Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Colchester grades B+ overall, ranked 73rd of 151 in Connecticut. The median household earns $122K. It is healthier than 91% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $367K, 4.2 years of the Norwich metro’s $87K median household income. 19% of the land in Colchester is conserved, above both the Connecticut town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Its National Register listings include Henry Champion House and Lyman Viaduct. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 70% of U.S. towns.
Where Colchester beats most towns.
Census counts: 3,163 in 1800, a low of 1,991 in 1900, 15,555 in 2020. The archive holds 23 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Colchester takes its name from Colchester in Essex, England, 3,390 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionColchester, settled in 1698, takes its name from Colchester, a city in Essex, England.
1 more U.S. town is named after Colchester:Colchester, IL1,070
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Colchester is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Colchester. Close and well known come first.
14 mi Stadium & arenaMohegan Sun Arena
40 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
10 mi State parkGillette Castle State Park
23 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
20 mi Stadium & arenaPratt & Whitney Stadium
36 mi Stadium & arenaYale BowlMohegan Sun Arena: Bbjeter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Gillette Castle State Park: Original uploader was Kevinpepin at en.wikipedia, Public domain · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Pratt & Whitney Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Yale Bowl: Kenneth Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Colchester, 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 Colchester.
Within Connecticut it is healthier than 59% of the 154 graded towns: Connecticut sets a high bar. Its widest gap with Connecticut is food insecurity: 8.1% of its 12,903 adults worry about having enough food, against 14.9% statewide.
8.3% of Colchester adults have diabetes, below both Connecticut’s towns (9.4%) and U.S. towns (12%). 8.8% of Colchester adults smoke cigarettes. Colchester beats the Connecticut average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Colchester | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.3% | 9.4% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 9.7% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 81% | 79% |
| What stands out | Colchester | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.1% | 14.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.7% | 10% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Colchester School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Bacon Academy, with 572 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colchester Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 552 | – |
| Bacon AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 572 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
69 miles of trail in 18 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Salmon River State Forest, 2,249 acres with 30.4 miles of trail. The trail density in Colchester is 1.4 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Salmon River State Forest | 30.4 mi | 2,249 |
| 2. Deep River Reservoir Watershed | 7.4 mi | 1,184 |
| 3. Babcock Pond State Wildlife Management Area | 3.7 mi | 871 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents leave Colchester for work: only 16% work in town. Colchester’s average trip to work is 30 minutes. Jobs based in Colchester grew to 3,478 in 2023, 256 more than in 2013.
| Colchester | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $122,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 18% | 15% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 11% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Colchester has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 19° and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Colchester.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). 50% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Colchester.
| Colchester | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 50% | 45% | 29% |
| Median age | 43.5 years | 44.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 19% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 20% | 18% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2 points. Across Connecticut, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Colchester | CT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8% | 9.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.2% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.7% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.5% | 14.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.3% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4% | 8.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.9% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.2% | 16.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.2% | 7.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.9% | 23.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 24.8% | 19.2% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Colchester
About 5 of every 100 Colchester residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
Where Colchester’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
8 places in Colchester on the National Register of Historic Places.
19 notable people were born in Colchester.
Town in Connecticut, United States
Colchester is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 15,555 at the 2020 census. In 2010 Colchester became the first town in Connecticut, and the 36th in the country, to be certified with the National Wildlife Federation as a Community Wildlife Habitat. The villages of Westchester and North Westchester are located within Colchester. The town center village, which was previously incorporated as a borough, is a census-designated place, with a population of 4,700 at the 2020 census. The Colchester area was part of the Mohegan territory at the time of European settlement. Several members of the…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Colchester.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colchester | #73 | B+ | C− | — | B | A |
| Hebron | #44 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Lebanon | #98 | B− | C− | — | B | A− |
| East Hampton | #41 | A− | C | A | B | A |
| East Haddam | #49 | A− | C+ | — | B | A |
| Marlborough | #54 | B+ | C | — | B+ | A |
| Salem | #36 | A− | C− | — | A | A |
Colchester, Hebron, Lebanon, East Haddam, Marlborough and Salem report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Colchester with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Colchester grades B+ overall, better than 66% of U.S. towns and #73 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades A for health and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $367,000, 18% 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−.
19 notable people were born here, including Lyman Trumbull and Henry C. Deming.
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