Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bolton grades A overall, 22nd of 151 graded towns in Connecticut, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $126K and residents are healthier than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also does better than most on schools: its public schools beat 67% of Connecticut towns on state tests and graduation. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $451K, 4.7 years of the Hartford metro’s $95K median household income. Bolton’s trail density is 2.6 miles per square mile, above both the Connecticut town median (1.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). On hazard risk, just 2 of Connecticut’s 175 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Oliver White Tavern and Bolton Green Historic District.
Where Bolton beats most towns.
Census counts: 731 in 1820, a low of 433 in 1910, 4,858 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 7 maps from 1892 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Bolton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bolton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw36 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
25 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
12 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
9 mi Stadium & arenaPratt & Whitney Stadium
21 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
27 mi Theme parkLake CompounceLake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Pratt & Whitney Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bolton, 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 Bolton.
Bolton carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Connecticut (mostly inland flooding) and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Connecticut.
38 miles of trail in 24 parks and preserves. Porter Howard Watershed Land, at 202 acres with 1.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. US-6 Corridor | 4.6 mi | 145 |
| 2. Bolton Notch State Park | 2.8 mi | 130 |
| 3. Lombardi Ridge Preserve | 2.4 mi | 98 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Bolton School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolton Center SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 473 | B |
| Bolton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 212 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
Within Connecticut it is healthier than 63% of the 154 graded towns: Connecticut sets a high bar. Its widest gap with Connecticut is no health insurance: 5.5% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10% statewide.
19% of Bolton adults get no exercise outside work, against 22% in Connecticut’s towns and 25% across U.S. towns. 30% of adults feel lonely in Bolton. Bolton beats the Connecticut average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Bolton | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 9.7% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 19% |
| What stands out | Bolton | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.5% | 10% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.2% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Bolton for work: only 5% work in town. 21% of Bolton workers work from home. Since 2013, Bolton has lost 113 jobs, to 1,108 in 2023.
| Bolton | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 21% | 15% | 11% |
| Median household income | $126,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.4% | 11% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 5.8% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 99% of Connecticut towns, with expected losses of about $187 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
Bolton’s FEMA risk score is 22 of 100. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Bolton since 1982.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Bolton has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Bolton is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 46% of residents (39% statewide). 51% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 43% across Connecticut.
| Bolton | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 51% | 45% | 29% |
| Median age | 43.7 years | 44.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 19% | 22% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across Connecticut, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Bolton | CT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.2% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.9% | 9.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.1% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.5% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.3% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.7% | 14.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.2% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.5% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.6% | 8.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.5% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.3% | 16.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.3% | 7.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 30.9% | 23.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 20.4% | 19.2% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,900, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Bolton home is worth about $451,000, up 2.3% in a year, close to the Connecticut typical home.
| Bolton | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 88% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,127 a month | $1,451 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
9 within 15 miles of the center of Bolton
About 8 of every 100 Bolton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Connecticut.
Where Bolton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Bolton on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Bolton.
Town in Connecticut, United States
Bolton ( BOHL-tən) is a small suburban town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,858 as of the 2020 census. Bolton was incorporated in October 1720 and is governed by town meeting, with a first selectman and board of selectman as well as other boards serving specific functions. Bolton was named after a town of the same name in England, located near Manchester.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Bolton.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolton | #22 | A | C | — | B+ | A |
| Manchester | #127 | C | C | C+ | D | B+ |
| Vernon | #100 | B− | C | B+ | C | A− |
| Andover | #43 | A− | C+ | — | B | A+ |
| Hebron | #44 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Glastonbury | #20 | A | C− | B+ | A | A+ |
Bolton, Andover and Hebron report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Bolton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Bolton grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #22 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades A for health and B+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
7 notable people were born here, including Ron Hainsey and Simeon Olcott.
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