#4Redding
8,847 peopleStrongest: health A+, safety A+·lowest: cost of living D
DCostA+SafetyA+SchoolsA+HealthA−JobsBWalkB−Hazards
Redding, #1 on this list · Photo: Aab254 · CC BY-SA 4.0Connecticut rankings · 2026
Best small towns in Connecticut
Redding ranks first of Connecticut’s 54 graded small towns (2,500–9,999 residents), with an A+: health (A+) and safety (A+) are its strongest grades; cost of living (D) is its lowest. 23 of the 54 (43%) grade A− or better nationally, against 25% of U.S. towns.
The overall grade, sorted: cost of living, safety, schools, health, jobs & income, walkability and hazard risk, from Census, FBI, state, CDC, EPA and FEMA data. How grades work
#4A+
#5Easton
7,838 peopleStrongest: health A+, schools A+·lowest: cost of living D
DCostASafetyA+SchoolsA+HealthA−JobsBWalkBHazards
#10Middlebury
8,093 peopleStrongest: health A, jobs & income A·lowest: cost of living C
CCostASafetyB+SchoolsAHealthAJobsA−WalkB−Hazards
Where they are: No of the top 10 are in .
All 54 small towns
Overall score, highest first. The score (0–100) blends the seven livability grades and sets the order; the letter places that score among every U.S. town of 2,500+, and A+ is the top 5%, so neighbors on the list often share a letter. Each town links to its page, where the grade sheet shows every subject. The rank is the town’s place among all 151 Connecticut towns.
54 towns ranked. Not here? See why a town may be missing.
#TownScoreGradeWhat drives it
25East Granby5,432 people65.3top 16.1%A−Strongest: jobs & income A+, health A·lowest: cost of living C
28North Stonington5,242 people65.0top 16.8%A−Strongest: jobs & income A, schools A·lowest: walkability C
49East Haddam9,043 people62.1top 23.7%A−Strongest: health A, jobs & income A−·lowest: walkability C−
50Barkhamsted3,726 people61.9top 24.3%A−Strongest: health A+, jobs & income B+·lowest: hazard risk C−
52Killingworth6,288 people61.8top 24.7%A−Strongest: health A+, jobs & income A·lowest: cost of living C−
60New Hartford6,748 people61.2top 26.3%B+Strongest: health A+, jobs & income A·lowest: hazard risk D
68Sherman3,618 people59.1top 31.8%B+Strongest: health A+, jobs & income A−·lowest: cost of living C−
74Bethlehem3,455 people58.1top 34.3%B+Strongest: health A, jobs & income A−·lowest: cost of living C−
99Woodstock8,474 people52.3bottom 49.8%B−Strongest: health A, jobs & income B+·lowest: walkability C−
101Beacon Falls6,307 people51.9bottom 48.5%B−Strongest: health A, jobs & income A·lowest: cost of living D
104Lisbon4,260 people51.2bottom 46.9%B−Strongest: jobs & income B+, walkability B·lowest: cost of living C−
106Middlefield4,276 people50.7bottom 45.5%B−Strongest: health A, jobs & income A−·lowest: cost of living D
112Willington5,601 people49.2bottom 41.4%C+Strongest: jobs & income A−, health A−·lowest: walkability D
113Ashford4,265 people49.1bottom 41.2%C+Strongest: health A−, jobs & income B+·lowest: walkability D
114Preston4,873 people49.1bottom 41.2%C+Strongest: health A−, jobs & income A−·lowest: walkability D
117Brooklyn8,748 people48.1bottom 38.1%C+Strongest: jobs & income B+, health B+·lowest: walkability C−
122North Canaan3,231 people46.5bottom 34.0%CStrongest: walkability A−, schools B−·lowest: hazard risk C−
123Thompson9,566 people46.1bottom 33.0%CStrongest: health B+, cost of living B·lowest: walkability C−
139Jewett CityNew London County · 3,456 people35.0bottom 10.6%DStrongest: walkability A+, health B−·lowest: cost of living D
147DanielsonWindham County · 4,265 people25.5bottom 1.8%D−Strongest: walkability B, health C+·lowest: cost of living D
Method
How this list is made
Each town’s overall grade blends seven livability grades: cost of living (weight 18), safety (18), schools (16), health (14), jobs & income (12), walkability (8) and hazard risk (4). A town needs 2,500+ residents and three of the first four. Letters are national, so an A here means the same as an A in any state; the list is the same towns in the same order, ranked within Connecticut. Towns without their own FBI figures are graded on the rest and their page says why.
Data years: crime 2023–2025 (FBI), Census ACS 2020–2024, CDC PLACES 2025, state school tests. How grades work
Quick answers
Questions people ask
What is the best small town in Connecticut?
Among 54 graded towns of 2,500 to 9,999 residents, Redding () ranks first, with an A+; health (A+) and safety (A+) are its strongest grades; cost of living (D) is its lowest. Easton and Middlebury follow.
How are these towns ranked?
By the overall grade, which blends seven livability grades from public data. The letter is national; the rank is within Connecticut. The full method is on How grades work.
Why isn’t my town on this list?
The list covers towns of 2,500 to 9,999 residents with an overall grade (54 in Connecticut). 20 smaller places have subject grades only; 3 towns of 2,500+ lack enough data for a grade; Larger towns are on the best places to live list. Every town is on the Connecticut page.
Go deeper
All Connecticut rankings →More Connecticut lists
Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.
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