Best PlacesWest Rock, New Haven, CT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West Rock, New Haven, 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.
West Rock, New Haven ranks 5,537th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in West Rock, New Haven
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.
West Rock, New Haven's strengths and weaknesses
Where West Rock, New Haven ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 77% of neighborhoods
Where West Rock, New Haven ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in West Rock, New Haven
A household needs to earn about $55,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West Rock, New Haven home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $48,345, 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 West Rock, New Haven's effective rate of 2.25%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in West Rock, New Haven
West Rock, New Haven 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 West Rock, New Haven.
Who works in West Rock, New Haven, and how
Work in West Rock, New Haven centers on education and hospitality & food. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 57%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 34%
Life in West Rock, New Haven
West Rock, New Haven has more parkland per resident than 87% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 10 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of West Rock, New Haven and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in West Rock, New Haven, month by month
West Rock, New Haven sees roughly 70 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 West Rock, New Haven
The nearest airport, Tweed/New Haven, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bradley International, about 44 miles away.
The best schools in and around West Rock, New Haven
Schools across West Rock, New Haven average a D+, better than 18% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Elm City Montessori SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Mauro-sheridan Magnet SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Davis Academy For Arts & Design InnovationC · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Amity Regional High SchoolA− · 64% proficient
- James Hillhouse High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Common Ground High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every West Rock, New Haven school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
West Rock, New Haven 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 West Rock, New Haven against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in West Rock, New Haven
Is West Rock, New Haven a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West Rock, New Haven ranks 5,537th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on heat safety, civic engagement, and tree cover, and lowest on a weak job market and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is West Rock, New Haven expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $177,116. The overall cost of living runs about 4% below the national average. Set against a $48,345 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is West Rock, New Haven safe?
West Rock, New Haven is safer than 36% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $412 per resident a year.
Compare West Rock, New Haven with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West Rock, New Haven. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West Rock, New Haven 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.
West Rock, New Haven detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West Rock, New Haven: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West Rock, New Haven: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West Rock, New Haven: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West Rock, New Haven: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West Rock, New Haven 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.