Living in Hartford, CT

On Locationistics's default family weighting, Hartford ranks #9 of 103 US metros and #1 of 1 in Connecticut. Typical home $405k · median income $95k · 1,153k residents.

Live data: 103 of 103 metros refreshed — BLS unemployment 2026-07 · FBI crime 2025 · Census ACS ACS 2024 5-year · Zillow ZHVI 2026-07-31 · last refresh Sep 6, 2026. Sources and limits.

Strongest here

  • Property growth97/100
  • Safe neighbourhoods94/100
  • Healthcare access88/100

Weakest here

  • Job market3/100
  • Self-employment health39/100
  • Temperate climate46/100

Who lives in Hartford

Racial and ethnic composition of the metro, from Census ACS table B03002.

White (non-Hispanic)
62.9%
Hispanic or Latino
16.2%
Black (non-Hispanic)
10.4%
Asian (non-Hispanic)
5.6%
Other or two or more
4.9%

Diversity index 70/100 — how evenly the population is spread across these groups. It is descriptive, not a judgement: weight it up, down or to zero on the ranking engine.

Schools in Hartford

Measured grade-8 test results across every public school district in the metro, weighted by how many students sat the tests (2020 school year).

Reading proficient
56.4%
Math proficient
44.4%
Combined
50.4%

Source: NCES EDFacts assessments via the Urban Institute Education Data API. A dash means the state withheld that subject for this year. States set their own proficiency bars, so compare within a state first.

Sports & college recruiting in Hartford

How much college scholarship attention is within reach of local high schools — the four-year colleges and universities in the metro, how many of them are large programs, and how the state as a whole compares.

Recruiting reach
54/100
Colleges in metro
12
Large universities
1

Source: NCES IPEDS four-year institution directory. This measures where scholarship programs are, not signings per high school — no recruiting-signings dataset is public. Large means 10,000+ students, the size at which a university fields a full slate of scholarship teams.

All 14 factor scores

Temperate climate
18°F Jan low · 84°F Jul high
46
School academics
70/100 · 50.4% proficient grade 8
78
School sports & recruiting
54/100 · 12 colleges nearby, 1 large
53
Safe neighbourhoods
94/100 safety index
94
Home affordability
$405k typical home · 4.3× income
65
Property growth
+43% over 5 years
97
Faith community
500 adherents per 1,000
50
College pipeline
60/100 college pipeline
60
Job market
5.8% unemployment · 2/100 job market
3
Income vs. cost
$95k median · cost index 105
80
Self-employment health
66/100 small-business index
39
Short commutes
24 min mean commute
57
Population diversity
70/100 diversity · 62.9% White · 16.2% Hispanic · 10.4% Black · 5.6% Asian
61
Healthcare access
84/100 healthcare index
88

Common questions

Is Hartford a good place to live?

It depends on your weighting, which is the whole point of this tool. On the default family weighting it sits at #9 nationally, carried by property growth and held back by job market. Re-weight the factors to see where it lands for you.

How much does a house cost in Hartford?

The typical home value is about $405k, roughly 4.3× the median household income, and values are up 43% over five years.

What is the weather like?

Around 18°F for a typical January low and 84°F for a typical July high, using NOAA 1991–2020 normals.

Similar metros in the Northeast

Thinking of moving to Hartford?

The relocation guide covers what an interstate move costs, the licence, registration and tax paperwork with its deadlines, and how to line up work in a new metro before you arrive.

Want the whole picture in one place? The Hartford relocation report is a full written analysis of this metro — ranks, every factor, affordability maths, schools, community and comparable metros — for $29.

Figures are compiled public-data estimates. Methodology and sources.