Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Westbrook grades A− overall, 39th of 151 graded towns in Connecticut. It is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns. It is healthier than 89% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $91K. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $585K, 6.1 years of the Hartford metro’s $95K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 3 places on the National Register. 36% of residents are 65 or older in Westbrook, above both Connecticut’s towns (20%) and U.S. towns (18%). Among 155 Connecticut towns, just 2 have a lower share of children under 18 than Westbrook. Cockaponset State Forest, at 678 acres with 6.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Westbrook beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,182 in 1840, 6,769 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 4 maps from 1893 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Westbrook is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Westbrook, 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 Westbrook.
Westbrook has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in Connecticut and trades workers with Old Saybrook and other neighbors, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Connecticut.
Within Connecticut it is healthier than 53% of the 154 graded towns: Connecticut sets a high bar. Its widest gap with Connecticut is food insecurity: 8.2% of its 5,852 adults worry about having enough food, against 14.9% statewide.
27% of adults feel lonely in Westbrook. Westbrook beats the Connecticut average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 84% of adults had a checkup this year in Westbrook.
| Westbrook | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 31% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 81% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 36% |
| What stands out | Westbrook | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.2% | 14.9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5% | 8.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.4% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Westbrook School District. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daisy Ingraham SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 292 | B+ |
| Westbrook High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 166 | B |
| Westbrook Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 126 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
Westbrook’s median age is 58.2 years. Westbrook has grown 2.1% since 2020, to 6,918 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. People 65 and older are 36% of residents (19% statewide); children under 18 are 10% of residents (20% statewide).
| Westbrook | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 58.2 years | 44.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 45% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.7 points. Across Connecticut, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Westbrook | CT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 3.4% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.2% | 9.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.5% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 12.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.9% | 14.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18.8% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 17.3% | 7.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.1% | 8.5% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.3% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.9% | 16.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7% | 7.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.7% | 23.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 20% | 19.2% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
24 miles of trail in 19 parks and preserves. The trail density in Westbrook is 1.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cockaponset State Forest | 6.1 mi | 678 |
| 2. Horse Hill Woods Open Space | 4.7 mi | 230 |
| 3. Chapman Mill Pond Open Space | 2.1 mi | 73 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 6.1 years of the Hartford metro’s $95K median household income, the typical home (about $585K) costs more against local pay than in 79% of Connecticut towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living.
Typical home values rose 4.6% in the year to September 2026.
| Westbrook | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 76% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,425 a month | $1,451 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Groton weather station, 23 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 207 days, the highest of 364 Connecticut places with climate records.
Westbrook has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 22° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Westbrook has about as many jobs (3,024) as working residents, but only 364 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Westbrook for work: only 12% work in town. Jobs based in Westbrook fell to 3,024 in 2023, 461 fewer than in 2013. 19% of Westbrook workers work from home.
| Westbrook | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 19% | 15% | 11% |
| Median household income | $91,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 11% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
398 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 79 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 398 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Westbrook.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Westbrook. Close and well known come first.
9 mi State parkGillette Castle State Park
25 mi Stadium & arenaYale Bowl
24 mi Stadium & arenaMohegan Sun Arena
34 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
33 mi Theme parkLake Compounce
32 mi Stadium & arenaPratt & Whitney StadiumGillette Castle State Park: Original uploader was Kevinpepin at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Yale Bowl: Kenneth Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mohegan Sun Arena: Bbjeter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Pratt & Whitney Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
None within 15 miles of Westbrook; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Westbrook residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
Coastal flooding makes up 22% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
3 places in Westbrook on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Connecticut, United States
Westbrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 6,769 at the 2020 census. The town center is classified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Westbrook.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westbrook | #39 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A |
| Old Saybrook | #51 | A− | D | B | A− | A |
| Essex | #27 | A− | D | — | A− | A |
| Clinton | #83 | B | C | C+ | B | A |
| Deep River | #33 | A− | C | — | A− | A |
| Westbrook Center | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Saybrook Manor | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Killingworth | #52 | A− | C− | — | A− | A+ |
Westbrook, Essex, Deep River and Killingworth report no FBI crime data of their own. Westbrook Center and Saybrook Manor aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Westbrook with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Westbrook grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #39 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades A for health and B+ 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−.
2 notable people were born here, including Nehemiah Bushnell and Everett Bacon.
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