Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Unemployment in New Britain (7.9%) is higher than in 88% of U.S. towns
Measured by household income, New Britain is behind 76% of U.S. towns. Home is the office for 8% of workers, against 16% across Connecticut. About one in seven work in New Britain; the top destination outside it is Hartford (10%, 8 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
New Britain at work: what stands out
Most New Britain residents work close to home
60% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. Only 5% work more than 50 miles away. How far ↓
Commutes from New Britain are quick
The average trip to work takes 22 minutes, against 27 across Connecticut. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Connecticut worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Jobs & income in New Britain: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, New Britain is better than 31% of U.S. towns, #146 of 155 in Connecticut. Job access by car holds New Britain’s grade up (ahead of 92% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, New Britain could be anywhere from C to C+.
Miles to work from New Britain
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The daily trip from New Britain: about 22 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of New Britain workers work from home, vs 16% across Connecticut. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 32,463 commuters (the 8% who work from home are left out). Across Connecticut: 82% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Who commutes out of New Britain, and who commutes in
On a workday 25,862 residents head out to work, 4,440 work right here, and 19,342 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.78 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Commuting out of New Britain: the destinations
Where New Britain clocks in
10% of workers
5% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
65% of the jobs in New Britain pay over $3,333 a month
23,782 jobs are based in New Britain.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in New Britain, 2013 → 2023: 23,336 → 23,782. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs New Britain’s own residents hold wherever they work.
New Britain is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 35,303 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 98% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 61% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 13.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 96% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 15.3% of New Britain households have no vehicle (Connecticut 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of New Britain’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 590 U.S. towns of 53,000 to 103,000, New Britain comes 504th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 80 | West Hartford CT | 64,242 | $130K | 6.3% | 4.1% | 14% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 118 | Milford CT | 53,606 | $111K | 5.1% | 4.4% | 20% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 126 | Fairfield CT | 66,262 | $172K | 4.7% | 5.9% | 18% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 502 | Hanford CA | 62,229 | $76K | 14.5% | 9.5% | 26% | C |
| 503 | Winter Haven FL | 62,313 | $60K | 16.4% | 5.1% | 13% | C |
| 504 | New Britain CT | 76,286 | $59K | 18.1% | 7.9% | 15% | C |
| 505 | Bryan TX | 91,996 | $59K | 23.0% | 5.0% | 32% | C |
| 506 | New Brunswick NJ | 57,133 | $66K | 32.0% | 8.1% | 15% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 590 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | D |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of New Britain, the top three, the last and three more from Connecticut.
Work next door: 16% of New Britain’s workers
The biggest share goes to Farmington (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | New Britain workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Britain | – | C | A | 22 min | $58,613 |
| Farmington | 5% | A+ | A− | 24 min | $141,120 |
| Newington | 4% | A | A− | 21 min | $102,884 |
| Berlin | 4% | A+ | B− | 21 min | $113,598 |
| Plainville | under 3% | A− | B+ | 21 min | $84,343 |
| Kensington | under 3% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| Southington | 3% | A | C+ | 24 min | $124,309 |
Same-state neighbors only. Kensington: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of New Britain’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in New Britain: questions
What is the median household income in New Britain?
$58,613 (±$2,303) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,781 across Connecticut and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in New Britain?
18.1%, against 10.0% across Connecticut and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from New Britain?
22 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Connecticut and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in New Britain work?
15% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Hartford (10%, 8 mi), Farmington (5%, 5 mi), Newington (4%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is New Britain walkable?
New Britain is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.5 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around New Britain without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 15% of households have no car. 61% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from New Britain, from the people who make the trip.
More of New Britain
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.