There’s no denying it: there are plenty of places in Connecticut that are downright beautiful and full of excitement.
Unfortunately, not all towns and cities in Constitution State are so lucky.
Just like in all U.S. States, there are definitely some boring places within Connecticut’s’ borders. You know the places where everyone has an AARP card and the most exciting thing they do all day is post a picture of their grandchild on Facebook.
Like Shelton, for instance. In our latest analysis, we found that this city was the most boring city in all of Connecticut according to Saturday Night Science. But don’t feel bad if you’re a resident of Shelton. There are plenty of other boring, lackluster places in Connecticut as well.
Here they are. Try not to jump out of your seat with excitement.
44.5 median age · 25.0% married households · #3 oldest in Connecticut
Located in
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Shelton is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,559 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
42.9 median age · 24.0% married households · #4 oldest in Connecticut
Located in
Litchfield County, Connecticut
Torrington is the largest city in Litchfield County, Connecticut and the Litchfield Hills region. It is also the core city of the largest micropolitan area in the United States. The city population was 36,383 according to the 2010 census.
Data | Movers
46.3 median age · 30.0% married households · #2 oldest in Connecticut
Located in
New Haven County, Connecticut
Milford is a Coterminous municipality within Coastal Connecticut and New Haven County, Connecticut, between Bridgeport, Connecticut and New Haven, Connecticut. The population was 51,271 at the 2010 census. The city includes the borough of Woodmont and the village of Devon. Milford is part of the New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. It is the headquarters of the mega business Subway
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
39.8 median age · 25.0% married households · #8 oldest in Connecticut
Located in
New Haven County, Connecticut
Naugatuck is a consolidated borough and town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town spans both sides of the Naugatuck River just south of Waterbury, and includes the communities of Union City on the east side of the river, which has its own post office, Straitsville on the southeast, and Millville on the west. As of the 2010 census, Naugatuck had a population of 31,862.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
46.4 median age · 25.0% married households · #1 oldest in Connecticut
Located in
New Haven County, Connecticut
Derby is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,903 at the 2010 census. It is the smallest consolidated city of Connecticut by area and population.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
40.1 median age · 20.0% married households · #7 oldest in Connecticut
Located in
New Haven County, Connecticut
Ansonia is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, on the Naugatuck River, immediately north of Derby, and about 12 miles northwest of New Haven. The population was 19,249 at the 2010 census. The ZIP code for Ansonia is 06401. The city is served by the Metro-North Railroad. Ansonia Station is a stop on the railroad passenger commuter service’s Waterbury line, connecting to New York’s Grand Central Terminal. Ansonia also is served by the Connecticut Transit bus carrier. Connecticut Route 8 serves Ansonia.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
37.9 median age · 23.0% married households · #14 oldest in Connecticut
Located in
Hartford County, Connecticut
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
40.6 median age · 9.0% married households · #6 oldest in Connecticut
Located in
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located along the Still River approximately 70 miles northeast of New York’s city center. Danbury’s population at the 2010 census was 80,893. Danbury is the fourth most populous city in Fairfield County, and seventh among Connecticut cities. The city is within the New York combined statistical area and Bridgeport metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
40.6 median age · 12.0% married households · #6 oldest in Connecticut
Located in
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Norwalk, is a U.S city located in southwestern Connecticut, in southern Fairfield County, on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. Norwalk is included statistically within both the New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area as well as the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
38.9 median age · 20.0% married households · #10 oldest in Connecticut
Located in
New Haven County, Connecticut
Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven and Hartford. In 2010, the population of the city was 60,868.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Connecticut’s statewide median.
On the map
Where the quiet settles in Connecticut
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the boring cities in the Constitution State
You would present the following case to your friends if you were argueing with them at a bar about the most boring place to live in Connecticut. And that’s why we call it Saturday Night Science.
Because our data speaks more truth than feelings.
To figure out how boring a place is, we factored in things we generally think make people exciting, and then we figure out which cities have the least number of those exciting people.
We used the U.S. American Community Census data to gather the information presented here. Some of the things people tend to think of as making a city’s population boring include:
- % of Population Over 25 (higher is more boring)
- % of Married Household (higher is more boring)
- Average Age (higher is more boring)
- % of Households With Kids (higher is more boring)
- Population density (lower is more boring)
Then, our algorithm generates a ranking for each place in these categories. After crunching the numbers, all of the cities ranked from most boring to most exciting.
For this ranking, we used every Connecticut city with at least 9,000 residents. This keeps us from prejudicing our rankings by including very small pockets of retired people.
Grab your rocker and hold on.
We updated this article for 2026, and it’s our eleventh time ranking the most boring cities in Connecticut.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Most Boring Cities In Connecticut For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Boring Score | Population | Average Age | % Married | % Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelton | 4.40 | 41,889 | 44.5 | 25.0% | 28.9% |
| 2 | Torrington | 6.00 | 35,547 | 42.9 | 24.0% | 24.5% |
| 3 | Milford | 6.20 | 51,023 | 46.3 | 30.0% | 21.9% |
| 4 | Naugatuck | 6.40 | 31,800 | 39.8 | 25.0% | 29.3% |
| 5 | Derby | 6.60 | 12,487 | 46.4 | 25.0% | 20.8% |
| 6 | Ansonia | 7.10 | 19,033 | 40.1 | 20.0% | 30.8% |
| 7 | Bristol | 8.60 | 61,462 | 37.9 | 23.0% | 30.5% |
| 8 | Danbury | 8.60 | 87,263 | 40.6 | 9.0% | 30.6% |
| 9 | Norwalk | 10.20 | 92,187 | 40.6 | 12.0% | 27.6% |
| 10 | Meriden | 10.30 | 60,545 | 38.9 | 20.0% | 28.6% |
| 11 | Norwich | 10.50 | 39,973 | 38.5 | 15.0% | 27.8% |
| 12 | Middletown | 10.80 | 47,958 | 38.1 | 19.0% | 20.6% |
| 13 | Waterbury | 11.90 | 114,869 | 37.8 | 12.0% | 34.1% |
| 14 | Stamford | 12.30 | 137,144 | 38.4 | 9.0% | 25.7% |
| 15 | Groton | 12.50 | 9,490 | 39.0 | 15.0% | 18.7% |
| 16 | West Haven | 14.20 | 55,351 | 35.8 | 17.0% | 28.9% |
| 17 | New Britain | 15.70 | 74,223 | 34.3 | 9.0% | 29.1% |
| 18 | Bridgeport | 16.10 | 149,153 | 36.7 | 7.0% | 29.3% |
| 19 | Hartford | 16.70 | 121,127 | 33.1 | 7.0% | 31.7% |
| 20 | New London | 17.50 | 27,625 | 34.7 | 9.0% | 23.4% |
| 21 | New Haven | 18.40 | 134,349 | 31.9 | 8.0% | 26.1% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 21 cities with more than 9,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
On a ranking like this, there are usually no winners, but since Connecticut isn’t necessarily the most boring state in the United States, the cities on this ranking can at least take solace that there are, in fact, more boring cities in the country.
The most boring cities in Connecticut are Shelton, Torrington, Milford, Naugatuck, Derby, Ansonia, Bristol, Danbury, Norwalk, and Meriden.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the most exciting places in Connecticut, according to science.
