Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bridgeport earns a D−, ranked 146th of 151 in Connecticut, mostly because of schools. Its schools rank behind 94% of the state's. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 57 places on the National Register. 21% of residents live below the poverty line in Bridgeport, against 5.8% in Connecticut’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 5 of Connecticut’s 174 towns score lower on health. Its National Register listings include Barnum Museum and Seaside Village Historic District.
Where Bridgeport beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Barnum Museum| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Blackham School | PK–8 | 1,088 |
| Cesar Batalla School | PK–8 | 990 |
| Read School | PK–8 | 863 |
Its 56 National Register listings are more than in 99% of Connecticut towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,089 in 1810, 148,654 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1826 and 6 maps from 1891 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Bridgeport is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for schools (better than 6%), so the D− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bridgeport. Close and well known come first.
15 mi Stadium & arenaYale Bowl
35 mi LandmarkFerncliff Cemetery
in town Stadium & arenaTotal Mortgage Arena
38 mi Stadium & arenaNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
18 mi MuseumGlass House
26 mi National Historic SiteSagamore Hill National Historic Site122K visitors a yearYale Bowl: Kenneth Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ferncliff Cemetery: Anthony22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Total Mortgage Arena: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum: iMatthew // talk //, Public domain · Glass House: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Sagamore Hill National Historic Site: Unknown, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bridgeport, 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 Bridgeport.
Bridgeport is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Connecticut rate and has poverty well above the Connecticut rate.
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, Trumbull highest at A−.
Its public schools are run by the Bridgeport School District. Two of its 54 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackham SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 1,088 | D |
| Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,803 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
22 miles of trail in 31 parks and preserves. The trail density in Bridgeport is 1.1 miles per square mile. Seaside Park, at 202 acres with 3.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Bridgeport | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.7% | 14% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Seaside Park | 3.8 mi | 202 |
| 2. Ninety Acres Park | 3.5 mi | 67 |
| 3. Beardsley Park | 3.3 mi | 127 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
About one in 5 of Bridgeport’s working residents works in town. Bridgeport’s median household income is $59,000. Only 9 of the 155 Connecticut towns we compare have a lower share of workers working from home than Bridgeport.
| Bridgeport | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.6% | 16% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
711 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 111 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 74% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 711 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bridgeport.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Violent crime runs at 2.5 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Connecticut rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its C. At 27.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 91% of Connecticut’s graded towns. Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Trumbull (C+) to Fairfield (B).
Among 90 Connecticut towns, just 4 have a higher violent crime rate than Bridgeport.
| Bridgeport | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 0.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.6 per 1,000 residents | 9.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 8,562 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bridgeport’s, it is healthier than 51%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its C, from Stratford (A−) to Fairfield (A+).
36% of adults get no exercise outside work in Bridgeport. Among 154 Connecticut towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Bridgeport. 14% of adults binge drink in Bridgeport.
| Bridgeport | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 22% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 31% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 8.8% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | Bridgeport | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.2% | 8.5% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 21.1% | 24.7% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 32.5% | 14.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Bridgeport has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 24° and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Stratford is next at $465K.
43% of Bridgeport households own their home. Typical home values rose 4.6% in the year to September 2026. 60% of Bridgeport renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent.
| Bridgeport | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 81% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 60% | 50% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,450 a month | $1,449 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
5 within 15 miles of the center of Bridgeport
About 8 of every 100 Bridgeport residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Connecticut.
2 colleges in town.
56 places in Bridgeport on the National Register of Historic Places.
42 notable people were born in Bridgeport.
Most populous city in Connecticut, US
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. The population was 148,654 in 2020, making it the fifth-most populous city in New England. It is a port city in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Island Sound, 60 miles (97 km) from Manhattan and 40 miles (64 km) from The Bronx. Bridgeport and other towns in Fairfield County make up the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, as well as the Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk–Danbury metropolitan statistical area, the second largest metropolitan area in Connecticut and a component of the greater New York metropolitan area. Inhabited by the Paugussett Native American tribe until English colonisatio…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Bridgeport.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Stratford (C+) is closest.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport | #146 | D− | C− | C | D | C |
| Fairfield | #38 | A− | D | B | A− | A+ |
| Trumbull | #66 | B+ | D | C+ | A− | A+ |
| Trumbull Center | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stratford | #116 | C+ | C− | B− | C− | A− |
| Sacred Heart University | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Trumbull Center and Sacred Heart University aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Bridgeport with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bridgeport grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #146 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades C for health, C for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Connecticut has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Bridgeport sits nearer the middle.
42 notable people were born here, including Robert Mitchum and John Mayer.
