Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Marlborough grades B+ overall, ranked 54th of 151 in Connecticut, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 89% of U.S. towns and it has 28 miles of trail and 27% conserved land. It also does better than most on schools: its schools outperform 73% of the state's. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $474K for a typical one and 5 times the Hartford metro’s $95K median household income. 27% of the land in Marlborough is conserved, above both the Connecticut town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 6 of Connecticut’s 175 towns score lower on history. Salmon River State Forest, at 2,577 acres with 12.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Marlborough beats most towns.
Where Marlborough’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Marlborough is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,954 in 1820, a low of 302 in 1910, 6,133 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 6 maps from 1892 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Marlborough. Close and well known come first.
15 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
33 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
12 mi Stadium & arenaPratt & Whitney Stadium
21 mi Stadium & arenaMohegan Sun Arena
24 mi Theme parkLake Compounce
35 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 · Mohegan Sun Arena: Bbjeter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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 Marlborough, 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 Marlborough.
Marlborough is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Connecticut; it also has commutes longer than most of Connecticut.
Within Connecticut it is healthier than 52% of the 154 graded towns: Connecticut sets a high bar. Its widest gap with Connecticut is no health insurance: 5.3% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 10% statewide.
83% of adults had a checkup this year in Marlborough, against 81% in Connecticut’s towns and 79% across U.S. towns. 13% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Marlborough. Marlborough beats the Connecticut average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Marlborough | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 12% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 33% |
| What stands out | Marlborough | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.3% | 10% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.9% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Marlborough School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elmer Thienes-Mary Hall Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 458 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
28 miles of trail in 18 parks and preserves. The trail density in Marlborough is 1.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Salmon River State Forest | 12.2 mi | 2,577 |
| 2. Meshomasic State Forest | 3.6 mi | 508 |
| 3. East Glastonbury Fish & Game Association | — | 451 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute for its 2,692 working residents takes 34.1 minutes, against 26.5 across Connecticut. Jobs based here grew from 973 in 2013 to 1,265.
Most working residents leave Marlborough for work: only 7% work in town. Marlborough’s average trip to work is 34 minutes. Jobs based in Marlborough grew to 1,265 in 2023, 292 more than in 2013.
| Marlborough | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $142,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.7% | 5.8% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 7% | 11% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 13% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 47% of residents (39% statewide). 46% of Marlborough adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Marlborough | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 24% | 19% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 46% | 45% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 41.8 years | 44.4 years | 40.5 years |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.5 points. Across Connecticut, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Marlborough | CT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.6% | 9.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.3% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.4% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.7% | 14.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.3% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.9% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.6% | 8.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.9% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.9% | 16.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.6% | 7.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.7% | 23.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.2% | 19.2% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Marlborough 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
Typical home values rose 6.7% in the year to September 2026.
| Marlborough | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 93% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,333 a month | $1,451 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Marlborough.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
8 within 15 miles of the center of Marlborough
About 5 of every 100 Marlborough residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
2 places in Marlborough on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Connecticut, United States
Marlborough is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the census-designated place (CDP) of Terramuggus. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The town's population was 6,133 at the 2020 census. Marlborough is a suburban and rural community. The local high school is RHAM High School. In 2013, Marlborough ranked third (of 24) in Connecticut Magazine's biannual ranking of Connecticut small towns. Educationally, RHAM High School, which serves Marlborough, Hebron, and Andover students, is one of the top-ranked regional high schools in the state on the SAT in 2017, and 11th highest-performing school in the state on the test. The town is home to Elmer Theines…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Marlborough.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlborough | #54 | B+ | C | — | B+ | A |
| Hebron | #44 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
| Colchester | #73 | B+ | C− | — | B | A |
| Glastonbury | #20 | A | C− | B+ | A | A+ |
| East Hampton | #41 | A− | C | A | B | A |
Marlborough, Hebron and Colchester report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Marlborough with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Marlborough grades B+ overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #54 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades A for health and B+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
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