Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Old Lyme grades A overall, ranked 12th of 151 in Connecticut. It is healthier than 94% of U.S. towns. Its schools outperform 93% of the state's and the median household earns $132K. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $678K, 7.1 years of the Hartford metro’s $95K median household income. Old Lyme’s median rent is $2,238 a month, above both the Connecticut town median ($1,448 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Old Lyme has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Florence Griswold House and Museum and Old Lyme Historic District. Old Lyme is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns.
Where Old Lyme beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Old Lyme | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.9% | 14.9% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Mile Creek School | K–5 | 334 |
| Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School | 6–8 | 271 |
| Lyme-Old Lyme High School | 9–12 | 367 |
Florence Griswold House and Museum is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,304 in 1860, a low of 946 in 1920, 7,628 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1853 and 4 maps from 1893 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Old Lyme is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Old Lyme. Close and well known come first.
17 mi Stadium & arenaMohegan Sun Arena
10 mi State parkGillette Castle State Park
34 mi Stadium & arenaYale Bowl
37 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
39 mi Theme parkLake Compounce
in town MuseumFlorence Griswold MuseumMohegan Sun Arena: Bbjeter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gillette Castle State Park: Original uploader was Kevinpepin at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Yale Bowl: Kenneth Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Florence Griswold Museum: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Old Lyme, 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 Old Lyme.
Old Lyme has schools in the top 5% of Connecticut, has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in Connecticut and is a second-home town.
Its widest gap with Connecticut is food insecurity: 5.9% of its 8,158 adults worry about having enough food, against 14.9% statewide.
85% of Old Lyme adults had a checkup this year. Only 9 of the 154 Connecticut towns we compare have a lower share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Old Lyme. 13% of Old Lyme adults report frequent mental distress.
| Old Lyme | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 85% | 81% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7% | 9.7% | 14% |
| What stands out | Old Lyme | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.9% | 14.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5.4% | 12.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.5% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A ranks #8 of the 152 Connecticut towns we grade for schools. Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $678K.
Its public schools are run by the Regional School District 18. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lyme-Old Lyme High School, with 367 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mile Creek SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 334 | A+ |
| Lyme-Old Lyme High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 367 | A |
| Lyme-Old Lyme Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 271 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
51 miles of trail in 26 parks and preserves. Old Lyme’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile. McCulloch Family Open Space, at 315 acres with 4.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Champlain South Open Space | 5.7 mi | 204 |
| 2. Ames Family Open Space | 4.6 mi | 213 |
| 3. Lay-Allen Preserve | 4.6 mi | 211 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 7.1 years of the Hartford metro’s $95K median household income, the typical home (about $678K) costs more against local pay than in 88% of Connecticut towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Typical home values rose 12% in the year to September 2026. 89% of households own their home in Old Lyme.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Groton weather station, 14 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 207 days, the highest of 364 Connecticut places with climate records.
Old Lyme has chilly winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Old Lyme is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Old Lyme has about as many jobs (2,385) as working residents, but only 311 people both live and work here. 24.2% of workers work from home, against 16% across Connecticut.
Most working residents leave Old Lyme for work: only 11% work in town. The top destinations are Groton (12%), Old Saybrook (7%) and New London (6%).
| Old Lyme | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 24% | 15% | 11% |
| Median household income | $132,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.9% | 5.8% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
309 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 37 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 309 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Old Lyme.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
4 within 15 miles of the center of Old Lyme
About 2 of every 100 Old Lyme residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
5 places in Old Lyme on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Old Lyme.
Town in Connecticut, United States
Old Lyme is a coastal town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, bounded on the west by the Connecticut River, on the south by the Long Island Sound, on the east by the town of East Lyme, and on the north by the town of Lyme. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The main street of the town, Lyme Street, is a historic district with several homes once owned by sea captains. The town has had for many years a thriving art community. Its principal institutions include the Florence Griswold Museum, the Lyme Art Association, and the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts. The town is named after Lyme Regis, England. Several seasonal beach communities are in Old Ly…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Old Lyme.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Lyme | #12 | A | D | — | A | A |
| East Lyme | #32 | A− | D | A | B+ | A |
| Lyme | — | — | C− | — | A | A |
| Old Saybrook | #51 | A− | D | B | A− | A |
| Old Saybrook Center | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Lyme has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Old Lyme and Lyme report no FBI crime data of their own. Old Saybrook Center isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Old Lyme with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Old Lyme grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #12 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades A for health and A 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.
4 notable people were born here, including Liam Corrigan and John H. Martin.
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