Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
North Canaan is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C overall, ranked 122nd of 151 in Connecticut, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools outperform 52% of the state's. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $72K, and 13% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $267K, 2.9 years of the Torrington area’s $94K median household income. 21% of the land in North Canaan is conserved, against 14% in Connecticut’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 6 of Connecticut’s 175 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Beckley Furnace and Isaac Lawrence House.
Where North Canaan beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far North Canaan is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,426 in 1860, 3,211 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 8 maps from 1885 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in North Canaan, 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 North Canaan.
North Canaan gets more snow than almost anywhere else in Connecticut, sends many workers across the state line to Sheffield and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Connecticut.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in North Canaan.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the North Canaan School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Canaan Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 245 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
At 0.6 miles per square mile, North Canaan’s trail density is where Connecticut’s towns sit at 1.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Housatonic State Forest, at 686 acres with 5.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 11 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Housatonic State Forest | 5.7 mi | 686 |
| 2. Beckley Furnace Industrial Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Campbell Falls State Park Reserve | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Norfolk 2 Sw weather station, 5 miles away, records that 75 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, the highest of 353 Connecticut places with climate records.
North Canaan has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83° and January nights drop to 15°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
28% of working residents cross a state line to work, Sheffield among the top destinations.
About one in 4 of North Canaan’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in North Canaan is 22 minutes. The top destinations are Salisbury (9%), Sheffield (6%) and Great Barrington (3%).
| North Canaan | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 11% | 8% |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 12% | 16% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Connecticut it is less healthy than 90% of the 154 graded towns: Connecticut sets a high bar. All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its B−, from Canaan (A−) to Salisbury (A).
North Canaan beats the Connecticut average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 16% of North Canaan adults report frequent physical distress. Only 10 of the 154 Connecticut towns we compare have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than North Canaan.
| North Canaan | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 22% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | North Canaan | CT |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.4% | 9.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 5.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.1% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Canaan. Close and well known come first.
37 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
35 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
32 mi Theme parkLake Compounce
19 mi MuseumNorman Rockwell Museum
35 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
36 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank ArenaSpringfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Norman Rockwell Museum: User:Rmrfstar, CC BY 2.5 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5
1 within 15 miles of the center of North Canaan
About 3 of every 100 North Canaan residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
5 places in North Canaan on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Connecticut, United States
North Canaan is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,211 at the 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. The town center is still called "Canaan", being the main town center of the old town of Canaan prior to North Canaan splitting off as its own town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with North Canaan.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Canaan | #122 | C | B− | — | B− | B− |
| Salisbury | #77 | B | D | — | B+ | A |
| Canaan | — | — | D− | — | B− | A− |
| Norfolk | — | — | C− | — | B | A |
Canaan and Norfolk have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. North Canaan, Salisbury, Canaan and Norfolk report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare North Canaan with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
North Canaan grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #122 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades B− for health and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
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