Hartford vs New Haven
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $228,600 in Hartford and $287,100 in New Haven.
- Households earn more in New Haven ($56,851 vs $46,411 median).
- Hartford gets far more snow: 52 inches a year vs 34.
- New Haven is growing faster: +3.6% since 2020 vs +0.3%.
Side by side
| Hartford, CT | New Haven, CT | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 121,981 | 138,774 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.3% | +3.6% |
| People per square mile | 7,019 | 7,425 |
| Median age | 33.1 | 31.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 19% | 39% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $46,411 | $56,851 |
| Median home value | $228,600 | $287,100 |
| Home value to income | 4.9× | 5.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,269 | $1,488 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 102.7 | 104.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 110.2 | 124.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,100 | $78,400 |
| Homeowners | 26% | 28% |
| Top state income tax | 6.99% | 6.99% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.35% | 6.35% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.1 | 21.5 |
| Work from home | 9% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 13% | 7% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 10.7% | 8.4% |
| Poverty rate | 26.3% | 23.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 35° / 19° | 38° / 23° |
| July high / low | 85° / 63° | 82° / 66° |
| Precipitation per year | 47 in | 42 in |
| Snowfall per year | 52 in | 34 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 20 | 6 |
| Nights below freezing | 126 | 102 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | n/a | n/a |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | n/a | n/a |
| Good air days, 2025 | 67% | 67% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.8% | +6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +57.7% | +54.9% |
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: Hartford: May to September. New Haven: May to October.
Full monthly tables: Hartford weather by month and New Haven weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $77,100 in Hartford and $78,400 in New Haven. Moving from Hartford to New Haven, you would need about $76,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Hartford and New Haven
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Hartford and New Haven.
Which would you pick?
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