Preston ranks #21 in Connecticut for short commutes
Preston is ranked on 32 lists against the 155 Connecticut towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 3.
The lists Preston does best on
Each list ranks every CT town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Preston marked.
Preston lands in the top half on 9 of 19 lists
Each dot is Preston’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in CT, the right end is last. Areas where Preston does best come first.
More year-round than 94% of Connecticut
Not better or worse, just Preston’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
3 spots from the top 25 for a top hospital nearby
Lists where Preston sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Preston out-ranks 4 of its 6 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every CT list, and where Preston lands
36 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Groton · 17.5 min
#21 Health
Healthiest#1 Darien · 100 / 100
#100
Lowest obesity#1 Wilton · 21%
#94
Fewest smokers#1 Darien · 6%
#68
Most active#1 Darien · 15%
#92
Fewest uninsured#1 Madison · 4%
#47
Lowest depression#1 Westport · 17%
#105
Closest to a top hospital#1 Stamford · 0.0 mi
#28 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Jewett City · 2.1 yrs
#71
Cheapest rent#1 Middlebury · $398/mo
#71
Lowest property tax#1 Windsor Locks · $3,688/yr
#23
Rent easiest to afford#1 Rocky Hill · 33.6%
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Salisbury · 27.5%
#146
Most new homes#1 Granby · 7.4 per 1,000
#50
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Waterbury · +99.9%
#114 
People
Most educated#1 Darien · 85.9%
#128
Youngest#1 Mansfield · 21.2
#107
Oldest#1 Sherman · 60.2
#48
Most residents 65+#1 Sharon · 37.9%
#42
Most kids#1 Darien · 30.9%
#92 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Voluntown · 66.4%
#132
Most trails#1 Burlington · 3.8 mi / sq mi
#123
Most walkable#1 Bridgeport · 125 / sq mi
#142 Climate
Snowiest#1 North Canaan · 75 in
#132
Least snow#1 Groton · 25 in
#10
Mildest winters#1 Stamford · 24.1°
#39
Hottest summers#1 Windsor Locks · 85.4°
#102
Coolest summers#1 Goshen · 79.6°
#55
Longest growing season#1 Old Saybrook · 221 days
#21
Wettest#1 New Hartford · 53 in
#123 Safety
Safest#1 Weston · 2.1
The number on the right is Preston’s spot. All of Connecticut’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every CT list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.