Best Places06353, CT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 06353, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
06353 ranks 4,678th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 06353
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
06353's strengths and weaknesses
Where 06353 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Household income$146,346 median, better than 95% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
Where 06353 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,310 a month, better than only 14% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 15% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 06353
A household needs to earn about $103,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 06353 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $146,346, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 06353's effective rate of 1.52%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 06353
06353 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 06353.
Who works in 06353, and how
Work in 06353 centers on manufacturing and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 06353
The coast is about 14 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 06353, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 06353, month by month
06353 sees roughly 86 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 33° | 24° |
| April | 59° | 48° | 39° |
| July | 83° | 74° | 66° |
| October | 67° | 57° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 06353
The nearest airport, Westerly State, is about 19 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bradley International, about 44 miles away.
The best schools in and around 06353
Schools across 06353 average a B, better than 62% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Oakdale SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Mohegan SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
Top middle schools
- Leonard J. Tyl Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Montville High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 06353 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
06353 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 06353 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 06353
Is 06353 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 06353 ranks 4,678th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, few empty homes, and what local pay buys, and lowest on state finances and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 06353 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $358,100. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $146,346 median income, cost of living beats 97% of zip codes.
Is 06353 safe?
Yes, 06353 is safer than 61% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $209 per resident a year.
Compare 06353 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 06353. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 06353 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
06353 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 06353: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 06353: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 06353: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 06353: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
06353 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.