Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Canaan’s best subject grades are an A− for health and an A+ for civic life and history; its weakest is a D− for cost of living. Only 11 of Connecticut’s 175 towns score lower on incomes. Canaan is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns. Only 17 of Connecticut’s 175 towns score lower on cost of living. 51% of the land in Canaan is conserved, where Connecticut’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. The biggest place to walk is Housatonic State Forest, 3,993 acres with 7.3 miles of trail. On civic life, just 1 of Connecticut’s 174 towns do better. Canaan has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Canaan beats most towns.
Falls Village District
Census counts: 2,332 in 1820, 1,080 in 2020. The archive holds 26 old photos and papers going back to 1853 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Canaan is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Canaan, 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 Canaan.
26 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. Canaan’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile, against 1.3 in Connecticut’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Housatonic State Forest | 7.3 mi | 3,993 |
| 2. Great Mountain Forest | 4.1 mi | 1,782 |
| 3. Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space | 1.8 mi | 163 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Regional School District 01. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Housatonic Valley Regional High School, with 352 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee H. Kellogg SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 70 | A |
| Housatonic Valley Regional High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 352 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
Canaan beats the Connecticut average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 28% of adults feel lonely in Canaan.
| Canaan | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 35% |
| What stands out | Canaan | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.7% | 10% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.7% | 12.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.9% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
People 65 and older are 28% of residents (19% statewide); children under 18 are 15% of residents (20% statewide). The median age in Canaan is 54.2 years. 50% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 43% across Connecticut.
| Canaan | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 54.2 years | 44.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 28% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 15% | 19% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 50% | 45% | 29% |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.3 points. Across Connecticut, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Canaan | CT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.6% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4% | 9.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.9% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.7% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.6% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20.8% | 14.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.1% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.4% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.9% | 8.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.8% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.2% | 16.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.3% | 7.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.8% | 23.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 22% | 19.2% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
Canaan has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Canaan’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
16% of Canaan residents live below the poverty line. Of the 156 Connecticut towns we compare, none has a lower average trip to work than Canaan. The top destinations are Salisbury (11%), North Canaan (10%) and Torrington (3%).
| Canaan | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 5.8% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 11% | 8% |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Canaan.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Canaan. Close and well known come first.
38 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
33 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
30 mi Theme parkLake Compounce
35 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
36 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
23 mi MuseumNorman Rockwell MuseumSpringfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Norman Rockwell Museum: User:Rmrfstar, CC BY 2.5
None within 15 miles of Canaan; the nearest are
About 12 of every 100 Canaan residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
5 places in Canaan on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Canaan.
Town in Connecticut, United States
Canaan is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,080 at the 2020 census, down from 1,234 at the 2010 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. The town of Canaan is often referred to locally by the name of its principal settlement, Falls Village.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $469,000, 5% above the Connecticut typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
8 notable people were born here, including Steve Blass and Elizur Wright.
_-_2025.svg){kind=link}
