Best Places06518, CT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 06518, 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.
06518 ranks 2,822nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and property taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 06518
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.
06518's strengths and weaknesses
Where 06518 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 06518 ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,583 a month, better than only 4% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 66 pleasant days a year, better than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 06518
A household needs to earn about $103,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 06518 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $121,013, 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 06518's effective rate of 2.48%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 06518
06518's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 06518.
Who works in 06518, and how
Work in 06518 centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 66%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 19%
Life in 06518
06518 has more parkland per resident than 66% of zip codes. The coast is about 15 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 06518 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 06518, month by month
06518 sees roughly 66 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 42, with lows near 21. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 31° | 21° |
| April | 63° | 50° | 38° |
| July | 87° | 75° | 64° |
| October | 69° | 55° | 43° |
Flying in and out of 06518
The nearest airport, Tweed/New Haven, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bradley International, about 38 miles away.
The best schools in and around 06518
Schools across 06518 average a B−, better than 60% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Norton SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
- Spring Glen SchoolA · 67% proficient
- Ridge Road Elementary SchoolA− · 60% proficient
Top middle schools
- Dodd Middle SchoolA+ · 69% proficient
- Amity Middle School: BethanyA · 60% proficient
- Long River Middle SchoolA− · 58% proficient
Top high schools
- Cheshire High SchoolA− · 59% proficient
- North Haven High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Lyman Hall High SchoolB · 49% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 06518 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
06518 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 06518 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 06518
Is 06518 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 06518 ranks 2,822nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, population health, and fast internet, and lowest on property taxes and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 06518 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $320,671. The overall cost of living runs about 4% below the national average. Set against a $121,013 median income, cost of living beats 91% of zip codes.
Is 06518 safe?
Yes, 06518 is safer than 70% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $205 per resident a year.
Compare 06518 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 06518. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 06518 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.
06518 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 06518: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 06518: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 06518: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 06518: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
06518 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.