Bridgeport vs Pawtucket
The short version
- Pawtucket is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Bridgeport area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $274,900 in Bridgeport and $325,500 in Pawtucket.
- Households earn more in Pawtucket ($68,310 vs $58,685 median).
- Commutes are shorter in Pawtucket (26 vs 31 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Bridgeport, CT | Pawtucket, RI | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 152,273 | 77,065 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.5% | +1.9% |
| People per square mile | 9,479 | 8,892 |
| Median age | 36.7 | 37.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 23% | 22% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $58,685 | $68,310 |
| Median home value | $274,900 | $325,500 |
| Home value to income | 4.7× | 4.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,450 | $1,208 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 106.9 | 101.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 150.5 | 103.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $80,100 | $76,300 |
| Homeowners | 43% | 50% |
| Top state income tax | 6.99% | 5.99% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.35% | 7% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 30.5 | 25.6 |
| Work from home | 8% | 9% |
| Take public transit | 7% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 9% | 7.3% |
| Poverty rate | 21% | 13.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 38° / 24° | 38° / 22° |
| July high / low | 83° / 68° | 84° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 44 in | 48 in |
| Snowfall per year | 34 in | 37 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 9 | 12 |
| Nights below freezing | 92 | 109 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | n/a | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | n/a | 93.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 65% | 70% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.1% | +4.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +53.3% | +51.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Bridgeport: May to October. Pawtucket: May to October.
Full monthly tables: Bridgeport weather by month and Pawtucket weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $80,100 in Bridgeport and $76,300 in Pawtucket. Moving from Bridgeport to Pawtucket, you would need about $71,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.