465 | $102,750 | $452,128 | 7.8% |
| 36 | Wauregan | 1,049 | $79,545 | $312,467 | 2.7% |
| 37 | Heritage Village | 4,968 | $62,059 | $289,154 | 4.5% |
| 38 | Tariffville | 1,419 | $106,944 | $326,621 | 10.3% |
| 39 | Moosup | 2,885 | $73,024 | $322,220 | 0.0% |
| 40 | Collinsville | 3,963 | $94,815 | $470,425 | 4.8% |
| 41 | Moodus | 2,042 | $103,457 | $339,824 | 2.3% |
| 42 | New Hartford Center | 1,373 | $76,853 | $226,351 | 4.8% |
| 43 | Somers | 2,056 | $68,779 | $461,689 | 4.9% |
| 44 | Colchester | 4,692 | $86,760 | $430,179 | 3.0% |
| 45 | Chester Center | 2,026 | $89,375 | $502,540 | 4.0% |
| 46 | Waterford | 3,304 | $73,156 | $417,642 | 6.2% |
| 47 | Suffield Depot | 2,006 | $91,625 | $456,628 | 14.6% |
| 48 | Broad Brook | 3,609 | $97,625 | $403,595 | 6.0% |
| 49 | Quinebaug | 1,193 | $105,181 | $282,850 | 19.8% |
| 50 | Woodbury Center | 1,606 | $98,194 | $526,329 | 8.0% |
| 51 | Gales Ferry | 1,141 | $80,735 | $398,583 | 6.0% |
| 52 | Bethlehem Village | 2,195 | $109,256 | $452,583 | 2.6% |
| 53 | Northwest Harwinton | 3,088 | $109,458 | $393,111 | 4.1% |
| 54 | New Preston | 1,146 | $76,406 | $681,436 | 5.9% |
| 55 | Blue Hills | 1,676 | $63,512 | $281,779 | 3.9% |
| 56 | East Brooklyn | 2,377 | $73,698 | $351,362 | 10.3% |
| 57 | Coventry Lake | 2,647 | $73,224 | $312,467 | 6.4% |
| 58 | Stafford Springs | 4,649 | $59,028 | $334,109 | 4.8% |
| 59 | Poquonock Bridge | 1,105 | $36,940 | $262,035 | 22.4% |
| 60 | Jewett City | 3,429 | $55,530 | $234,202 | 5.3% |
| 61 | Oxoboxo River | 2,782 | $69,167 | $292,841 | 4.3% |
| 62 | South Windham | 1,281 | $75,045 | $285,645 | 6.9% |
| 63 | Baltic | 1,157 | $68,958 | $233,369 | 3.4% |
| 64 | Danielson | 4,209 | $64,050 | $267,149 | 17.1% |
| 65 | Plainfield Village | 2,316 | $54,375 | $276,665 | 7.2% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 65 Connecticut towns between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these small towns in Connecticut are the best in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
The best small towns in Connecticut are Mystic, Weatogue, Madison Center, Wilton Center, Noank, West Simsbury, Woodmont, Southport, Pemberwick, and Niantic. Not sold on Connecticut? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Small Towns In Connecticut FAQs
What is the best small town to live in Connecticut?
Mystic is the best small town in Connecticut for 2026. The median household income there is $152,559 and the median home costs $640,872. Weatogue and Madison Center round out the top three.
What are the best small towns in Connecticut?
The best small towns in Connecticut are Mystic, Weatogue, Madison Center, Wilton Center, Noank, West Simsbury, Woodmont, Southport, Pemberwick, and Niantic. We ranked all 65 Connecticut towns with between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
What counts as a small town?
For this ranking, a small town is any Connecticut place with between 1,000 and 5,000 residents. 65 towns fit that window this year.
How do you rank the best small towns in Connecticut?
Each town is scored on density, unemployment, housing costs, income, education, insurance coverage, and commute times, using Census American Community Survey data. The town with the best average across all of it, Mystic, takes the top spot.
How much does a home cost in Mystic?
The median home in Mystic runs $640,872, against $436,407 across Connecticut as a whole. Pair that with a $152,559 median household income, and you can see why it ranks so well.
