Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3.2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Connecticut town.
Trash: drop-off onlyFor most people who can afford it, yes. Washington grades B+ overall, 58th among Connecticut's 151 graded towns. It has 65 miles of trail and 30% conserved land. Residents are healthier than 87% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and its schools rank ahead of 87% of Connecticut towns. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $1.1 million, 11.3 years of the Torrington area’s $94K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. 30% of the land in Washington is conserved, against 14% in Connecticut’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Washington's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 95% of U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Steep Rock Preserve, 823 acres with 16.9 miles of trail.
Where Washington beats most towns.
New Preston Hill Historic District
Census counts: 1,487 in 1820, 3,646 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1770 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Washington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Washington. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi MuseumUnited States Military Academy
14 mi LakeCandlewood Lake
31 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
20 mi Theme parkLake Compounce
30 mi Stadium & arenaYale Bowl
33 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank ArenaUnited States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, Public domain · Candlewood Lake: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Yale Bowl: Kenneth Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5
Who provides power, water and the rest in Washington, 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 Washington.
Washington is a second-home town and trades workers with New Milford and other neighbors, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Connecticut.
At 11.3 years of the Torrington area’s $94K median household income, the typical home (about $1.06M) costs more against local pay than in 97% of Connecticut towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Roxbury is next at $960K.
Typical home values rose 4.6% in the year to September 2026.
| Washington | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 79% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,204 a month | $1,451 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Regional School District 12. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Shepaug Valley School, with 486 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 156 | A |
| Shepaug Valley SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 486 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
65 miles of trail in 14 parks and preserves. Washington’s trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile, where Connecticut’s towns sit at 1.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hidden Valley Preserve | 18.7 mi | 787 |
| 2. Steep Rock Preserve | 16.9 mi | 823 |
| 3. Macricostas Preserve | 6.8 mi | 506 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Within Connecticut it is less healthy than 56% of the 154 graded towns: Connecticut sets a high bar. Its widest gap with Connecticut is housing insecurity: 6.8% of its 1,107 adults worry about keeping their housing, against 12.5% statewide.
28% of adults feel lonely in Washington. Washington beats the Connecticut average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Washington.
| Washington | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| What stands out | Washington | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.8% | 12.5% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.2% | 14.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.3% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 2005, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Washington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Washington has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Washington is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Washington has about as many jobs (1,582) as working residents, but only 322 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Washington’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Washington has added 261 jobs, to 1,582 in 2023. Washington’s median household income is $102,000.
| Washington | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 11% | 8% |
| Median household income | $102,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9% | 5.8% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1 within 15 miles of the center of Washington
About 6 of every 100 Washington residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Connecticut.
8 places in Washington on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Washington.
Town in Connecticut, United States
Washington is a rural town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, in the Northeast region of the United States. The population was 3,646 at the 2020 census. Washington is known for its picturesque countryside, historic architecture, and active civic and cultural life. The town has strong ties to New York City, and is home to many cultural and business elites. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Washington.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | #58 | B+ | C− | — | A | A |
| New Milford | #89 | B | C | A− | C+ | A |
| Bethlehem | #74 | B+ | C− | — | B | A |
| New Preston | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Roxbury | — | — | D | — | A | A+ |
| Warren | — | — | C− | — | — | A− |
| Morris | — | — | C | — | — | A |
| Kent | #23 | A | B | — | B+ | A |
Roxbury, Warren and Morris have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Washington, Bethlehem, Roxbury, Warren, Morris and Kent report no FBI crime data of their own. New Preston isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Washington with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Washington grades B+ overall, better than 74% of U.S. towns and #58 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades A for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
7 notable people were born here, including Orville H. Platt and Elisha Whittlesey.
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