New Britain vs Southfield
The short version
- Southfield is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the New Britain area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $223,600 in New Britain and $236,200 in Southfield.
- Households earn more in Southfield ($68,166 vs $58,613 median).
- New Britain has the warmer winter: January highs of 37°F vs 32°F.
- New Britain is growing faster: +2.9% since 2020 vs -0.6%.
Side by side
| New Britain, CT | Southfield, MI | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 76,286 | 76,111 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.9% | -0.6% |
| People per square mile | 5,695 | 2,898 |
| Median age | 34.3 | 42.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20% | 41% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $58,613 | $68,166 |
| Median home value | $223,600 | $236,200 |
| Home value to income | 3.8× | 3.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,253 | $1,340 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 102.7 | 100.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 110.2 | 94.7 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,100 | $75,200 |
| Homeowners | 45% | 53% |
| Top state income tax | 6.99% | 4.25% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.35% | 6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 21.5 | 23.7 |
| Work from home | 8% | 17% |
| Take public transit | 4% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.9% | 6.9% |
| Poverty rate | 18.1% | 10.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 37° / 20° | 32° / 19° |
| July high / low | 85° / 66° | 84° / 64° |
| Precipitation per year | 43 in | 34 in |
| Snowfall per year | 39 in | 45 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 17 | 13 |
| Nights below freezing | 121 | 120 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | n/a | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | n/a | 97.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 67% | 36% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.8% | +4.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +57.7% | +39.6% |
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: New Britain: May to October. Southfield: May to October.
Full monthly tables: New Britain weather by month and Southfield 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 New Britain and $75,200 in Southfield. Moving from New Britain to Southfield, you would need about $73,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between New Britain and Southfield
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from New Britain and Southfield.
Which would you pick?
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