Hartford vs Waterbury
The short version
- Waterbury is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Hartford area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $208,500 in Waterbury and $228,600 in Hartford.
- Households earn more in Waterbury ($51,886 vs $46,411 median).
- Hartford gets far more snow: 52 inches a year vs 39.
- Commutes are shorter in Hartford (23 vs 28 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Hartford, CT | Waterbury, CT | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 121,981 | 115,771 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.3% | +1.2% |
| People per square mile | 7,019 | 4,054 |
| Median age | 33.1 | 37.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 19% | 17% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $46,411 | $51,886 |
| Median home value | $228,600 | $208,500 |
| Home value to income | 4.9× | 4.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,269 | $1,225 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 102.7 | 99.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 110.2 | 89.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,100 | $74,800 |
| Homeowners | 26% | 47% |
| Top state income tax | 6.99% | 6.99% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.35% | 6.35% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.1 | 28.0 |
| Work from home | 9% | 8% |
| Take public transit | 13% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 10.7% | 9.3% |
| Poverty rate | 26.3% | 24.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 35° / 19° | 37° / 19° |
| July high / low | 85° / 63° | 84° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 47 in | 45 in |
| Snowfall per year | 52 in | 39 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 20 | 15 |
| Nights below freezing | 126 | 129 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| 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% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | +5.8% | +3.9% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +57.7% | +55.2% |
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. Waterbury: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Hartford weather by month and Waterbury 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 $74,800 in Waterbury. Moving from Hartford to Waterbury, you would need about $72,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Hartford and Waterbury
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 Waterbury.
Which would you pick?
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