The unfortunate fact of the matter is that some places in the Constitution State have a larger percent of their population that never graduated from high school.
While the emphasis on going to college might be overblown, the fact is that not graduating from high school puts you at a significant disadvantage on average. Educational attainment might not be the best way to measure one person’s intelligence, but it does shine a light on the state.
We will use Saturday Night Science to determine what places in Connecticut have the highest percentage of adults without a high school degree.
A recent study we published found that Connecticut is the 9th smartest state in the United States, with an average IQ of 103.
But that doesn’t mean that a few cities in Connecticut are a bit slower than others due to a lack of basic education.
#1 dumbest in Connecticut
Located in
Hartford County, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford’s population was 124,775, making it Connecticut’s third-largest city after the coastal cities of Bridgeport and New Haven. Census Bureau estimates since then have indicated Hartford’s fall to fourth place statewide, as a result of sustained population growth in the coastal city of Stamford.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#2 dumbest in Connecticut
Located in
New Haven County, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City. Waterbury is in New Haven County, Connecticut. As of the 2010 census, Waterbury had a population of 110,366, making it the 10th largest city in the New York Metropolitan Area, 9th largest city in New England and the 5th largest city in Connecticut.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#3 dumbest in Connecticut
Located in
Hartford County, Connecticut
New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately 9 miles southwest of Hartford. According to 2010 Census, the population of the city is 73,206.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#4 dumbest in Connecticut
Located in
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Bridgeport is a seaport city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is the largest city in the state and is located in Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Island Sound. Bridgeport had a population of 144,229 during the 2010 Census, making it also the 5th-most populous in New England. It is bordered by the towns of Trumbull to the north, Fairfield to the west, and Stratford to the east. The Greater Bridgeport area is the 48th-largest urban area in the United States. Located 60 miles from Manhattan and 40 miles from the Bronx, Bridgeport is also part of the New York metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#5 dumbest 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
#6 dumbest in Connecticut
Located in
New London County, Connecticut
Norwich, known as ‘The Rose of New England’, is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 40,493 at the 2010 United States Census. Three rivers, the Yantic, the Shetucket, and the Quinebaug, flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long Island Sound.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
#7 dumbest 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
#8 dumbest in Connecticut
Located in
New London County, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States. It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Southeastern Connecticut.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#9 dumbest 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
#10 dumbest 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
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Connecticut’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Connecticut’s dumbest cities are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the dumbest cities in the Constitution State
We realize that formal education is only part of it when it comes to being intelligent, but on the other hand, knowing the difference between they’re, their, and there is always going to make you look pretty stupid.
So, we used Saturday Night Science to narrow down our criteria to focus on a city’s educational opportunities and what percentage of the population takes advantage of those opportunities.
In short, we came up with these criteria to determine the dumbest cities in Connecticut:
- % of the city’s population with less than a high school education (Age 25+)
- % of city’s population with a college degree (Age 25+)
We got the data from the U.S. Census 2020-2024 American Community Survey.
Then, our algorithm generates a rank for each place in these categories. After crunching all the numbers, a ranking of the cities in Connecticut from dumbest to brightest.
For this ranking, we used every Connecticut city with at least 9,000 residents. We updated this article for 2026, and it’s our eleventh time ranking the dumbest cities in Connecticut.
The full plate
Dumbest Cities In Connecticut For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | % Adult High School Dropout | % Highly Educated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hartford | 121,127 | 25.0% | 19.0% |
| 2 | Waterbury | 114,869 | 19.0% | 17.0% |
| 3 | New Britain | 74,223 | 16.0% | 20.0% |
| 4 | Bridgeport | 149,153 | 22.0% | 24.0% |
| 5 | Meriden | 60,545 | 15.0% | 21.0% |
| 6 | Norwich | 39,973 | 14.0% | 22.0% |
| 7 | Ansonia | 19,033 | 11.0% | 22.0% |
| 8 | New London | 27,625 | 13.0% | 29.0% |
| 9 | Danbury | 87,263 | 16.0% | 35.0% |
| 10 | Torrington | 35,547 | 11.0% | 25.0% |
| 11 | West Haven | 55,351 | 12.0% | 30.0% |
| 12 | New Haven | 134,349 | 13.0% | 39.0% |
| 13 | Derby | 12,487 | 12.0% | 36.0% |
| 14 | Naugatuck | 31,800 | 8.0% | 33.0% |
| 15 | Bristol | 61,462 | 6.0% | 31.0% |
| 16 | Norwalk | 92,187 | 10.0% | 45.0% |
| 17 | Shelton | 41,889 | 8.0% | 41.0% |
| 18 | Groton | 9,490 | 5.0% | 39.0% |
| 19 | Middletown | 47,958 | 6.0% | 40.0% |
| 20 | Stamford | 137,144 | 10.0% | 52.0% |
| 21 | Milford | 51,023 | 3.0% | 51.0% |
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
If you’re measuring the locations in Connecticut where there are a high number of dropouts and adults who never received a formal education, this is an accurate ranking.
The dumbest cities in Connecticut are Hartford, Waterbury, New Britain, Bridgeport, Meriden, Norwich, Ansonia, New London, Danbury, and Torrington. Not sold on Connecticut? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
