Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Middletown grades C+ overall, 115th among Connecticut's 151 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 80% of U.S. towns and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $366K for a typical one and 4.6 times the county’s $79K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 35 places on the National Register. Middletown’s trail density is 1.9 miles per square mile, against 1.3 in Connecticut’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Richard IV Alsop House and Samuel Wadsworth Russell House. On hazard risk, just 8 of Connecticut’s 175 towns do worse.
Where Middletown beats most towns.
Richard IV Alsop House is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 35 National Register listings are more than in 95% of Connecticut towns with a listing.
Census counts: 2,014 in 1810, 47,717 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1868 and 7 maps from 1893 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Middletown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Middletown. Close and well known come first.
15 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
15 mi Theme parkLake Compounce
23 mi Stadium & arenaYale Bowl
39 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
15 mi Stadium & arenaPratt & Whitney Stadium
15 mi State parkGillette Castle State ParkPeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Yale Bowl: Kenneth Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Middletown, 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 Middletown.
Middletown trades workers with Hartford and other neighbors, is safe by national standards but not by Connecticut’s and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Connecticut.
82 miles of trail in 32 parks and preserves. Maromas Wildlife Mangement Area, at 1,611 acres with 16 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Maromas Wildlife Mangement Area | 16 mi | 1,611 |
| 2. Ron McCutcheon Park | 4.3 mi | 130 |
| 3. Highlawn Forest | 4.1 mi | 275 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Each of its 6 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C, Haddam highest at A−.
Its public schools are run by the Middletown School District. Three of its 14 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beman Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 977 | C |
| Middletown High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,193 | C+ |
| Moody SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 212 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
Within Connecticut it is less healthy than 70% of the 154 graded towns: Connecticut sets a high bar.
31% of adults have high blood pressure in Middletown, where Connecticut’s towns sit at 33% and U.S. towns at 35%. 11% of Middletown adults smoke cigarettes.
| Middletown | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 9.7% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 19% |
| What stands out | Middletown | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.3% | 10% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.5% | 8.5% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 87.9% | 89.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 46 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Middletown.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 18 to 34 are 32% of residents (22% statewide); children under 18 are 14% of residents (20% statewide). Middletown’s median age is 38.1 years. 40% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 43% across Connecticut.
| Middletown | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 14% | 19% | 22% |
| Median age | 38.1 years | 44.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 45% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 20% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.2 points). Across Connecticut, 50.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.0, men 37.2.
| Middletown | CT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.3% | 9.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 15.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.5% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.6% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.6% | 14.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.8% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.2% | 8.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.2% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.7% | 16.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.8% | 7.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23% | 23.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.2% | 19.2% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Middletown has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 20° and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
53% of households own their home in Middletown. Typical home values rose 4.7% in the year to September 2026.
| Middletown | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,446 a month | $1,451 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Middletown has about as many jobs (24,905) as working residents, but only 3,730 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Middletown for work: only 17% work in town. The average trip to work in Middletown is 23 minutes. The top destinations are Hartford (9%), New Haven (6%) and Meriden (4%).
| Middletown | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 11% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 5.8% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $79,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 14.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 52% of Connecticut’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 751 to 504 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
6 within 15 miles of the center of Middletown
College town 16 of every 100 Middletown residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
35 places in Middletown on the National Register of Historic Places.
47 notable people were born in Middletown.
City in Connecticut, United States
Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles (25.8 km) south of Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settlers as a town under its original Native American name, Mattabeseck, after the local Wangunk village of the same name. They were among many tribes along the Atlantic coast who spoke Algonquian languages. The colonists renamed the settlement in 1653. When Hartford County was organized on May 10, 1666, Middletown was included within its boundaries. In 1784, the central settlement was incor…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Middletown.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C+; Middlefield (B−) is closest.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middletown | #115 | C+ | D | B | C | A− |
| Cromwell | #79 | B | C− | C+ | B | A |
| Portland | #26 | A− | C+ | A | B− | A |
| Middlefield | #106 | B− | D | — | B− | A |
| East Hampton | #41 | A− | C | A | B | A |
| Haddam | #62 | B+ | D | — | A− | A+ |
| Berlin | #72 | B+ | C− | B− | B | A |
| Higganum | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Middlefield and Haddam report no FBI crime data of their own. Higganum isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Middletown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Middletown grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #115 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades A− 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.
47 notable people were born here, including John Hasbrouck Van Vleck and Dean Acheson.
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