PostcardGalesFerryCTYaleTrainingQuarters1907to1915, 1907–1915
Gales Ferry’s story
198 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1907.
- 1828Gales Ferry is settled
Gales FerryCT
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: CharlusIngus at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Population
1,141
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$335K
Census ACS
Household income
$81K
median
Median age
40.7
years
Jobs based here
319
A commuter town
Is Gales Ferry a good place to live?
29% of residents live below the poverty line in Gales Ferry, above both the Connecticut town median (5.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). No town among the 156 in Connecticut we compare has a lower average commute than Gales Ferry. Gales Ferry’s trail network density is 0.1 miles per square mile, below both Connecticut’s towns (1.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). We don’t grade Gales Ferry yet; the figures below are still real.
What makes Gales Ferry stand out
Where Gales Ferry beats most towns.
Small town
1,141 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
LedyardOxoboxo RiverMontvilleWaterfordGales Ferry
Nearby attractions
All 168 attractions →Mohegan Sun Arena and 64 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gales Ferry. Close and well known come first.
5 mi Stadium & arenaMohegan Sun Arena
40 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
7 mi MuseumMystic Seaport
18 mi State parkGillette Castle State Park
2 mi MuseumSubmarine Force Library and Museum150K visitors a year
39 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank ArenaSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Mohegan Sun Arena: Bbjeter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · Mystic Seaport: Joethon, Public domain · Gillette Castle State Park: Original uploader was Kevinpepin at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Submarine Force Library and Museum: Flickr user : https://www.flickr.com/photos/divemasterking2000, CC BY 2.0 · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5
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Getting set up
Moving to Gales Ferry: who provides what
Gales Ferry is unincorporated, so New London County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerCity of Norwich23.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLedyard Wpca, Gales Ferry SystemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesNew London CountyNew London County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Connecticut you can register online until 18 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 18 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereLedyard Town ClerkTown of Ledyard; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2019
ZIP code0633506335 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Gales Ferry.
Who lives here
Fewer young adults than Connecticut overall
The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 43%, against 43% across Connecticut. Adults 18 to 34 are 8% of residents (22% statewide); children under 18 are 32% of residents (20% statewide). 16% of Gales Ferry residents are 65 or older.
40.7median age · CT 41.1
| Gales Ferry | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 45% | 29% |
| Median age | 40.7 years | 44.4 years | 40.5 years |
Gales FerryConnecticutUnited States
Ages · share of residents
17%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma1%
High school25%
Some college19%
Associate’s12%
Bachelor’s22%
Graduate21%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 35% and 74% women
The Census survey reached too few of Gales Ferry’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±19.7 points. Across Connecticut, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Gales Ferry | CT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.4% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.7% | 9.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 1.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.7% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.3% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.8% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12% | 14.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.9% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.8% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.3% | 8.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.4% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.7% | 16.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.6% | 7.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.4% | 23.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 20.6% | 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
Work & commute
Most of Gales Ferry’s workers commute out: the town has 0.7 jobs for each of them
Gales Ferry had 319 jobs in 2023, up 89 from 2013. Most working residents leave Gales Ferry for work: only 2% work in town. The top destinations are Groton (26%), Ledyard (9%) and Norwich (6%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 8 miles.
2%work in town
Where working residents work
In Gales Ferry2%
Groton26%
Ledyard9%
Norwich6%
Waterford4%
8 mi
median commute distance
319
jobs based in Gales Ferry
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Gales Ferry, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
A winter brings about 28 inches of snow, with January nights at 21° and July afternoons at 83°.
28″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter23–41°
Spring38–58°
Summer61–81°
Fall44–64°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 14
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Gales Ferry is
For adults in Gales Ferry, the share who smoke cigarettes is 9.5%. 9.1% of adults in the town have diabetes; 32% have obesity.
| Gales Ferry | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 9.7% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 9.4% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Connecticut
7 better25 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Gales Ferry | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.7% | 14.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.6% | 10% |
Lawrence & Memorial Hospital
5.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Top of a moderate hazard risk in Gales Ferry: inland flooding
Compared with 53% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Gales Ferry is lower. FEMA puts just over three fifths of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 28% to hurricanes.
47risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Outdoors
Less of Gales Ferry is conserved land than in most of Connecticut or the rest of the country
5 parks and preserves cover 19 acres in Gales Ferry.
2.2%conserved
2.2%
conserved · 18 of 836 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Torrey Park Open Space | — | 7 |
| 2. Cranberry Pond Preserve | — | 6 |
| 3. Erickson Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Housing
A home in Gales Ferry sells for about $405K at the median
A home in Gales Ferry typically sold within 45 days of listing. The typical rent for Gales Ferry comes to $2,201 a month. 63% of the homes sold in Gales Ferry went for more than their asking price.
$405Kmedian sale price
| Gales Ferry | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,201 a month | $1,450 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 81% | 73% |
Market temperature
45
days on market
102.5%
sale-to-list price
8
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Gales Ferry
17pages on Gales Ferry
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Gales Ferry
Connecticut CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · New London3.1 mi$67,242 tuitionUnited States Coast Guard AcademyUniversity or college · Public · New London3.3 miMitchell CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · New London6.5 mi$40,490 tuition
About 1 of every 100 Gales Ferry residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Gales Ferry for work
Where Gales Ferry’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
319jobs based in Gales Ferry
2%of working residents work in town
8 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Gales Ferry
Census-designated place in Connecticut, United States
Gales Ferry is a census-designated place and village in the town of Ledyard, Connecticut, United States. It is located along the eastern bank of the Thames River. The community developed as a result of having a ferry to Uncasville located at this site, and from which the village was named. Gales Ferry was listed as a census-designated place for the 2010 Census. As of the 2020 census, Gales Ferry had a population of 1,159. Much of the core of the original settlement at the site of the former ferry has been included in two separate historic districts, each with several farmstead buildings from the late colonial and early national periods (late 18th and early 19th century). The two historic di…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 43 ft
- ZIP code
- 06335
Questions about Gales Ferry
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Gales Ferry, CT a good place to live?
We don’t grade Gales Ferry yet; the figures below are still real.
What is Gales Ferry, CT known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Beth Murphy and Luis Vasquez.