What stands out worked out from the figures below

New Britain has the shortest commute (22 min average).

Waterbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.7%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	New Britain	Waterbury
People
Population	74,223Lowest	114,869Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.3%Lowest CT: +0.9%	+3.7%Highest CT: +0.9%
Median age	34.3±1.2Lowest 17% below CT	37.8±1.3Highest 8% below CT
Kids under 18	22%±1.6Lowest CT: 20.2%	23.2%±1.2Highest CT: 20.2%
	Waterbury and New Britain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.6%±1.1Lowest CT: 18.5%	15.3%±0.9Highest CT: 18.5%
	Waterbury and New Britain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.6%Highest CT: 42.5%	17.3%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9.4%±1Highest CT: 7.1%	5.8%±0.7Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$58,613±$2kHighest 39% below CT	$51,886±$2kLowest 46% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$223,600±$6kHighest 39% below CT	$208,500±$6kLowest 43% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,253±$45Highest 16% below CT	$1,225±$38Lowest 18% below CT
	New Britain and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,846Highest 12% below CT	$5,449Lowest 18% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.2%±4.6Lowest CT: 52.6%	58.6%±4.2Highest CT: 52.6%
	Waterbury and New Britain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.1%Lowest CT: 10%	24.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	45.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%	47.2%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 11 yrs older than CT	1959Highest 8 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 19% below CT	28 minHighest 6% above CT
Work from home	8%±1.4Lowest CT: 16%	8.3%±1.3Highest CT: 16%
	Waterbury and New Britain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#149 of 149 in CT	#144 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Capitol Region Education Council	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Area Cooperative Educational Services
High school in town	New Britain High School	Crosby High School
Students per teacherat that high school	16.2Lowest	17.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.