Niche announced on March 25, 2025, its 2025 list of Best Places to Live in Connecticut. For eighth straight years, West Hartford was ranked:
#1 in Connecticut and # 78 in America
#1 Best Suburbs for Young Professionals in Connecticut and #130 in America
#1 Best Suburbs to Live in Connecticut and #148 in America
The list is intended to help everyone from young professionals to retirees decide where they want to live. Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews. Niche analyzed 230 cities and more than 18,000 places to compile this year’s ranking. Community attributes considered in developing the list included housing, public schools, crime and safety, nightlife, good for families, and diversity.
MONEY magazine announced West Hartford was ranked in the Top 50 Best Places to Live in the United States for towns and cities with populations of 50,000 or greater. West Hartford was the only Connecticut town/city to make the Top 50 list and was one of three in New England.
To compile the ranking, MONEY magazine starts with a list of all U.S. towns and cities with populations of 50,000 or greater. The pool is then drilled down to 583 cities by using 135,000 different data points in the following categories: economic health, cost of living, diversity, public education, income, crime, ease of living, and amenities. The greatest weight is placed on economic health, public school performance, and local amenities; housing, cost of living, and diversity were also critical components.
Zippia.com named West Hartford the best city for remote workers to call home in Connecticut. Zippia .com set out to uncover the most affordable cities with speedy fast internet. West Hartford has everything remote workers need to thrive.
Livability.com has released its annual Top 100 Best Places to Live list and West Hartford made the list, the only city in Connecticut to do so. More than 2,300 cities with populations between 20,000 and 350,000 were ranked on 40 data points measuring economics, housing, amenities, infrastructure, demographics, social and civic capital, education, and health care. West Hartford earns high marks in education, healthcare, and technology, and the city is becoming a summertime tourism destination with excellent restaurants and high-end shopping choices.
RENTCafe.com conducted a study of the best and worst U.S. metros to live in, according to each profession. RENTCafe.com calculated the average amount of money left each year for 21 major professional occupations in the top 100 most populous U.S. metros, by subtracting the average cost of living per metro from the average net income per professional field. The Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro ranks in the top 10 best metros to live in for 12 different professional fields. Here are our key findings:
#1 Best Metro to live in for Office & Administrative Support workers. People in this professional field are left with $12,200 each year after covering the basic living expenses
#3 Best Metro for Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance (+$3,400/year)
#4 Best Metro for Community & Social Service (+$19,800/year)
#4 Best Metro for Education, Training, & Library (+$24,900/year)
#5 Best Metro for Protective Service (+$19,500/year)
#5 Best Metro for Life, Physical, & Social Science (+$38,200/year)
#5 Best Metro for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media (+$22,300/year)
#6 Best Metro for Business & Financial Operations (+$36,600/year)
#6 Best Metro for Installation, Maintenance, & Repair (+$18,400/year)
#9 Best Metro for Production (+$11,200/year)
#10 Best Metro for Computer & Mathematical (+$47,900/year)
Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census, Tax Foundation and MIT Living Wage Calculator was used for the study. Read the full study and methodology.
Niche’s ranking of Best Places to Live in Connecticut placed West Hartford in first place. Niche rigorously analyzes dozens of public data sets and millions of reviews to produce comprehensive rankings, report cards, and profiles for every K-12 school, college, and neighborhood in the U.S.
The Crazy Tourist featured West Hartford among the 15 Best Places to Live in Connecticut.
West Hartford is a charming and affordable suburb of the state capital. The median home value here is around $313,500. Residents and neighboring towns say that there is a lot to love about this area and that it is an ideal location to situate yourself to raise a family. The town is safe and secure and there are plenty of activities to offer for people of all ages.
SafeWise ranked West Hartford on its Top 20 Safest Cities in Connecticut based on FBI crime report statistics and population data. SafeWise also ranked West Hartford #13 in the nation for Safest College Towns in America.
Kiplinger's Finance Magazine ranking of Best Cities in the Nation for the Next Decade focused on places that specialized in out-of-the-box thinking. It became clear that West Hartford had three elements of the innovation factor: smart people, great ideas, and collaboration. Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine also selected West Hartford for its Top 10 Great Cities for Raising Families. West Hartford was selected because of its low crime, top-ranked schools (public and private), proximity to major cities, range of parks and historic sites, and vibrant downtown.
Family Circle magazine named West Hartford one of America's 10 Best Towns for Families.
Hartford Magazine ranked towns in the Greater Hartford region and West Hartford came out #1 Overall, #1 in the large town category, #1 Best for Families, #1 Best for Seniors, #1 Most Affluent, and #1 Most Educated.
