Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Clinton grades B overall, 83rd of 151 graded towns in Connecticut, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $125K. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 71% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Clinton has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Clinton Village Historic District and William Stevens House. Clinton is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 84% of U.S. towns. Clinton’s median age is 50.5 years, where Connecticut’s towns sit at 44.4 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years.
Where Clinton beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Clinton | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.5% | 14.9% |
William Stevens House
Census counts: 1,239 in 1840, 13,185 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1881 and 5 maps from 1893 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 Clinton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clinton, 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 Clinton.
Clinton is safe by national standards but not by Connecticut’s and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Connecticut; it also trails Madison and its other neighbors on schools.
Within Connecticut it is healthier than 57% of the 154 graded towns: Connecticut sets a high bar. Its widest gap with Connecticut is food insecurity: 8.5% of its 10,897 adults worry about having enough food, against 14.9% statewide.
28% of Clinton adults feel lonely. Clinton beats the Connecticut average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 31% of Clinton adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Clinton | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | Clinton | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.5% | 14.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.4% | 8.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its B, Madison highest at A.
Its public schools are run by the Clinton School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is The Morgan School, with 473 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewin G. Joel Jr. SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 532 | B |
| The Morgan SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 473 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
26 miles of trail in 33 parks and preserves. The trail density in Clinton is 1.4 miles per square mile. Cockaponset State Forest, at 168 acres with 1.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jesse Buell Forest | 3.7 mi | 117 |
| 2. Kenilworth Forest | 2.4 mi | 108 |
| 3. Weiss-Loveday Watershed | 2.2 mi | 66 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents leave Clinton for work: only 12% work in town. Clinton’s average trip to work is 29 minutes. The top destinations are New Haven (10%), Guilford (5%) and Madison (5%).
| Clinton | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $125,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 11% | 16% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 5.8% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
345 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 58 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 345 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Clinton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Clinton has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83° and January nights drop to 21°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 24% of residents (19% statewide). 44% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Clinton.
| Clinton | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 16% | 19% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 45% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.2 points. Across Connecticut, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Clinton | CT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.2% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.5% | 9.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.5% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.3% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.4% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18% | 14.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.5% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.7% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.1% | 8.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.3% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16% | 16.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9% | 7.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22% | 23.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.6% | 19.2% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
At 22.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 79% of Connecticut’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 331 to 195 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Clinton. Close and well known come first.
22 mi Stadium & arenaYale Bowl
10 mi State parkGillette Castle State Park
27 mi Stadium & arenaMohegan Sun Arena
31 mi Theme parkLake Compounce
34 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
32 mi Stadium & arenaPratt & Whitney StadiumYale Bowl: Kenneth Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Castle State Park: Original uploader was Kevinpepin at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Mohegan Sun Arena: Bbjeter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Pratt & Whitney Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
None within 15 miles of Clinton; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Clinton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
Coastal flooding makes up 12% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
5 places in Clinton on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Clinton.
Town in Connecticut, United States
Clinton is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population of the town was 13,185 at the 2020 census. The town center along the shore line was listed as a census-designated place (CDP) by the U.S. Census Bureau in the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Clinton.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B; Killingworth (A−) is closest. Madison next door grades higher for schools (A to Clinton’s B) and lower for cost of living (D to C).
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton | #83 | B | C | C+ | B | A |
| Madison | #9 | A | D | A+ | A | A+ |
| Killingworth | #52 | A− | C− | — | A− | A+ |
| Westbrook | #39 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A |
Killingworth and Westbrook report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Clinton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Clinton grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #83 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades A for health, C+ for safety and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Connecticut has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Clinton sits nearer the middle.
The typical home is worth about $380,000, 15% below 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 C.
8 notable people were born here, including Zanagee Artis and Horatio Wright.
_-_2025.svg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}