Best PlacesDowntown Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport ranks 5,641st of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport
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.
Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 81% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport ranks low
- School gradeF, better than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Household income$29,395 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport
A household needs to earn about $58,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $29,395, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport's effective rate of 1.66%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport
Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport.
Who works in Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport, and how
Work in Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 66%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 25%
Life in Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport
Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport has more restaurants and bars per resident than 85% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 2 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport, month by month
Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport sees roughly 68 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 34° | 25° |
| April | 61° | 50° | 41° |
| July | 87° | 77° | 68° |
| October | 69° | 59° | 49° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport
The nearest airport, Tweed/New Haven, is about 17 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Laguardia, about 45 miles away.
The best schools in and around Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport
Schools across Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport average an F, better than 3% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Waltersville SchoolD− · 15% proficient
- Geraldine Johnson SchoolD− · 11% proficient
- James J. Curiale SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Central High SchoolD− · 17% proficient
- Bridgeport Military AcademyF · 6% proficient
- Bassick High SchoolF · 5% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport 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 Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport
Is Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport ranks 5,641st of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on civic engagement, fast internet, and walkability, and lowest on the schools and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $199,244. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $29,395 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport safe?
Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport is safer than 22% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $531 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport 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.
Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Bridgeport, Bridgeport 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.