Best PlacesSouth Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in South Central Connecticut Planning Region, 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.
South Central Connecticut Planning Region ranks 404th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $100,591, everyday costs sit below the national average, and an educated workforce ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are childcare costs, property taxes, and state finances.
The best neighborhoods in South Central Connecticut Planning Region
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.
South Central Connecticut Planning Region's strengths and weaknesses
South Central Connecticut Planning Region ranks where it does because the parts of life that are hardest to change mostly work here. Civic engagement is the standout, in the top 1% of counties. Transit and big-city access follow.
The one real hole is childcare costs, near the bottom of the country. Property taxes and state finances also cost it ground. The measures below break that down, and the map shows how much of it holds street by street.
Where South Central Connecticut Planning Region ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 99% of counties
- TransitBetter than 98% of counties
- Big-city accessBetter than 98% of counties
- WalkabilityBetter than 98% of counties
- Internet speedBetter than 96% of counties
Where South Central Connecticut Planning Region ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,583 a month, better than only 2% of counties
- Low property taxBetter than only 2% of counties
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of counties
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 5% of counties
- QuietBetter than only 9% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in South Central Connecticut Planning Region
A household needs to earn about $110,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Central Connecticut Planning Region home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $100,591; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region's effective rate of 1.95%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in South Central Connecticut Planning Region
South Central Connecticut Planning Region'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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region.
Who works in South Central Connecticut Planning Region, and how
Work in South Central Connecticut Planning Region centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 75%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in South Central Connecticut Planning Region
The coast is about 9 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across South Central Connecticut Planning Region, which the map shows.
Is South Central Connecticut Planning Region growing, and who is moving in?
South Central Connecticut Planning Region has grown about 2% over the last decade.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving South Central Connecticut Planning Region go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in South Central Connecticut Planning Region, month by month
South Central Connecticut Planning Region sees roughly 69 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 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° | 40° |
| July | 86° | 77° | 67° |
| October | 69° | 59° | 49° |
Flying in and out of South Central Connecticut Planning Region
The nearest airport, Tweed/New Haven, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bradley International, about 42 miles away.
The best schools in and around South Central Connecticut Planning Region
Schools across South Central Connecticut Planning Region average a C+, better than 54% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Norton SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
- Beecher Road SchoolA+ · 77% proficient
- Guilford Lakes SchoolA+ · 73% proficient
Top middle schools
- Walter C. Polson Middle SchoolA+ · 71% proficient
- E. C. Adams Middle SchoolA+ · 70% proficient
- Dodd Middle SchoolA+ · 69% proficient
Top high schools
- Daniel Hand High SchoolA · 77% proficient
- Guilford High SchoolA · 68% proficient
- Coginchaug Regional High SchoolA− · 65% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Central Connecticut Planning Region school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Central Connecticut Planning Region 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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region against the other 3,143 counties.
Who South Central Connecticut Planning Region suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 90% of counties, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 14% already work from home.
Common questions about living in South Central Connecticut Planning Region
Is South Central Connecticut Planning Region a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Central Connecticut Planning Region ranks 404th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on civic engagement, transit, and big-city access, and lowest on childcare costs and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Central Connecticut Planning Region expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $362,133. The overall cost of living runs about 1% below the national average. Set against a $100,591 median income, cost of living beats 90% of counties.
Is South Central Connecticut Planning Region safe?
South Central Connecticut Planning Region is safer than 44% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $285 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in South Central Connecticut Planning Region?
July highs average about 86 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 25. That works out to about 69 pleasant days a year, more than 20% of counties.
Is South Central Connecticut Planning Region good for families?
Schools beat 54% of counties, crime safety beats 44%, and childcare runs $1,583 a month.
Is South Central Connecticut Planning Region good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 90% of counties, and the fastest advertised internet here beats 96% of counties. About 14% of workers already work from home.
Compare South Central Connecticut Planning Region with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Central Connecticut Planning Region. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Central Connecticut Planning Region 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.
South Central Connecticut Planning Region detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Central Connecticut Planning Region: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Central Connecticut Planning Region: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Central Connecticut Planning Region: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Central Connecticut Planning Region: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Central Connecticut Planning Region 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.