Best Places06420, CT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 06420, 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.
06420 ranks 2,092nd 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 06420
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.
06420's strengths and weaknesses
Where 06420 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
Where 06420 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,310 a month, better than only 14% of zip codes
- Short commute31.5 minutes each way, better than only 22% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 25% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 06420
A household needs to earn about $115,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 06420 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $115,487, 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 06420's effective rate of 1.61%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 06420
06420 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 06420.
Who works in 06420, and how
Work in 06420 centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 06420
The coast is about 21 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 06420, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 06420, month by month
06420 sees roughly 81 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 40, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 32° | 26° |
| April | 59° | 50° | 42° |
| July | 85° | 75° | 67° |
| October | 66° | 57° | 49° |
Flying in and out of 06420
The nearest airport, Westerly State, is about 25 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bradley International, about 38 miles away.
The best schools in and around 06420
Schools across 06420 average an A, better than 92% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lyme Consolidated SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
- Salem Elementary SchoolA+ · 74% proficient
- Fields Memorial SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top high schools
- East Lyme High SchoolA · 68% proficient
- Bacon AcademyB+ · 53% proficient
- Montville High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 06420 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
06420 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 06420 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 06420
Is 06420 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 06420 ranks 2,092nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, few empty homes, and health care access, and lowest on state finances and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 06420 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $395,780. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $115,487 median income, cost of living beats 91% of zip codes.
Is 06420 safe?
Yes, 06420 is safer than 92% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $133 per resident a year.
Compare 06420 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 06420. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 06420 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.
06420 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 06420: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 06420: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 06420: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 06420: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
06420 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.