Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Barkhamsted's standout: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 95% of the country. Overall it grades A−, 50th of 151 graded towns in Connecticut. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 72% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 22% of the land in Barkhamsted is conserved, above both Connecticut’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). On cost of living, just 14 of Connecticut’s 175 towns do better. Barkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land, at 7,003 acres with 11.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Barkhamsted beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,592 in 1820, a low of 697 in 1930, 3,647 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Barkhamsted is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Barkhamsted. Close and well known come first.
23 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
19 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
20 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
21 mi Theme parkLake Compounce
22 mi Stadium & arenaPratt & Whitney Stadium
39 mi LakeCandlewood LakeSpringfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Pratt & Whitney Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Candlewood Lake: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Barkhamsted, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Barkhamsted.
Barkhamsted has less food insecurity than most of Connecticut and sends most of its workers to Torrington and beyond.
Its widest gap with Connecticut is food insecurity: 6.6% of its 2,677 adults worry about having enough food, against 14.9% statewide.
28% of Barkhamsted adults feel lonely, below both the Connecticut town median (31%) and the median of U.S. towns (33%). 26% of adults have obesity in Barkhamsted. Barkhamsted beats the Connecticut average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Barkhamsted | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 30% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 9.7% | 14% |
| What stands out | Barkhamsted | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.6% | 14.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.6% | 10% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Barkhamsted School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barkhamsted Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 205 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
54 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. The trail density in Barkhamsted is 1.4 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Peoples State Forest | 26.1 mi | 2,806 |
| 2. Barkhamsted Reservoir Watershed Reserve Land | 11.1 mi | 7,003 |
| 3. American Legion State Forest | 5.2 mi | 1,153 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Barkhamsted has 501 jobs for its 1,812 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Barkhamsted for work: only 5% work in town. Barkhamsted’s median household income is $124,000. Since 2013, Barkhamsted has lost 94 jobs, to 501 in 2023.
| Barkhamsted | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $124,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.6% | 5.8% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.1% | 11% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Barkhamsted has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 51 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Barkhamsted home is worth about $441,000, up 3.4% in a year, close to the Connecticut typical home. 93% of Barkhamsted households own their home.
| Barkhamsted | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 93% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,164 a month | $1,451 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Barkhamsted; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Barkhamsted residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
Where Barkhamsted’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Barkhamsted on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Connecticut, United States
Barkhamsted ( bark-HAM-sted) is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. It contains seven villages: West Hill, Mallory, Barkhamsted Center, Center Hill, Washington Hill, Pleasant Valley, and Riverton. The population was 3,647 at the 2020 census, down from 3,799 at the 2010 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. Barkhamsted was first incorporated in 1779, and named after Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Barkhamsted.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barkhamsted | #50 | A− | B− | — | B | A+ |
| New Hartford | #60 | B+ | C | — | B | A+ |
| Hartland | — | — | C | — | B− | A− |
| Winchester | #93 | B− | C+ | B+ | C+ | B+ |
| Granby | #16 | A | C | A | B+ | A |
| Winsted | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Canton | #24 | A− | C− | A− | B+ | A |
| New Hartford Center | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Hartland has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Barkhamsted, New Hartford and Hartland report no FBI crime data of their own. Winsted and New Hartford Center aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Barkhamsted with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Barkhamsted grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns and #50 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades A+ for health and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($93,551 across the Torrington, CT area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
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