PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT

46.0
Life Score / 100
C+
Grade (curved)
#255
of 387 metros
34%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Norwich ranks #255 of 387 US metros, ahead of 34% - carried by its wages (91/100) and held back most by childcare (10/100).

91
strongest: Wages
90
then: Safety
10
weakest: Childcare
7
weighted dimensions

Where Norwich sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

46 34th percentile higher than 34% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). This entry sits in this band. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Norwich Life Score

Norwich's composite score of 46.0 out of 100, a grade of C+, places the metro at rank #255 of 387, ahead of 34% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Wages (91/100) and Safety (90/100), which pull the composite upward, while Childcare (10/100) and Schools (10/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 100.4 (rent-RPP 93.7). BLS median salary $77,653, 107,970 jobs (Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides). HUD 2BR FMR $1,866/mo (studio $1,287).

FBI UCR (CT): 139 violent, 1397 property/100K. NCES: 12.1:1 ratio, 2.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $17,127/yr. EPA: 17 Superfund sites (CT). Ranks #252-#258 below.

Dimension detail

How Norwich scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 20/100 (20%)
Wages 91/100 (20%)
Rent 12/100 (15%)
Safety 90/100 (15%)
Schools 10/100 (10%)
Childcare 10/100 (10%)
Environment 65/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

100.4
Cost Index (RPP)
$77,653
Avg Median Salary
$1,866
2BR Fair Market Rent
139
Violent Crime/100K (CT)
12.1:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$17,127
Infant Childcare/yr (CT)
17
Superfund Sites (CT)
107,970
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Norwich With...

Norwich vs Waterbury Compare → Norwich vs New Haven Compare → Norwich vs Hartford Compare → Norwich vs Wildwood Compare → Norwich vs Waterloo Compare → Norwich vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Norwich outranks 34% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#252 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 46.1 C+
#253 Salisbury, MD 46.1 C+
#254 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 46.4 C+
#255 Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT 46.0 C+
#256 Kenosha, WI 46.0 C+
#257 Punta Gorda, FL 46.0 C+
#258 Tucson, AZ 46.0 C+

CT Metro Scores

Waterbury-Shelton, CT B- 48.7 New Haven, CT C 43.6 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT C 42.4 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area D 37.7

Using Norwich's Life Score

Norwich is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is wages (91/100) and its weakest is childcare (10/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Norwich head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Norwich lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Norwich's biggest strengths? ▼
Norwich's strongest dimensions are Wages (91/100), Safety (90/100), Environment (65/100). Wages is top-tier nationally.
What are Norwich's weakest areas? ▼
Norwich's lowest-scoring dimensions are Childcare (10/100), Schools (10/100), Rent (12/100). Childcare weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Norwich compared to the national average? ▼
Norwich's Regional Price Parity is 100.4 (0.4% more than national); rent RPP 93.7.
What is the average salary in Norwich? ▼
Norwich median salary: $77,653, 107,970 jobs. Top: Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Norwich's 46.0/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.