Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hamden grades C− overall, ranked 133rd of 151 in Connecticut, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Residents are healthier than 85% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $368K, 4.2 years of the New Haven metro’s $88K median household income. Hamden’s trail density is 3.7 miles per square mile, against 1.3 in Connecticut’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. On safety, just 2 of Connecticut’s 92 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Pistol Factory Dwelling and Hamden High School.
Where Hamden beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,422 in 1790, 61,169 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1781 and 6 maps from 1892 on.
17 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Hamden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hamden. Close and well known come first.
6 mi Stadium & arenaYale Bowl
17 mi Theme parkLake Compounce
6 mi MuseumYale University Art Gallery
29 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
6 mi MuseumYale Center for British Art
6 mi MuseumYale Peabody MuseumYale Bowl: Kenneth Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Yale University Art Gallery: Ragesoss, Public domain · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Yale Center for British Art: Sage Ross, Public domain · Yale Peabody Museum: No machine-readable author provided. Ragesoss assumed (based on copyright claims, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hamden, 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 Hamden.
Hamden is safe by national standards but not by Connecticut’s and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Connecticut; it also has a long record of flood insurance claims.
123 miles of trail in 30 parks and preserves. Sleeping Giant State Park, at 1,595 acres with 35.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. More trails than any other town in Connecticut.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sleeping Giant State Park | 35.9 mi | 1,595 |
| 2. West Rock Ridge State Park | 23.3 mi | 1,331 |
| 3. Brooksvale Park | 13.1 mi | 540 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Hamden School District. Three of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamden Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 845 | C+ |
| Hamden High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,609 | C |
| Spring Glen SchoolTop results in townGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 347 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
At 42.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 98% of Connecticut’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 2,133 to 1,461 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Hamden’s property crime rate is 22.2 per 1,000 residents, above both Connecticut’s towns (9.6) and U.S. towns (9.9).
| Hamden | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 22.2 per 1,000 residents | 9.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 0.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Within Connecticut it is less healthy than 61% of the 154 graded towns: Connecticut sets a high bar.
36% of Hamden adults feel lonely. Hamden beats the Connecticut average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 9% of Hamden adults smoke cigarettes.
| Hamden | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 31% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 9.7% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Hamden | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.6% | 10% |
| Fewer smokers | 9% | 10.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Hamden for work: only 11% work in town. Hamden’s average trip to work is 22 minutes. The top destinations are New Haven (28%), North Haven (5%) and Bridgeport (4%).
| Hamden | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 16% | 15% | 11% |
| Median household income | $98,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.3% | 5.8% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Hamden has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
404 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 17 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 66% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 404 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hamden.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median rent in Hamden is $1,746 a month. Typical home values rose 5.4% in the year to September 2026. 62% of households own their home in Hamden.
| Hamden | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,746 a month | $1,448 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Adults 18 to 34 are 28% of residents (22% statewide). 48% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 43% across Connecticut.
| Hamden | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 19% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 48% | 45% | 29% |
| Median age | 38.7 years | 44.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 20% | 18% |
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.3 points). Across Connecticut, 50.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.2, men 38.1.
| Hamden | CT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8% | 9.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 14.9% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.1% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.7% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.5% | 14.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.9% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.2% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.1% | 8.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.5% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.5% | 16.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.1% | 7.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.4% | 23.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 26.3% | 19.2% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
7 within 15 miles of the center of Hamden
College town 15 of every 100 Hamden residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
15.4% of the town is conserved land, across 30 parks and preserves.
17 places in Hamden on the National Register of Historic Places.
26 notable people were born in Hamden.
Town in Connecticut, United States
Hamden is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant". The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 61,169 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Hamden.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamden | #133 | C− | D | D | C− | A− |
| North Haven | #84 | B | D | C | B | A |
| New Haven | #148 | D− | D− | D | D | C+ |
| Bethany | #13 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
| Woodbridge | #18 | A | C− | B+ | A | A+ |
| Cheshire | #6 | A+ | C− | A | A | A+ |
| Wallingford | #53 | B+ | C− | A− | C+ | A |
Bethany reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Hamden with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hamden grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #133 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades A− for health, D for safety and C− for schools, and has the most trail per square mile in the state. 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.
26 notable people were born here, including Ernest Borgnine and Alexis Holmes. Its 123 miles of trails, 3.7 per square mile, are the densest network of any Connecticut town.
_-_2025.svg){kind=link}
