Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
East Hampton grades A− overall, ranked 41st of 151 in Connecticut, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 89% of U.S. towns and it is healthier than 89% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $125K. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $349K, 3.7 years of the Hartford metro’s $95K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 90% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. 23% of the land in East Hampton is conserved, against 14% in Connecticut’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Meshomasic State Forest, at 2,460 acres with 31.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Among 90 Connecticut towns, just 8 have a lower property crime rate than East Hampton.
Where East Hampton beats most towns.
Census counts: 3,230 in 1790, a low of 1,525 in 1850, 12,717 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1880 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 East Hampton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around East Hampton. Close and well known come first.
16 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
37 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
14 mi Stadium & arenaPratt & Whitney Stadium
11 mi State parkGillette Castle State Park
22 mi Theme parkLake Compounce
29 mi Stadium & arenaYale BowlPeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Pratt & Whitney Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Gillette Castle State Park: Original uploader was Kevinpepin at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Yale Bowl: Kenneth Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in East Hampton, 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 East Hampton.
East Hampton has seen reported crime fall by about half and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Connecticut.
The trail density for East Hampton comes to 2.0 miles per square mile, where Connecticut’s towns sit at 1.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Trails run 74 miles in 18 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Meshomasic State Forest | 31.7 mi | 2,460 |
| 2. Hurd State Park | 17.4 mi | 905 |
| 3. Salmon River State Forest | 2.1 mi | 579 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The largest public high school is East Hampton High School, with 488 students. Of its 4 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. Its public schools are run by the East Hampton School District.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memorial SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 511 | A− |
| East Hampton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 488 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 108 to 47 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
East Hampton’s violent offense rate is 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Within Connecticut it is healthier than 51% of the 154 graded towns: Connecticut sets a high bar. Its widest gap with Connecticut is food insecurity: 8.6% of its 9,300 adults worry about having enough food, against 14.9% statewide.
28% of East Hampton adults feel lonely. This Connecticut town does better than the Connecticut average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 2. In East Hampton, just over four in five adults had a checkup this year, and 32% sleep under 7 hours.
| East Hampton | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 81% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 19% |
| What stands out | East Hampton | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.6% | 14.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.1% | 10% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
East Hampton had 1,932 jobs in 2023, up 254 from 2013. For most workers, East Hampton is a place to come home to: only 9% work in town. Its average commute is 30 minutes. The top destinations are Hartford (11%), Middletown (7%) and East Hartford (4%).
| East Hampton | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $125,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4% | 5.8% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 13% | 16% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A winter brings about 39 inches of snow, with January nights at 19° and July afternoons at 83°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 39%, against 43% across Connecticut. Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). Population is up 3.4% in East Hampton since 2020, to 13,134 by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| East Hampton | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 45% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 43.6 years | 44.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 19% | 22% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.5 points. Across Connecticut, 50.9% of residents are women.
| East Hampton | CT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.8% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.6% | 9.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.1% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.2% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.8% | 14.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.7% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.1% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.5% | 8.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.6% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.1% | 16.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.9% | 7.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.8% | 23.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18.2% | 19.2% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Among households in East Hampton, 86% are owner-occupiers. For East Hampton, the going rate for rent is $1,393 a month.
| East Hampton | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,393 a month | $1,451 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Since 1978, East Hampton has seen 11 flood insurance claims paid out. Compared with 50% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is higher. Expected losses in East Hampton break down as 78% from inland flooding and 11% from hurricanes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
3 within 15 miles of the center of East Hampton
About 5 of every 100 East Hampton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
Where East Hampton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in East Hampton on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in East Hampton.
Town in Connecticut, United States
East Hampton is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 12,717 at the 2020 census. The town center village is listed as a census-designated place (CDP). East Hampton includes the communities of Cobalt, Middle Haddam, and Lake Pocotopaug. The southern trailhead of the Shenipsit Trail is in Cobalt, and the Airline State Park (a rail trail) has its southern trailhead in East Hampton, at Main Street in the Village Center. The 884-acre (358 ha) Hurd State Park, Meshomasic State Forest, and Salmon River State Forest are located in town. Comstock's Bridge, more commonly known as the Comstock.…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with East Hampton.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Hampton | #41 | A− | C | A | B | A |
| Portland | #26 | A− | C+ | A | B− | A |
| East Haddam | #49 | A− | C+ | — | B | A |
| Middletown | #115 | C+ | D | B | C | A− |
| Colchester | #73 | B+ | C− | — | B | A |
| Marlborough | #54 | B+ | C | — | B+ | A |
| Haddam | #62 | B+ | D | — | A− | A+ |
| Glastonbury | #20 | A | C− | B+ | A | A+ |
East Haddam, Colchester, Marlborough and Haddam report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare East Hampton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. East Hampton grades A− overall, better than 79% of U.S. towns and #41 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades A for health, A for safety and B for schools.
Yes, by national standards. East Hampton reports less crime per resident than 89% of U.S. towns, an A Safety Grade: 2 violent and 45 property crimes in 2025.
The typical home is worth about $349,000, 22% 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.
7 notable people were born here, including Erin Brady and Adonijah Welch.
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