
Overall, Connecticut ranks as one of the safest states in the nation. Despite being densely populated as a whole, the small New England state’s lack of a major urban center (its most populous city, Bridgeport, has just 144,229 inhabitants) and claim to the highest per capita income in the U.S. goes a long way in explaining Connecticut’s impressively low crime numbers.
The safest community in Connecticut is the small town of Weston, the state’s only town over 10,000 in population not to report a violent crime. Along with its mere 15 property crimes reported (good enough for a staggeringly low 1.44 property crimes per 1,000), these statistics were good enough to place it in the top ten, nationwide.
Ridgefield (#2) and Newtown (#3) posted crime numbers that were nearly as impressive, with both boasting a violent crimes per 1,000 average of nearly zero and property crime numbers of less than 3 per 1,000. Newtown is of course known as the spot of the horrific 2012 elementary school shooting. However, this tragic anomaly aside, the community is extremely safe.
1. WESTON

2. RIDGEFIELD

3. NEWTOWN

4. WILTON

5. MONROE

Connecticut's Safest Cities
Rank | City | Population | Violent crime | Property crime | Violent per 1,000 | Property per 1,000 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Weston | 10,425 | 0 | 15 | 0.00 | 1.44 |
2 | Ridgefield | 25,358 | 2 | 72 | 0.08 | 2.84 |
3 | Newtown | 28,105 | 3 | 83 | 0.11 | 2.95 |
4 | Wilton | 18,845 | 1 | 71 | 0.05 | 3.77 |
5 | Monroe | 19,898 | 2 | 82 | 0.10 | 4.12 |
6 | Madison | 18,212 | 1 | 83 | 0.05 | 4.56 |
7 | Plainfield | 15,015 | 14 | 61 | 0.93 | 4.06 |
8 | New Canaan | 20,509 | 3 | 131 | 0.15 | 6.39 |
9 | Greenwich | 62,970 | 14 | 403 | 0.22 | 6.40 |
10 | Suffield | 15,641 | 9 | 96 | 0.58 | 6.14 |
11 | Granby | 11,301 | 2 | 77 | 0.18 | 6.81 |
12 | Avon | 18,464 | 1 | 131 | 0.05 | 7.09 |
13 | Simsbury | 24,519 | 7 | 166 | 0.29 | 6.77 |
14 | Brookfield | 17,278 | 10 | 126 | 0.58 | 7.29 |
15 | Bethel | 19,712 | 1 | 162 | 0.05 | 8.22 |
16 | Cheshire | 29,259 | 4 | 244 | 0.14 | 8.34 |
17 | East Hampton | 12,839 | 4 | 107 | 0.31 | 8.33 |
18 | Westport | 28,198 | 7 | 248 | 0.25 | 8.79 |
19 | North Branford | 14,234 | 6 | 125 | 0.42 | 8.78 |
20 | Guilford | 22,343 | 8 | 200 | 0.36 | 8.95 |
21 | Coventry | 12,437 | 3 | 127 | 0.24 | 10.21 |
22 | Darien | 21,995 | 1 | 242 | 0.05 | 11.00 |
23 | Seymour | 16,462 | 7 | 178 | 0.43 | 10.81 |
24 | Shelton | 41,638 | 28 | 435 | 0.67 | 10.45 |
25 | Canton | 10,337 | 0 | 120 | 0.00 | 11.61 |
26 | New Milford | 27,111 | 29 | 272 | 1.07 | 10.03 |
27 | Plymouth | 11,731 | 4 | 131 | 0.34 | 11.17 |
28 | Old Saybrook | 10,145 | 1 | 117 | 0.10 | 11.53 |
29 | Vernon | 28,915 | 20 | 339 | 0.69 | 11.72 |
30 | South Windsor | 25,803 | 4 | 355 | 0.16 | 13.76 |
31 | Stonington | 18,337 | 13 | 252 | 0.71 | 13.74 |
32 | Rocky Hill | 20,085 | 9 | 289 | 0.45 | 14.39 |
33 | Willimantic | 17,766 | 24 | 232 | 1.35 | 13.06 |
34 | Wallingford | 44,840 | 24 | 641 | 0.54 | 14.30 |
35 | Windsor Locks | 12,543 | 12 | 192 | 0.96 | 15.31 |
36 | Berlin | 20,695 | 20 | 323 | 0.97 | 15.61 |
37 | Fairfield | 61,889 | 38 | 1,002 | 0.61 | 16.19 |
38 | Bristol | 60,445 | 55 | 953 | 0.91 | 15.77 |
39 | Wolcott | 16,666 | 5 | 288 | 0.30 | 17.28 |
40 | Groton Town | 29,910 | 38 | 475 | 1.27 | 15.88 |
41 | Danbury | 85,335 | 161 | 1,363 | 1.89 | 15.97 |
42 | Winchester | 10,750 | 7 | 192 | 0.65 | 17.86 |
43 | Naugatuck | 31,469 | 37 | 545 | 1.18 | 17.32 |
44 | East Windsor | 11,443 | 16 | 197 | 1.40 | 17.22 |
45 | Torrington | 34,626 | 62 | 576 | 1.79 | 16.63 |
46 | Ansonia | 18,776 | 24 | 331 | 1.28 | 17.63 |
47 | Branford | 28,168 | 10 | 543 | 0.36 | 19.28 |
48 | Stamford | 130,116 | 351 | 2,073 | 2.70 | 15.93 |
49 | Norwich | 39,771 | 121 | 621 | 3.04 | 15.61 |
50 | Windsor | 28,998 | 29 | 543 | 1.00 | 18.73 |
51 | Enfield | 44,258 | 75 | 786 | 1.69 | 17.76 |
52 | Norwalk | 88,989 | 295 | 1,427 | 3.32 | 16.04 |
53 | Watertown | 21,792 | 21 | 435 | 0.96 | 19.96 |
54 | Middletown | 46,580 | 70 | 927 | 1.50 | 19.90 |
55 | West Haven | 54,800 | 135 | 1,042 | 2.46 | 19.01 |
56 | Southington | 43,948 | 41 | 942 | 0.93 | 21.43 |
57 | Milford | 53,752 | 34 | 1,215 | 0.63 | 22.60 |
58 | Stratford | 52,841 | 67 | 1,160 | 1.27 | 21.95 |
59 | Clinton | 13,008 | 20 | 282 | 1.54 | 21.68 |
60 | East Haven | 28,879 | 32 | 657 | 1.11 | 22.75 |
61 | Orange | 13,940 | 9 | 342 | 0.65 | 24.53 |
62 | North Haven | 23,777 | 22 | 582 | 0.93 | 24.48 |
63 | Waterford | 19,236 | 40 | 438 | 2.08 | 22.77 |
64 | Trumbull | 36,741 | 42 | 896 | 1.14 | 24.39 |
65 | West Hartford | 62,979 | 40 | 1,589 | 0.64 | 25.23 |
66 | Farmington | 25,684 | 17 | 652 | 0.66 | 25.39 |
67 | Newington | 30,610 | 22 | 790 | 0.72 | 25.81 |
68 | Cromwell | 14,041 | 7 | 369 | 0.50 | 26.28 |
69 | Derby | 12,660 | 39 | 298 | 3.08 | 23.54 |
70 | Bloomfield | 20,801 | 52 | 515 | 2.50 | 24.76 |
71 | Meriden | 59,812 | 227 | 1,367 | 3.80 | 22.85 |
72 | Hamden | 61,138 | 195 | 1,507 | 3.19 | 24.65 |
73 | Manchester | 57,957 | 107 | 1,559 | 1.85 | 26.90 |
74 | Plainville | 17,782 | 31 | 490 | 1.74 | 27.56 |
75 | East Hartford | 50,733 | 147 | 1,312 | 2.90 | 25.86 |
76 | Bridgeport | 148,180 | 1,115 | 3,258 | 7.52 | 21.99 |
77 | New Britain | 72,720 | 216 | 2,121 | 2.97 | 29.17 |
78 | New London | 27,092 | 193 | 743 | 7.12 | 27.43 |
79 | Waterbury | 108,491 | 550 | 4,199 | 5.07 | 38.70 |
80 | New Haven | 130,425 | 1,219 | 5,492 | 9.35 | 42.11 |
81 | Hartford | 123,736 | 1,353 | 5,197 | 10.93 | 42.00 |
METHODOLOGY
To identify the safest cities in Connecticut, we reviewed the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics along with our own population data and internal research. We eliminated any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI and removed cities with populations under 10,000.
The remaining cities were ranked based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) and property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) per 1,000 people. These variables were then weighted, with violent crimes accounting for 1.5 of the total (due to their severity) than property crimes.