Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Groton's standout: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 95% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades C+, 120th of 151 graded towns in Connecticut. Natural-hazard risk is low. Its weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $445K, 6.8 years of the county’s $65K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns. Groton’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile, below both the Connecticut town median (1.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Of the 155 Connecticut towns we compare, none has a lower share of workers working from home than Groton. Groton is home to University of Connecticut-Avery Point.
Where Groton beats most towns.
Census counts: 4,302 in 1800, a low of 2,953 in 1840, 38,411 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 6 maps from 1892 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Groton is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 7%), so the C+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Groton. Close and well known come first.
12 mi Stadium & arenaMohegan Sun Arena
6 mi MuseumMystic Seaport
20 mi State parkGillette Castle State Park
in town MuseumFort Griswold
5 mi MuseumSubmarine Force Library and Museum150K visitors a year
21 mi State parkCamp Hero State ParkMohegan Sun Arena: Bbjeter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mystic Seaport: Joethon, Public domain · Gillette Castle State Park: Original uploader was Kevinpepin at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Fort Griswold: Staxringold at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Submarine Force Library and Museum: Flickr user : https://www.flickr.com/photos/divemasterking2000, CC BY 2.0 · Camp Hero State Park: Transpoman, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Groton, 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 Groton.
Groton carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Connecticut (mostly inland flooding), draws workers from Groton and beyond and has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
17,924 jobs are based in Groton, 4.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17.5 minutes, against 26.5 across Connecticut.
About one in 4 of Groton’s working residents works in town. 19% of Groton residents live below the poverty line, where Connecticut’s towns sit at 5.8% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. The average trip to work in Groton is 18 minutes.
| Groton | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 5.8% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 11% | 8% |
| Median household income | $80,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 99% of Connecticut towns, with expected losses of about $153 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
Groton’s FEMA risk score is 25 of 100. Since 1978, 61 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Groton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Groton weather station records that about 3 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Groton has chilly winters and pleasant summers. Only 10 of the 155 Connecticut towns we compare have a lower July high than Groton.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
18.6% of residents live below the poverty line, against 10% across Connecticut, which weighs on its C+ for jobs and income. Only 45.4% of households own their home, against 66.5% across Connecticut.
Adults 18 to 34 are 29% of residents (22% statewide); children under 18 are 16% of residents (20% statewide). Groton has grown 8.2% since 2020, to 10,160 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 16% of residents are 65 or older in Groton.
| Groton | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 16% | 19% | 22% |
| Median age | 39 years | 44.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 45% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.6 points. Across Connecticut, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Groton | CT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.5% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.2% | 9.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 13.9% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.2% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.7% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.5% | 14.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.3% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.9% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.9% | 8.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.5% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.5% | 16.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.2% | 7.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26% | 23.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.7% | 19.2% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Within Connecticut it is less healthy than 86% of the 154 graded towns: Connecticut sets a high bar.
Groton beats the Connecticut average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 39% of Groton adults sleep under 7 hours. Among 154 Connecticut towns, just 10 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Groton.
| Groton | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 8.8% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 22% | 25% |
| What stands out | Groton | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.2% | 8.5% |
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 34.1% | 38.4% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 10% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.8 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Only 2 of the 155 Connecticut towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Groton. The biggest park or preserve is Washington Park, at 31 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park | 0.6 mi | 16 |
| 2. Washington Park | 0.1 mi | 31 |
| 3. Birch Plain Creek Wildlife Area | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 6.8 years of the county’s $65K median household income, the typical home (about $445K) costs more against local pay than in 87% of Connecticut towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Typical home values rose 6.2% in the year to September 2026.
| Groton | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,250 a month | $1,451 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
4 within 15 miles of the center of Groton
About 4 of every 100 Groton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
Where Groton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
23 notable people were born in Groton.
Town in New London County, Connecticut
Groton ( GRAH-tən) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, located on the Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United States Navy. The Naval Submarine Base New London is located in Groton, and the pharmaceutical company Pfizer is also a major employer. Avery Point in Groton is home to a regional campus of the University of Connecticut. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 38,411 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Groton.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groton | #120 | C+ | D | B+ | C+ | B |
| New London | #144 | D | D | C+ | D− | C+ |
| Groton | #97 | B− | D | B+ | C+ | A− |
| Conning Towers-Nautilus Park | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Long Hill | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Conning Towers-Nautilus Park and Long Hill aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Groton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Groton grades C+ overall, better than 36% of U.S. towns and #120 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades B for health, B+ for safety and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
23 notable people were born here, including Pierre J. Thuot and Silas Deane.
